UPDATE July 2, 2023

Ben, a gentle and sweet 8 year boy who is mostly deaf has been in rescue now for a year and a half. At his current foster home during  the last 7 months, he has blossomed.  His foster parents speak for him about his progress in his journey out of the breeding facility:

Dear Adopters:

My coloring makes me look serious and a little fierce, but I am really a nice guy. I can’t hear well, if at all, but I still enjoy life. I enjoy learning from other dogs and am food motivated. I am independent, like to snooze near others but do not need to be on your lap. If you are patient 

with me I will follow you, let you pick me up and sleep in your bed with you. If you have the time to devote to training me, my foster family thinks I will be able to follow even more hand commands. My confidence has grown so much in the last six months, and I will blossom even more with someone who has the dedication to work with me.

Thanks for your consideration! Love Ben

UPDATE  April 18, 2023

Ben has been in our rescue now for 1yr and 2 months. Over the past 5 months,

at his 4th foster home he has made excellent progress. He has gained trust in his foster

couple and does fine with the other dogs. He depends on the other dogs for cues due to

his deafness. They have found strategies to increase his independence and confidence.

He now goes willingly up to a person to meet them - but is still hesitant to be petted. 

Sniffing their hand is a good start; He will wait at his foster's feet now to get picked up. He

does like to be petted when he is on the foster's bed. In the morning he is often laying on

the foster's legs, showing his new found confidence. Baby steps! Ben is quiet and sleep

very soundly since he can't hear. The smell of food gets him excited and he will bark when

it's close to meal time, but is quiet and observant most of the time. 

If you have been thinking about Ben or just reading his bio for the first time and feel he would be a welcome addition to your lives please fill out an application so that we can discuss him with you. 

 

 

Ben is a handsome, 17 lb, 7 year old tricolor who can have a serious look.

He has many expressions which are entertaining and hard to capture

with a camera. Ben has quite a story - He was released to Lucky Star from a

breeding facility in Feb of 2022. He was very scared and marking a lot in

the house. He was neutered and given Solliquin calming chews and an Adaptil

calming collar however he continued to be very anxious. He was placed in a

quieter foster home and he was calmer but still very timid.  He got adopted and

did not adjust to this new home so he came back into rescue. 

 

At this point we had not realized that Ben is deaf and he also had a bladder

infection which was treated and resolved. He  has greatly improved. He is

back on prozac which had been inadvertently discontinued, he wears an

Adaptil calming collar. He likes his co- foster dogs and is calm and happy.

This transition has taken almost a year. Ben has made great strides! Ben's

current fosters have nurtured him and helped him to communicate and

respond to their hand signals. He is ready for a forever home where he can

continue to live a good life and be a wonderful companion. 

 

His vet info includes: severe dental disease, dental cleaning and

extraction of 15 teeth (only a few left), both ears infected, cleared up with

ear meds, had an echocardiogram due to a grade 3 heart murmur that

showed no heart enlargement or need for heart meds at this time. He

recently had a 9 mo followup echo that showed no advancement of his

mitral valve degeneration. He will need continued yearly echocardiograms. 

He needed his anal glands expressed once. He's up to date on all vaccinations,

HW neg and on HW/flea med monthly, labs are good. He had a neg

fecal test 10/30/2022, and his knees are normal. 

 

Here is a description of Ben these days - He still gets startled easily due

to his hearing loss. He needs a quiet home with another mature dog who will

befriend him and show him the ropes. It will take tender loving care and

patience to allow him to adjust to new people and a new environment.  He is

no longer marking in the house, does it all outside. He likes to chase

squirrels. Food motivates him - he enjoys getting treats. He is still

cautious but also quite curious. When he first came to our home, he would lie

flat on the floor and go under the bed if I wanted to pick him up. He does

not like crates at all. Now he will stay sitting next to the bed and let me pick

him up and put him on the comfortable bed. He follows us wherever we go

and lets us hold him and pet him for longer periods as he continues to

shed his fears. If you are willing to work with him he will definitely be

worth the effort. 

 

If you are interested in providing a loving and nurturing home for Ben

please fill out an application. You must have a physically fenced yard

that is accessed from the house to keep him safe and provide him room

to run. Older mature children preferred.  Ben is being fostered in

southern Michigan.  Before completing an application, please read

this entire bio and understand his needs, then contact Mary Coyne

, mary401339@aol.com of your interest. 

 

Good with Dogs, Good with Older/Considerate Kids Only, Good with Adults, Requires a yard, Needs special care, Needs a companion animal