Phoenix (Cinnamon)

Mr Phoenix has been adopted and will be staying in Korea for a while with his new family and will be flying to Canada with them in a couple years :D

Phoenix is a very unique dog who needs a loving home. He is very sweet, calm, gentle, and affectionate.

He was rescued from a shelter in Gumi and is currently being fostered in Busan. His front left leg was amputated at some point before his arrival at the shelter. Before the shelter, he had a woman looking after him and most likely another owner before that. He needs a patient, loving owner who will take the time to build trust with him as he's nervous around new people. Once that trust is built, he will be devoted to you!

Because of his past trauma, he is very submissive. When someone approaches him, he rolls over on his back and sometimes pees to show that he isn’t a threat. My husband works from home and has employees and customers coming to our apartment often. Before they enter the apartment, I put him in his kennel with the door open and he can come out when he’s comfortable. He is already comfortable with the two women who are here most days (he seems to be less scared of women). If someone wants to greet him, I ask them to approach him in a non-threatening way- close to the ground, without looking him in the eyes, and petting him under his chin. This has helped so much and he is showing signs of improvement. Everyday he is getting better and doesn’t pee if you approach him in that way.

He is already very attached to me and is showing signs of separation anxiety. When I leave the apartment, he whines. If he is left alone in the apartment without being locked in his kennel, he will go to the bathroom because he’s anxious. To solve this, I lock him in his kennel when I’m gone. At night he sleeps in his kennel. He doesn’t whine and is very quiet and happy there. He feels very safe and goes in there on his own. I expect these issues to improve with more time.

He is very eager to please. A previous owner taught him how to sit and come. I am working on teaching him a few other commands. He walks on a leash but is easily distracted by noises, sights, and smells so our walks are very slow with constant stops.

Mobility: Because he is missing a leg, he has a few mobility issues. He can run and absolutely loves going on walks and being outside. He is a very slow walker when his nose is to the ground but when he is focused on moving forward, he is quite fast. He can go up stairs but won’t go down stairs. I have to carry him. He also hates walking on grates or anything that makes noise when stepped on and avoids unpredictable, uneven surfaces. I live in a very busy part of the city with many busy roads surrounding the apartment. He is a little jumpy and sometimes gets scared crossing busy streets so I have to pick him up and carry him. This makes me think that he may have lost his leg after being hit by a car, but he may also just not be used to all the noise and commotion.

Other pets: I have a cat and Phoenix is very curious about her. But, since the cat avoids him, they never get too close. There is no aggression in him, he’ll watch her but won’t bark or chase her. He has met other dogs at the vet and on our walks. He’s very curious and shows signs of submission when he meets them. I think he would get along well with other pets.

Phoenix has had all his vaccines and is heartworm negative. He is neutered and healthy.

I have had him for a short time and already have a lot of love for him. I want him to find a good home and I know that if you are patient and loving, he will be a very gentle and adoring dog.

Phoenix is in a temporary foster situation (we were very desperate to get him out of the shelter) so if anyone is willing to foster this sweet dog, please contact us.

UPDATE:

I wanted to update you on Phoenix. I wrote his profile 5 days after getting him. I’ve had him 11 days now.

He has made lots of improvements. He is a very low key dog. He likes to relax and sleep for most of the day. I used to take him outside at 6am and then back in his kennel until 10 or 11. Now he doesn’t want to come out of his kennel until 9 or 10. I used to keep him mostly in the kitchen and kennel since I couldn’t trust him not to pee on the carpet, couch, etc. Now, I leave him free when I’m home. I taught him to stay off the couch, out of the bedroom, and out of the garbage. He listens very well. He knows how to sit, come, shake, and we’re working on stay. He goes into his kennel and onto his bed on command. He still loves attention and cuddles but is very happy just to be in the same room as you. He is so calm and gentle and affectionate. Also, he and my cat are almost friendly. I’m sure he would be good with another cat or dog.

I’ve also noticed a change in his mobility. He can run fast but only likes to run for a short time, then back to sniffing around. He can also jump and go down stairs. He still loves walks. He’s much more comfortable with strangers now, too. He rarely pees when he meets people and he’s very curious about everyone we meet and pass outside. He wants to go up to most people. He especially likes kids and wants to follow them. Inside, he wants to go to the door to meet people. A huge improvement from cowering, rolling on his back, and peeing like he used to.

I discovered that he has been trained to use a pee pad. It’s not always easy to read his signals so I try to take him out enough so he doesn’t go to the bathroom inside. It still happens about 1-2 times a day but he always uses the pee pad or goes on the bathroom floor (I didn’t teach him that, nor did I discourage it).

The only issue that he has now is separation anxiety. He doesn’t mind when my husband leaves but he gets very stressed out when I leave. I’m working on it with him and he needs someone who will continue to work on it with him.

***UPDATE March 3: Phoenix is now with me and my dog, Belgi. His previous foster family and I switched dogs since Phoenix had separation anxiety and howled when left alone. He also whined when his foster mom was not around (even if other people were). Because I live in a small building and my neighbours are gone most of the day, and hoping that my dog would help Phoenix feel comfortable, I took him in. The first night was very difficult for Phoenix. He whined and howled most of the night. I had to lay with him on the floor until around 3 am, and when he fell asleep I went back to bed. The morning was slightly better. I decided to ignore him and for the only interaction between us to be food related. So, I stuffed a kong and other toys and left that for him in his room. I gave him treats occasionally, especially when he displayed confidence, rather than submission. He whined throughout the day but the howling stopped. I let him out of his room for a couple hours yesterday, but most of the day he spent in there. At night I put him in his room again and he didn't make a single noise, even when I woke up today and got ready for work. I opened the door so he could greet me and my dog and for them to interact. I fed him, left a stuffed kong in his room and left for work. At lunch I decided to try to take him outside and after about 5 minutes and one pee accident, he allowed me to pick him up and take him downstairs (he doesn't feel comfortable walking down stairs on his own). Outside he was so much more confident! We took a walk, he peed and then we walked back home, but again, I carried him up the stairs. At home I let him wander for 15 minutes before putting him in his room and going to work.

So, last night and today he hardly made a sound. He's very happy when he approaches me, but doesn't like to be approached (he rolls over onto his back). He went a bit crazy with my dog today, for a couple seconds, spinning around the room, which is a very welcome change to his usual quiet behaviour. It seems that my dog has a positive impact on him, as does the fact that he has his own room to go to. He never sees when I leave or come home and a few times a day I open and close the door so he gets used to the sound and doesn't associate it with my departure.

I did visit him a couple times a week when he was with his other foster, so he does know me, which I am sure is helping, too. So, his new home will probably experience problems too, but as of now, he doesn't seem to show any symptoms of separation anxiety.