DEBOW
My little brother Debow aka D- This guys story starts like many unfortunately, suffering abuse at the hands of humans. Fortunately for him though he had a series of guardian angels who saw to it that his life would not end bleeding and bruised and tied to a pole in the street. After being brought back to health in rescue and foster, D eventually found Pack Ethic. He came to us not knowing any self restraint and severe anxiety when he met eyes with any other animal. Here is a video of when he arrived.
After about a week and a lot of 1on1 training with Keri and I taking turns and working with him together we decided to let one of the pack help us with showing D some boundaries. We chose Sammie because we knew she would stay under control at all times. Here is the interaction.
CONCLUSION: D was undoubtedly used in a dog fighting situation at some point. He was pushed to be a fighter, but by his lack of fighting wounds and eventual disposal, seems to have failed that abusive purpose. D doesn't want to fight,doesn't know how to fight and has a wealth of anxiety, frustration and excitement over having a chaotic introduction to life. Here is the video of D entering our Pack after a couple of weeks of working with him and choice multiple dogs from our Pack.
We can only guess as to the neurological trauma, whether it was caused by the head trauma he suffered or even from ingesting harmful, toxic substances, a practice known to be used to increase aggression in dogs for the purpose of fighting. We do know that the trauma he endured has left him suffering from cerebellar hypoplasia. Cerebellar hypoplasia causes jerky movements, tremors and generally uncoordinated motion. The animal often falls down and has trouble walking. Tremors increase when the animal is excited and subside when at ease. This is one of the reasons he lies down when he plays, and the Pack has never tried to show domination over him, on the contrary they lie down with him and engage him with play laying down. Here is a video of D and Thor playing.
This has enabled D to be able to enjoy life in the pack without feeling vulnerable when he stumbles. It is also amazing to see the pack and how they seem to know that if D gets too excited he will start to get unsteady. They have adjusted for him to ensure he is able to be safe and happy. This is what I love about Pack and what we have created here at Pack Ethic and I am honored to be able to be a part of it every day. Yes it is a sacrifice but it is worth it when we can make a difference in dogs lives like D, he has known the harsh side of humans but knows now he will have nothing but safety and happiness for all his days to come. D has also touched my heart with the way he shows unwavering strength and determination to live life to the fullest even though because of human abuse he is forever scarred. The true heart of a champion- enjoy your life little brother we will do anything to ensure your health and happiness last forever.
