Meet Sal!
Scaredy Sal was spotted in a field in the fall of 2023. One of our fosters worked with others to get him safe as soon as possible. We had hoped, since he was wearing a collar, that he may be microchipped and we could quickly find his owner. We didn’t realize until he was trapped just how malnourished and terrified he was… neighbors said he’d been out there for about 4 months! And of course, no tag on his collar and not microchipped.
We will spare the novel of how Sal came to be who he is today and just start here.
Sal is literally afraid of everything.
He jumps at sudden movements or unexpected noises. Whether he trusts my loud, hyper children changes day to day. He will run away and hide when new people come over, but he is getting better about eventually greeting them.
Sal LOVES other dogs. He absolutely needs a forever home with other friendly dogs because it’s honestly the only way you’ll get him to do a lot of things. I literally took another dog in to get his pictures done because we’d never have succeeded otherwise. He enjoys playing outside in the yard but can get overwhelmed if hyper dogs are playing in an enclosed area and will go somewhere else to watch.
He will now (usually) jump in the car on his own but he absolutely hates the car. He does better sitting up front with his people but will safely glue himself to the floorboards if not. Prepare to spend some time coaxing him back out of the car…like 10-15 minutes. Having another dog with him helps.
He will put himself in his kennel! Sometimes even if you didn’t send him there. It’s his safe space and he appreciates the dark quiet place to hide. If he doesn’t find that quickly enough, he’s likely to find his way under a bed. Or desk. Or car. Sal needs a home with a 6ft stockade fence, as he can jump and climb over anything less and we want to be sure Scaredy Sal stays safe in his own yard.
He LOVES humans he trusts. He loves when you wrap his whole body up in a hug. He loves sitting beneath my desk all day while I work. He loves laying next to you through the night, VERY firmly pressed against you. He is extremely eager to please, to the point he legitimately cowers like you might beat him if you scold him for anything. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
Scaredy Sal has these beautiful eyes and the most perfect sturdy snout to pet. He can look scary because he sulks, but he’s actually cowering. His former owners cut his ears down to almost nothing. I assume it’s not the only way they betrayed him.
Sal’s personality is so stinking goofy and cute. He does big boy hops when he’s happy and is the most patient foster brother to all his annoying foster siblings. He’s housebroken, crate trained, dog and kid friendly, untested but likely cat friendly, and soon to be finished with heartworm and ehrlichia treatment!
Sal deserves the absolute best, and he will find forever with nothing less.
He needs a patient, loving, understanding family — kids and dogs included.
Who Sal will be a year from now is hard to say.
He’s not a dog park dog, a daily walk nor hiking buddy, a passenger princess, nor really a leaving the house at all kind of guy, but he might be! I can’t wait to see him continue to open up and discover what life can be.
Sal has finished his heartworm treatment and will be retested in a few months to ensure he is negative. If you are interested in foster-to-adopt please complete an application for this sweet boy.
