June 20, 2017 eblast

 A few weeks ago, we took in Melvin from our friends at Toronto Animal Services. They had removed a malignant mass from his chest so we hoped for the best and placed him with our friend Catherine at Sheba's Haven as a palliative care foster. Just prior to his trip to the Haven, our vets conducted further tests and we were delighted the results revealed the cancer had not spread. For now, our Melvin is cancer-free and we are hopeful he'll stay that way.

But despite the good news regarding his health, we're facing another problem with Melvin. He's not doing well in a multi-dog environment. He's a humper for starters. But he's also quick to defend himself if he's reprimanded for it. The way he sees it, he must protect himself whether the threat is real or just perceived. This is the chance we take with dogs whose histories are unknown. Melvin shows signs of having been terribly mishandled in the past. It appears he fully expects to be hit when he misbehaves or even if someone benignly raises a hand in his general direction. He has resorted to defending himself at all costs. He will bare his teeth. He will lunge. He will growl. He may even bite. But here's the thing. Melvin doesn't want to do these things. Melvin feels he has no choice. Deep down, Melvin is just plain scared. We can see the dog he wants to be. He's become so attached to Catherine's husband even after biting him in the toe when he first arrived when gently nudged away from his spot on the couch. He loves to follow him around the expansive yard. But its too much for Melvin to share his home with so many other dogs. He is stressed and the humping of particular dogs at the Haven leads to necessary scolding and suddenly Melvin is in a dark place.

None of us want to give up on Melvin. If he is returned to the shelter, they will have no choice but to give up too. And so, we are looking for that special person to give him a chance. We've consulted with our friend Andre of When Hounds Fly. He believes that if we can get him a home with no other dogs and a person eager to save a worthy beagle like Mel, we can turn this into a happy ending. He's got so much potential. Andre has kindly offered to guide Melvin's foster parent along the way to that happy ending.

 ***If you're out there for either the pair of inseparable souls, Clara-Bow & Lionel, or for our Melvin - a beagle with great potential to love and be loved, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT US BY RESPONDING DIRECTLY TO THIS EMAIL. If you're already a BOB Foster Parent, we can act quickly for the sake of these dogs. If you've not fostered for us before, we can get the application process in motion before it's too late.