Junie

Junie came to CBCR from a backyard breeder who brought a bunch of puppies to a shelter. As a young puppy Junie was shy but generally tolerated, but did not seek contact with new people. After a brief period at a new home where she was challenged and overwhelmed with too many new experiences all at once she was returned for showing aggression towards strangers.

Junie was indeed much worse once she got back, she was very worried about strangers and started growling and lunging when meeting new people. Several dog trainers and veterinary behaviorists were consulted and Junie was diagnosed with fear aggression, basically when confronted with a stranger she may lunge and nip in order to scare them and get them to go away. Fear aggression often manifests only after a few months when the dog is old enough to feel that they can actually defend themselves, when they are little puppies they don’t feel strong enough to even try to chase someone away. Likely this is caused by a combination of genetics, lack of socialization and bad experiences at a crucial age, all of which probably happened to Junie early on in her life.

Junie’s foster parents worked on conditioning and training, and she was put on medication that she will probably need lifelong. The behaviorists gave her a guarded prognosis (which is the best they ever give!) and said that in addition to medication she will probably plateau in her behavior and will need lifelong management, for example be crated when visitors come over. And indeed, despite our best efforts, there was a point where she just could not overcome her fears more and would not get better.

Having said all that, Junie is the sweetest dog with the people she knows. Her foster never has worry about her showing any aggression, she trusts the people in her small inner circle. She is not adoptable since the process of her meeting new people would be extraordinarily difficult. To find an adopter who could follow through with management and medication without putting her into a situation where she could fail and actually bite someone would be risky.

Junie does not need to be euthanized. She is the sweetest dog with the people she knows, a snuggler and a talker, a happy girl who loves to curl up on the couch next to her people. Within her family one would never guess she has a problem and she is a super fun, playful dog. Junie gets along with other dogs just fine, some she loves and plays with, others she can be a little bossy with, like many Border Collie girls. Junie is an amazing swimmer and frisbee player. Little Looney Tunes is well loved by her foster family.