Eljay (bite history)

Eljay is almost 5yrs old and was saved from the Wildomar shelter (Animal Friends of the Valleys) in Oct. 2018, at 15mos old. He was “rescue only” after biting in his second home. Eljay was originally left in the anonymous overnight drop off box in front of the shelter in April 2018 by his first family for reasons unknown. He was adopted by his second family in early May 2018. In Sept. 2018, Eljay was again left in the anonymous overnight drop off box in front of the shelter, in the middle of the night. He was taken into the shelter the following morning with shelter staff surprised that they had another corgi in their care. Upon scanning him for a microchip, they realized he was the same low-rider that had been adopted in May. They reached out to the adopting family and learned he bit their child. Eljay went into bite quarantine and was evaluated. He had food aggression with people and dogs, and was reported to be extremely pushy and in your face.  After getting busted from the shelter and examined by our vet, we learned that Eljay already had hip dysplasia at 15mos old and was immediately started on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. He had no training, no leash manners, and was afraid of every inanimate object he encountered. He freaked out over the trashcan, the car, the vacuum, even the crate. He spent a lot of time getting desensitized and socialized to his environment, being physically handled, exposed to various objects, and the other dogs. He was extremely high energy and unruly so he spent a good amount of time working his brain with the place command. It simultaneously gave him a job to do, enforced boundaries, and challenged his body to relax and stay put. Eljay was quick to learn the new rules of life and very respectful of the boundaries set. His biggest issues aside from the food aggression was starting fights with other dogs that got overly excited, being destructive with anything in his crate (homie couldn’t have nice things) and his intense prey drive. He chased everything that moved. With time, we learned that Eljay was a very sensitive dog that was very unsure of situations he was not familiar with. He wasn’t fond of people hovering over him and was sensitize about being touched around his neck by people he doesn’t fully trust, sometimes snapping when being unleashed. He’s come a long way since his early days and has shown that he’s an intelligent guy that’s eager for direction and super playful. If he could live his life on the doggy playground, he would have no complaints. Give him any toy and he’s a happy camper. You’ll frequently catch him bouncing around with a toy in his mouth, or being herded by his buddy, Shorty. Due to his sensitivity, spastic nature, and bite history, he needs a home that can create a sense of calm to slow him down while being diligent in maintaining his training, and be open to utilizing a basket muzzle until he is fully understood and trusted. He should not be in a home with children or small animals. Just like every other dog that we consider special souls, we know his person it out there somewhere. Fortunately, Eljay is a guy that can patiently wait until their paths cross and they find each other.