Meet our sweet foster dog Dustyn - his story makes me cry.

He’s had a pretty tough life. Dustyn is around 6 years old. In April, he was found by animal control as a stray with his head stuck in a fence - scared and bleeding. He had cuts on his body, and they think he was hit by a car and that’s how he sustained the wounds.

He was placed in the local shelter on April 2nd and was treated for his wounds... he obviously was very afraid and stressed. He has multiple scars on his body and flinches at so much - we don’t know what his life was like prior to being found stuck in the fence, but he seems like he was probably abused at some point and/or surrounded by a domestic violence situation.

He spent 90 days at the shelter, which is a really long time to be stuck scared and alone in a small space. Wonderful volunteers would come in and walk him or play with him, but he was in there most of the time. That is a really long time for a dog to be alone in a shelter.

We were able to pull him into foster care in our home at the 90-day mark. And instantly we saw what a jewel this dog is. He is sweet and very affectionate. He loves playing ball and adores walks! He gets SO excited for walks! He is loyal and loves to be near us, curled up on the floor or on the bed. He also loves belly rubs! With the adults, he’s wonderful. So sweet. So loving. He is wonderful with our dog and would play with the dogs in the park with zero issues.

But, due to his background, he does have defensive and protective tendencies - especially around the kids (ages 11, 13, 14). We aren't sure if he has been around children before. We would go to hug the kids and he would growl and jump - we think because he thought we were hurting each other. He would at times nip at petting and any sort of fast hand movement like a wave. We think he is worried about himself being safe, as well as others.

Because we had children in the home, for their safety after multiple incidents, the shelter had us return Dustyn to them. Sadly, due to the overcrowding crisis, they gave him a commitment date - he had to find a rescue to pull him or risk euthanasia because of his behavior.

We know this dog is a good dog - he just needs some training, safety, and support. Thanks to a lot of help from fellow dog lovers and friends, we found a wonderful rescue who are able to pull him from the shelter and put him in a program with a dog behavior specialist. She will work with him and board him for a month to help him with everything that he needs to hopefully either come home to us, or (if he is better without children), set him up to find his forever home.

It is expensive but our family is planning on covering the $2000 cost because we believe he deserves a loving home and future. He is a good boy - he just needs a little guidance and help. If anyone wants to help put a few bucks towards Dustyn, we would greatly appreciate it! We know there is a lot of need in the world, so no worries if you can't contribute - any prayers for this boy are SO welcome too!

This dog has had such a hard life and I think he deserves the entire world. We are so grateful we get the chance to help him feel safe, secure, trusting, and get a whole next chapter in life. Thank you for any help to help this baby have a happy future.