The Lighter Side of Petey
Thanks to an outpouring of monetary donations from supporters and the work of a dedicated trainer, we proudly present a new Petey.
Gone is the tense, fearful dog that arrived into foster care following his owner's passing. Here is a relaxed, trusting dog who has
finally discovered his own happiness.
Miracles
do happen. Okay, it wasn't exactly a miracle. It was weeks of intensive "boot camp" followed by structure and routine administered by an authoritative figure. It took work to get Petey to this happy place and it will require work to keep him in this happy place.
Why bother, you ask? Look at Petey's face and you'll see why we bothered. We can't save every dog, perhaps not every dog can be saved. But, we saw redemption in Petey's eyes. We rallied around him, we raised the funds for boot camp and we sent him off with every ounce of good karma we could muster.
Petey's trainer (and current foster mom) knows Petey inside and out. There is no better person to explain Petey's psyche than she.
"It's a matter of trust with Petey, and he had a hard time trusting people, especially men. Now he's a great greeter when people come to drop their dogs off. It was also a matter of Petey accepting an alpha, and accepting some limits in his life. Once he understood to his core that I was alpha (I would tolerate no unacceptable behavior from him, no threats, and I would also protect him), he started to relax and put on weight.
Petey is not a dog for someone who 'just adores dogs!' He doesn't need some bleeding heart sorry about his past life. He needs a Boss. He needs to know he's safe, but at the same time if he steps out of bounds his life is in jeopardy at the Boss's hands. Knowing boundaries, knowing consequences, knowing exactly what will happen when he's good and when he's not keeps Petey secure. If he goes into a lenient home with anyone not willing to earn their alpha status, he will revert to Bad Petey. If you [BTRNC] can find a home with someone who will appreciate this, they'll have a great companion in this dog. He repays consistency and discipline with embarrassing devotion."
Petey is ready for adoption. His trainer/foster mom has done her job and she has done it well. We owe her so much more than a heartfelt "thank you". For now, that is all we have to extend to her. She is Petey's savior.
Petey needs a very special adoptive home. We aren't looking for a professional trainer or an expert in dog psychology. Let's be realistic. We are looking for someone with some degree of experience working with a challenging dog. Someone who will open her heart to Petey but lay down the law and never give in. Finding that someone may take time. If that someone might be you, step forward and introduce yourself.
Petey is waiting.
A rescue story worth sharing, thinks
The Bashful Boston
On this day that we remember those who have died in our nation's service, young Amelia visits the Veteran's Healing Field of Honor. 
A sea of red, white and blue US flags stand in perfect rows in Battleship Park across the river from historic downtown Wilmington, NC. Each flag in the Field is placed in memory of a soldier, sailor, airman or marine lost in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Operation Enduring Freedom. 
We normally utilize our Blog to share with you stories of happy endings and provide you a more intimate look at dogs in foster care. Today, we will use this Blog to promote ourselves! Here are a few pictures of our tireless volunteers at our Annual Meeting in Cary, NC. Because volunteers are scattered across North Carolina with some crossing borders into Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia, it is a rare opportunity that we are able to unite to discuss our mission. Email addresses normally mask our identies. Today, we can put names with faces.
