Hi!

My name is Akansha, on February 19th my boyfriend found a very anxious Malinois abandoned in a crate on a sidewalk in Los Angeles in pouring rain. We tried to cautiously approach her but she was terrified, she growled at us, and was biting at the edges of the crate. We found a way to safely transport her indoors to my boyfriend's workspace. It took her several hours to feel comfortable in the space and almost 10 hours later we were able to lure her out of the crate with some treats.

She spent 2 nights at his work and was starting to warm up to him and trust him. Her overall behavior was quite unpredictable and very trauma-driven, but she absolutely loved us and was always very loving towards us. She snapped at anyone whom she was intimated by and was always on edge, startled by any sudden movements or unknown sounds. We reached out to every single shelter we could find but everyone gave us the same response - if she shows any signs of aggression, she needs to go to city shelters and there is a high possibility she will get euthanized :(

We decided to take her home so she wasn't spending her nights in a fabrication studio while we kept looking for a rescue to work with her. She turned into an absolute love bug, she loves to cuddle and play, she's also incredibly smart and knows commands like - sit, lay down, and wait. We finally received some support from Vanderpump Dogs, they offered to let their in-house vet check her out, get her up to date on shots etc.. and help us get her adopted! Unfortunately, her trauma from crates is still so fresh, that she couldn't handle being in a crate at a rescue. She wouldn't let the house vet get close to her and did not like a single male employee who worked there. We went back and picked her up so we could take her to a foster home but she had a similar reaction, she did not bond with her foster dad and was incredibly aggressive with him so we ended up back to square one. She is very weary of men and immediately gets defensive around men, she doesn't seem to like them at all - likely from abuse/trauma from whoever abandoned her.

She's such a sweet and loving dog once she feels comfortable with you, she just needs a behavioral trainer to work with her on her trauma recovery. We were able to find a trainer who can work with her one-on-one for 4 weeks so we can get her ready for her forever home! We're raising funds to cover the costs of her behavioral training. She seems to be about a year or so in age and such a quick learner, we know with the right support she will be the most social pup in no time.

If you could please donate to help us get Stella Asha ready for her furever home. She has so much love to give and she is such a smart girl! She deserves the best family.