Tony, the rescue
-
I see a very sweet dog who likely has a lot of love to give. No doubt he'll need some time to adjust. It's likely he'll never be super outgoing but that's not a huge deal. We had a girl once who was timid around people (fearless with other dogs). I'd joke by telling people she had just met, and was very wary of, that she had been abused as a puppy. When they'd ask what happened, I'd tell them that as a puppy she had gotten chicken rather than beef -- which was actually the truth. The point being that some dogs are naturally less outgoing than others.
Really was never a problem. Unless you're showing, your dog doesn't need to be uber tolerant of being handled by strangers. You might want to think about using a crate. Might help keep him calm and spare you some chewing or mistakes during the adaptation period.
-
I think Tony looks to have a lot of basenji in him. I found my first basenji at the local humane society. We thought she was deaf for the first 4 days because she didn't react to people or sounds (not even a potato chip bag). She turned out to be the most wonderful, loving creature who turned me into a basenji fan for life. I have pulled many basenji from shelters and can guarantee that the dog you see now is not the same dog he/she will be in 6 months. I absolutely love your comment "their loss is our gain". Give him time, love and the best quality food you can afford. Tony will blossom. Bless you for giving him a good home.
-
He looks like a love! We have a rescue that when we got him we almost thought maybe we made a mistake because he would growl and bare his teeth if we came near and was very standoffish. However, we just gave him a ton of love and attention and now he is the best, most loving basenji boy you can imagine!
-
