COURTESY POST - STORM IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION WITH KEY TO LION’S HEART RESCUE
Age: 6 years
Size: 45 lbs
Estimated breed: Samoyed/Chow mix
Location: State College, PA
Perfect home: Securely fenced-in yard, at least one other friendly dog, owners experienced with fearful dogs
Storm is a former foster of our founder and is unfortunately being returned to his original rescue due to ZERO fault of his own. Please read his bio written by our founder below!
"Storm was rescued from a dog meat farm and brought to the USA with Key to Lion's Heart Rescue in May 2022. Only a few days after arriving, he got loose from his foster family and was on the lamb in Baltimore, MD for nearly 50 days! Fortunately, we trapped Storm safely and he came back to PA with me as a foster. He was adopted in December 2022 but is now losing his home due to ZERO fault of his own. While I want nothing more than to take him back into my home, my pack has grown since he was adopted and I'm in a very small apartment, so he cannot come here
We are looking for a new home for Storm who understands fearful meat farm survivors and can meet him where he's at. Here are Storm's quick hits:
6 years old
45ish lbs
Samoyed/Chow mix
Friendly with all dogs, super nonconfrontational, used to let my chihuahuas go right into his crate and steal his food. He needs a home with at least one other friendly dog!
Cat friendly! Lives with a cat currently and completely ignores it.
Home with a secure fenced-in yard required
Older teens only
Due to his past experience on a meat farm and the aloofness of his breed, Storm is not a cuddly dog. He is not very comfortable on the leash and prefers to run directly into the yard to do his business. When he lived with me, he very easily would follow the pack in and out of the yard to do his business, and he did not have any potty accidents inside the home. Inside, he prefers to pick a safe spot (crate with the door left open or dog bed) to quietly sit and observe the world around him. He doesn't make a peep inside and doesn't really ask for anything other than to be left alone, making him ridiculously low-maintenance! Trying to force him to "bond" with you (as the owners have done) is only going to lead him to mistrust you. Storm is happiest when he can coexist around people without those people trying to force an interaction on him.
Storm's long, beautiful white coat does mean he'll require maintenance grooming to ensure no mats form. Storm allowed me to brush him for short periods of time, but as soon as I noticed him getting increasingly agitated or uncomfortable, I would stop for the day and try again later.
Storm is most comfortable at home, so any necessary visits to the vet or groomer will require anxiety medication beforehand and a muzzle during the visit. Storm is not confrontational with people but if pushed into a corner and terrified, he will snap in fear, so sedation and muzzling are key for his annual vet visits. In-home vet visits would also be a great solution and keep his stress level down for the once a year necessary vetting.
Storm's owners advised they tried daily anxiety medication under the supervision of their vet, but that Storm would sniff out the meds in his food and refuse to eat them. I feel that with more effort put in, different methods of hiding the meds, and brainstorming with your vet, he could be successful on anti-anxiety meds, especially during the transition to a new home.
I am 100% committed to finding the perfect home for this PERFECT dog. He is truly such an easy dog to have in the home, you barely even notice he's there until you look over and see him watching you from his safety dog bed! As most of us with fearful dogs know, the magic to gaining their trust is to simply LEAVE THEM ALONE. Let him coexist with you. Don't force an interaction that he's not ready for. Right before he was adopted, I noticed the first real milestone with Storm - he began play bowing and trying to initiate play with another one of my dogs in the yard. That was several months after he came to live with me!”
To adopt Storm, please apply via Key to Lion’s Heart Rescue using the button below!
PA Kennel License #18366