WILLIE was confiscated for extreme cruelty. His owner went to the hospital, asked the landlord to see to Willie, and when the landlord went over he was so shocked by Willie's condition that he immediately called Animal Control and Willie was taken to the shelter.

Willie's cruelty confiscation required that he be on a 5-day hold at the shelter.  But the day before it was to expire and he was to come to MOGS to begin immediate vet treatment, Animal Control required the shelter to change his status and label him as a "stray" -- which he most certainly was not.  The change in his classification did only one thing:  it gave the owner an additional 5 days to reclaim Willie.  So Animal Control's arbitrary action forced Willie to stay at the shelter in his pitiful condition for an additional 5 days.  Animal Control forced the shelter to make the change after the owner said he couldn't afford to care for Willie -- and this dishonest change appears to have been a clear attempt to allow the owner to reclaim Willie and return him to the same horrendous suffering he had already endured at the owner's hands.  Fortunately in the end, after a great deal of angst and a lot of prayers, Willie came to MOGS anyway and is now safe, loved and healed. 

We will NEVER understand how anyone -- especially officials responsible for anmal welfare and enforcing animal cruelty laws -- could see a dog in this condition and not only brush it off, but actually want to return him to those exact same conditions.

BACKGROUND
Willie was isolated and forced to live outdoors 24/7.  He was starved and desperately needed vet care the owner never got for him.  He suffered from extreme infections of his ears and skin that were painful and never stopped itching. He had lost most of his fur to those infections.  The owner justified his slow, day-by-day starvation and neglect by saying he couldn’t afford to care for Willie -- even though there is help available in this area.  The result was that the owner tortured Willie instead of doing something as simple as taking him to the no-kill local shelter -- where he would have had food, protection from the cold/heat, and medical attention.  And on top of all that, Willie never got any training or socialization, and was completely lacking in any manners or social interaction skills.

TEMPERAMENT
Willie was in such dire shape when he arrived at the shelter that shelter vets felt he was at least 11 years old.  He was slow, walked like an old man, had a sunken body, almost no hair, badly swollen legs, bad ears, horrible skin, and infections everywhere  But as we brought him back to health, we discovered that he's actually to 5-7 years old -- and FULL of life! 

It's taken 7 months of working day and night to rehab Willie, but now he's heatlthy, recovered from his medical problems, and LOVES life with the enthusiasm of a dog who's been through hell and survived.  He's showing his real personality, which is fun, upbeat, and a zest for life!  He LOVES to play ball (is ball obsessed), LOVES humans despite his prior misery at human hands, and enjoys the heck out of everything This boy wants to live it up!  In human terms, he's a bit of a party animal. 

If you don't give him attention, he lets you know.  He's a foot-sitter -- he ADORES curling up on your feet when you sit down.  He loves attention in general and butt-scratches in particular.  He'll play catch endlessly, and inside he'll bring the ball to you to ask you to throw it, while outside he entertains himself. He'll play with just about anything -- if there are no toys around he'll play with a stick.  He's a food-hound and loves to eat, loves to go on car rides and will hop right in the passenger seat, and when you're home he just generally wants to know 'so what's on the schedule today?'  Yet he also can settle down while you watch TV or have quiet family time.

Willie is making up for those lost years of misery and intends to make the most of every minute of life from now on .... just look at his eager eyes .... taking it all in .... loving every minute ....

PEOPLE
Willie LOVES people.  He ADORES people.  He LOVES kids and is great with them. He wants to be with his people and sit on your feet or beg for a butt scratch.   He's kennel-trained and all you have to do is open the kennel door and say "in".  He may occasionally talk to you a little about it, hoping to negotiate his way out.  He sleeps on a dog bed next to his foster mom at night, and loves the orthopedic dog beds throughout the house. Willie is house-trained, though he will occasionally poop on the deck if it's cold and he doesn't want to go down to the yard.   He doesn't seem to be overly protective of his home and has welcomed anyone who visits his foster home (though we're uncertain how he would react if a stranger tried to break in).

KIDS
AGES 8 YEARS AND UP, PLEASE.  Willie has been around kids as young as 8 yrs old in his foster home and has been very gentle with all of them. But due to his sheer strength -- he is exceptionally strong -- and the fact that he hasn't been around very small kids, he must be in a home with kids 8 yrs or older. 

WALKS
Willie loves to walk but needs continued work on good leash manners. When home and walking in a familiar neighborhood, hr does moderately well on a leash.  In unfamiliar surroundings, he pulls very hard and wants to sniff the whole time -- and could bring a handler to the ground if not prepared for his strength.  His foster mom is somewhat restricted in how far she can walk and has not been able to do a lot of leash work with him, so this is the one area he still needs work on.

FOOD
Food is Willie's passion!  He has yet to meet a piece of food he doesn't want to eat, probably due to his life of neglect and starvation.   He loves treats and is learning to take them gently from your hand but can still sometimes be rough.  He can not be free-fed (leaving food down) or he will inhale everything and look for more.  He must have structured feedings (rationed portions with a limited time to eat) and be monitored.  He's now at a good weight of 100 lbs -- he looks like an average size GSD but is stocky, all muscle, and extremely strong.

BALLS / TOYS
Did we mention his other passion is balls?!?  He'll carry a ball all day if allowed.  He can't have tennis balls unless he's supervised because he breaks them in half in seconds and then tries to eat them. He lets you take a ball from his mouth - though you need to mind your fingers as he may mouth them. He loves to chase the ball, but outdoors is not great at bringing it back.  To say he has a ball drive is an understatement.  If there aren't any balls or other toys around, Willie will find a stick and entertain himself.

TALKER
He's a talker.  He lets you know he wants to play.  He'll also talk to you until you ask him what he wants, and seems to understand several phrases like "want to go out?" and "are you hungry?"  He's one very smart cookie!


OTHER ANIMALS
DOGS -- Willie can be an only dog (he'd love all that attention), but he'd also love to have a doggie buddy (likes to play and hang out).  However, he can not live with a dominant male as he will fight with the other dog for top spot.  He currently lives with 3 other dogs, including a dominant medium sized female -- they play well together until they both want the same toy and then the foster mom removes the toy.  A doggie buddy needs to be a submissive dog who will let Willie be the boss.

CATS
He does well with cats and lives with one in his foster home.  He also spent a few days in another foster home with free-roaming cats and did great.  He originally tried to get his cat foster sibling to play but she smacked him on the nose -- and he immediately corrected and left her alone.

SMALL ANIMALS
He does not appear to have a prey drive for other small animals, but that needs to continue to be monitored.

MEDICAL
Willie was a hot mess physically when he came in to MOGS, with multiple severe medical issues.  He had lost over 70% of his hair to a massive flea infestation that was ignored by his owner.  He had a severe bacterial skin infection and had pockets (bubbles) of infection all over his body.  All four legs were severely swollen.  He was massively underweight.  Both ears were infected and he was sick with an upper respiratory infection.  He was heartworm positive and had a Grade 3 (out of 6) heart murmur. We also discovered that on top of all that, he had multiple broken, worn teeth that caused pain and bleeding every time he tried to eat.  They were completely destroyed from chewing on  rocks, sticks and fencing, and had to be removed.  He's been treated for all conditions and has had surgery to remove a number of his teeth (he still has his canines).

AND NOW THE GREAT NEWS is that after 7 months of non-stop treatments, medications, constant care, and surgery, Willie is HEALTHY!  We celebrate because it's the first time in his life since he was a puppy that he's been healthy.  He's current on shots, neutered, treated for his issues, microchipped and ready to find a forever family to just enjoy life with!  The only reminder of his physical problems is a small area of missing fur near his tail, which is trying to grow back in but may or may not.  Willie must be on heartworm preventive year round for the rest of his life, with annual heartworm tests (recommended for all dogs but mandatory for Willie).  We also believe he is allergic to chicken but he does well on a salmon food from Costco.

OVERALL
Willie is a joy to be around -- his zest for life is contagious.  You can't help but smile when you're with him.  He's handsome, goofy, loves everyone, adores attention, is kennel trained and house trained.  He's super smart and his new family will find it easy to continue the training we've begun on things like leash manners and returning the ball -- all he needs is consistency and leadership.  He's now healthy and feeling good.  He can be with kids 8 years and up. He's good with cats. He can be an only dog or live with other dogs as long they're submissive and let him be top dog. 

Willie is going to make an extraordinary buddy for some lucky family -- IS THAT YOU?  Get your application in today!

If you're looking for a gorgeous, big, mature-but-full-of-life, attention-loving German Shepherd
who will love you forever,
WILLIE may be your dream buddy!

WILLIE'S ADOPTION FEE:   $300
This fee covers only part of what we spend to vet, board and rehab the dogs we save. On average we spend over $450 on each dog. We made a decision to keep our adoption fee at the 2005 level even though vet prices have doubled and tripled since then. We are constantly fundraising to cover the deficit. At minimum, your adoption fee includes the dog's spay/neuter, heartworm test, heartworm treatment if needed, rabies shot, distemper/parvo shot, bordatella shot, deworming, monthly heartworm and flea preventives, and microchip. In many cases it also includes surgery and various types of vet treatment for standard issues such as hot spots, ear infections and so on.


INTERESTED IN ADOPTING WILLIE?
Complete an Adoption Application Now!

Good with Dogs, Good with Kids

STOP!! READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER!

1. We're picky about our adopters. 
2. Are you sure you're up to having a GSD?  They're not for everyone.  They take a lot of time, effort, training.  They shed year round.  They're big.  They scare lots of people.  They "mouth" and herd.  They're usually strong-willed and stubborn.  You have to have references and a home visit.  If you're not willing or able to deal with any of this, please don't waste your time or ours applying.  
   
3. Will the dog be an inside family pet? We do not adopt to outdoor-only homes. All dogs must be indoor dogs.
4. Do you leave your dog outdoors when you're not home?   We do not adopt to homes that leave their animals outside when they're gone.  You must put your dogs indoors when you're gone.  A 3 yr old adopted MOGS dog died when the owners went to run errands, left her outdoors, the gate was somehow opened, and she was hit by a car.  Tragic and 100% preventable. Even privacy fences get broken into.  Gates are opened.  Thieves steal dogs. Never leave your dog outdoors when you're not home!!
   
5. What's your plan for unexpected events and major changes?  New baby? Divorce?  Moving?   How you will provide for your dog if your family breaks up? 
   
6. Will you make a lifetime commitment?  It's your responsibility to keep your dog safe, loved and cared for FOR LIFE.
7.  Do you understand we expect you to keep that lifetime commitment?  It's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to stick by your family member -- no matter what.
8. Are you unable or unwilling to make a lifetime commitment? Do not apply.

 

Have Questions? Email us at mogsrescue@gmail.com

Thank you for considering a homeless dog or cat.