There's a new face at Home for Life, and what a face!
Koko is just about age 2, a red and white neutered male and already in that time has been in a shelter, a rescue and not less than 5 homes. Home for Life is his 6th placement and will be the last.
Koko is a good dog, not aggressive, good with other dogs. It's hard to understand how this revolving door of homes and placements started, but it was not hard to project that it wasn't going to end well for Koko.
It's a situation often seen with high energy small dogs. People want a small dog, a short hair dog. But Bostons are intense and Koko is true to form. When they become a bother in the home, maybe they're relegated to living in a crate during long hours of the day, or even to living outside. With a short coat, this is not survivable situation for these dogs. The last two homes, Koko lived in a crate for long hours while the owner, who was in an apartment, was at work. He was nearly berserk when let out of the crate.
That was the 4th home, after he was adopted from a shelter, after his third home surrendered him. The fifth home got him off Next Door, and felt sorry for him. This home tried but the owners were facing chronic illness from long covid, with an autistic child in the home, and Koko's constant play mode became irritating and exhausting to have around. He wasn't getting enough attention or exercise and started using the house as a bathroom, an untenable situation.
Now at Home for Life, Koko seemed happy right from the start, and immediately found toys to play with and friends, with Dan being a special favorite. Dan, a former street dog from Tijuana Mexico, is a small terrier mix with a great scruffy look. He is only age 2 like Koko and had a difficult life too, although in a different way than Koko. Dan was found injured, and had been left that way, his pelvis and leg broken, for three days before he was found. He underwent grueling surgery to repair the injuries and a long rehabilitation. Though he healed well, Dan remained very shy of people, and was much more confident around other dogs. Since coming to Home for Life, where he is accepted for who he is, Dan has blossomed, and shown a sweet shy side that he could never reveal when he was in survival mode. His happiness has also emerged in his love of play with the effervescent Koko, who has never let his past rejections and hard times get him down.
The proximity to nature, alignment with the natural rhythm of the day and routine seem calming to both dogs. With access to outside thru a dog door, Koko, who is very smart, quickly followed the lead of the other small dogs and has made no accidents inside.
Koko's story is a reminder that cycling through multiple adoptions is not the answer for every dog or cat. The story of another energetic dog who entered the rescue system at the age of 3 and was left blind and near death just 2 and a half years later, after NINE failed placements in four different states illustrates what could have easily been Koko's fate. That was our beloved Outlaw, an Australian Cattle dog and his story reveals the slippery slope that awaits many animals that cycle through adoption after adoption, through no fault of their own.