Otto

Sometimes, we are asked to help out with a dog that we can't offer a rescue space to. Otto is one such dog. As a Mali with some extensive fear-based aggression issues, we knew that we couldn't bring him into foster with a young child and 4 resident dogs. But we still wanted to try and help as Otto was due to be PTS on January 27th. His owners had spent months trying to find him a home without success. They were paying for two houses just to keep Otto safe - and just could not afford to do it anymore. We wanted to help Otto, but knew that options for such a complex case were thin on the ground. Nevertheless, we started to advertise him - making sure to vet any potential candidate carefully. We had to discount many potential candidates - such as anyone who did not show a deep understanding of how to approach Otto's issues, as well as anyone that did not have experience of a similar breed. We were searching for a needle in a haystack.

Luckily, we found someone! Someone with breed experience, a firm hand and a very laid back response to Otto's shenanigans. Otto has been in his new home for a few days now, and is settling nicely. He will need a lot of patience, understanding and ongoing training - but we are confident that he will get all of that and more in his new home. He gets to spend his days working outdoors alongside his owner - his perfect situation. Otto is a very lucky dog. A lot of Mali's aren't so lucky. They are very over-bred because they are completely adorable as puppies, and totally gorgeous as adults. However, in almost all cases, they are completely unsuitable to life as a domestic pet. They are extremely high energy, intelligent dogs that require a lot of training and constant mental and physical stimulation. They are not a breed for the faint hearted! Otto is a very lucky boy. We are not always successful when we try to help dogs like him but we are so thankful that we got lucky this time :)