dog pit Prince, who is 2 years old, was raised in a family up until the day his father decided he couldn't take care of him any longer and gave him to his girlfriend. He ran away when she let go of his leash while taking him for a walk while taking care of him. No one knew where he was until Animal Control was able to locate him and rescuers from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society shelter in New York brought him in.
When Prince first arrived at the shelter, he was extremely anxious. Despite the woman's assurances that she would return to pick him up, she never did, according to staff who were able to get in touch with her.
According to Nancy Haynes, director of behavior and enrichment at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society,
He would flinch and shudder while sitting on his back, even when you were quite close to his cage. He usually resides in a ball, toward the back of his cage.
Thankfully, the staff at the shelter were able to win Prince over and put him at ease. They also discovered that Prince likes to be put to bed at night before everyone leaves for home.
"As they were cuddling with him in the kennel, they realized, "Oh, he really enjoys this," when he got up in bed and one of the staff members simply wrapped a blanket around him. He finds it enjoyable and comfortable.
Having realized this, Prince's rescuers now alternate nights with putting him to bed.
He only has one problem, I think. When you go with him, he will go to bed to be tucked in. Normally, he waits until someone comes over to his cage and does the rounds for him.
Prince also likes to socialize in addition to his routine.
Nacy declared:
"Cuddling is her absolute favorite pastime. It motivates him. When you enter his cage with him, he kisses your face and growls when you scratch his butt. Right now, he is purely happy.
When a stranger approaches his cage, he may bark and become agitated because he doesn't exhibit well there. He has been receiving so much one-on-one care, though, that his responsiveness has drastically dropped.