I am doing this years Dog Jog and 5K in Slash's honor.
This will be Slash's 4th year of Dog Jog. He is a well known RSPCA alumni as he lived there for 3 consecutive years. He started his journey when he was transferred into the Richmond SPCA from Halifax County Animal Control back in 2021. In Halifax he was found a stray at about 4 years old. When he came into the Richmond SPCA it was discovered he had a severe ear infection and a mass on his front left ankle. The IVS team was able to successfully remove the mass off of his foot. They discovered his ear infection lead to some vision impairment in his left eye. He made a quick recovery and can still function with his vision.
He was adopted very fast when he was first made available at the RSPCA! then returned after 9 days of being out. Then after a few days he was adopted again! Then about 2 months laters for the first time ever our Behavior Trainers had to go to a home and pick up a previously adopted dog, and that was Slash. Over the past few months Slash had regressed and lost trust in the world around him. I believe this was out of fear and not having stability at a young age. It is unknown how long he was wandering those woods in Halifax, but he has scars to show a bit of his story. He had displayed some resources guarding and had developed a bite history in his previous homes. This can be challenging and hard to navigate in the home.
I had began working at the RSPCA in January 2022. I immediately fell in love with Slash, but at the time I had roommates and I needed to wait until I had my own home. I needed to make sure I could create a space best suited for Slash. I kept telling myself if it is meant to be it will be, and if someone did adopt him I'd still be happy. The end goal is we all want these babies to find a home, but our long term dogs can require extra visits and patience. Until I had my own home I worked with him every single week and many weekends. I had help at the time from previous Trainer Jackie, and she helped me work on introducing my current dog to Slash for five months. My gut knew that my current dog Bandit could help ease Slash into this big world that was not the most gentle to him.
We are now going on 2 years this August of having Slash in our family. He has displayed the behaviors he showed in previous homes, but Bandit has truly helped him during those moments. We always meet Slash where he is and remember his past. It can take months for an individual with PTSD to somewhat decompress and be able to use coping strategies. So with dogs I work hard to give them grace and Slash has gained SO much confidence and trust with his new family and brother. I love him with my whole heart and I am grateful I can share his story. He is not the same dog who entered the Richmond SPCA back in 2021. I thought I knew him when he was in the shelter, but seeing him out of the Shelter he is truly a puppy with a whole new world to discover. I hope this year to see more long term dogs find their families who can meet them where they're at.
Thank you for visiting my personal fundraising page! You can show your support by making a gift in honor of my participation in the Richmond SPCA's 23rd Annual Dog Jog, 5K and Block Party.
The pets awaiting homes at the Richmond SPCA's Robins-Starr Humane Center need your help. Your contribution will be put to work to help the Richmond SPCA provide lifesaving care and services to the people and pets in our community, and will help save the lives of more than 4,000 homeless animals this year!
