Leo was from the first litter of puppies we supported through Elisa (our shelter partner), all the way back in Spring 2020. He was rescued alongside his 3 sisters and travelled to a home in the UK in Autumn 2020. 

Sadly, after being in a home for over 3 years, Leo came back into our care, and has been fostered by one of our lovely volunteers since November 2023. We are hoping we can find him an adoptive home suited to his needs.

The reason Leo was handed back into our care is because he developed some behavioural issues that his family did not feel they had the time to work through.  Since being in foster, he has been working hard on improving these behaviours and has come on leaps and bounds.

Leo’s main behavioural issue was surrounding resource guarding of food / bowls and being handled when he isn’t feeling comfortable.  This has therefore been one of the main focuses during his stay in his foster home.  With the right set up and guidance, this is easily managed within the home and steps have been taken to help Leo work through this by building up his confidence and a strong bond with his fosterers.  Leo has not displayed any guarding issues in his foster home since February / March of this year.  Whilst it is expected that Leo will take a step back in his training when he arrives in his new adoptive home, training support will be provided to assist a successful adopter to continue with his training.

Leo is a nervous, uncertain little man who does take time to adapt to new surroundings.  He does display some fear-based reactivity, particularly towards other dogs, when out on walks although with a bit of encouragement and guidance, he will choose to create himself space, or use the space that has been created for him and move away as opposed to reacting.  His reactivity is another element that his foster home are continuing to work with him on and this will need to be carried over into his new home. 

With the correct introductions, he can develop really lovely relationships with other dogs and currently has a group of dog friends that he goes on regular walks with.  These dogs range from older docile labradors to an excitable cockerpoo puppy.  His foster home also has a 9 year old resident dog (also adopted through Luckys) which Leo has formed a wonderful bond with.

Once you have gained Leo’s trust, he is a really affectionate boy who loves tummy rubs and head scratches.  He also warms up to new people quickly, both inside and outside the house, providing correct introductions are carried out.  He is happy being left on his own for up to 4 hours at a time and has even spent time in the office with his fosterers. 

Leo has a cheeky character and can be playful boy.  He loves playing tug with stuffed toys and chasing after his squeaky green ball.  He also loves exploring new places and going for different types of walks in the countryside – fields, woods, hills, riversides etc.  He displays some hound traits as his nose very rarely lifts from the ground!  He is food motivated which has really helped in his training to date.

Leo is also in the process of being muzzle trained.  He started off being afraid of the muzzle and not happy about putting his nose in.  He is now in a place where he is happy to wear the muzzle for short periods and his training is ongoing in this respect.

Whilst Leo does have some areas that need to be worked on, he really does flourish when he is comfortable with his environment and the people around him.  If you are willing to put in the time and effort, he will give you his whole heart.