by Cathy Davis
On several occasions there were near accidents as the dog ran into traffic to avoid being captured.
As the drama unfolded, bits and pieces of the ownership story began to surface. Over time we discovered that he was a young unaltered male mixed breed dog with bulldog and pitbull heritage. He had come from the Lewiston area where he was much loved but had to be given up because the family had a new baby and there were already other animals in the house and he was just too much. New baby, young dog, the family just had more on their plate than they could handle.
The family had advertised for a new owner and a Houlton woman contacted them and then arranged for transportation via trailer truck driven by a relative. Unfortunately, when he arrived in Houlton with the dog, the dog escaped.
Here he was, young male in a strange town, no owner, no home to run to, nobody he could trust. It was cold, he has short hair, and at times his paws were bleeding from the harsh environment. Businesses in the area would see him, try to feed him and coax him inside, but he just had no trust, so just as they thought they could get close enough to touch him, he would bolt and run away.
Traps were set, but in the morning all that was caught were some very upset neighbor cats who were released unharmed.
Finally a call came in that this dog was spotted on a porch and several people converged, animal control, Houlton police, a Shelter employee, and the dog was cornered and caught. He was terrified and nipped at the police officer in the process, but only because he was cornered and afraid.
Vinnie has been at the Shelter for six months now. Over time he has learned to trust the Shelter staff and volunteers and is quite the love. When I come to visit, he stretches way out for me to scratch his belly. When the Shelter is closed and there are no visitors, Vinnie is allowed out to socialize with the staff. He appears very good with cats and he likes some other dogs but not all.
Vinnie has issues with some men. While he loves some, he growls and barks at others. He doesn’t seem to like men who are aggressive, those who have the “I can handle this dog” attitude. He is definitely an alpha male.
Vinnie needs a very special home, one where he will feel safe and loved and will be given the kind of training he needs to become more social and less fearful. He needs a home with lots of space to run, not a lot of close neighbors, as he has a lot of energy and simply running off that energy will help him calm down, and preferably a home without young children as we really aren’t sure how Vinnie would be with kids.
He is a beautiful dog, he has a loving and loyal streak in him a mile long, and in the right home, he will become a cherished companion for many years. The staff has fallen in love with him and he feels as if the Shelter is his home. This is no life for a dog, month after month in a kennel, and it’s not his fault that he is the way he is, if you had the whole town chasing you for two weeks, you’d be nervous too.
If you know of anybody who might be interested in this dog, please call the Shelter at 532-2862 for more information and an appointment to meet with Vinnie and to fill out a pre-adopt.
Pioneer Times Photo/Sarah Berthiaume
CHICK DAY — Kendall Fitzpatrick, a member of the Aroostook Milling crew, holds up one of the baby ducks for sale at the Hillview Avenue business last week. Aroostook Milling’s annual “chick day” was last Friday when customers pick up their young birds for the coming year. At left, ducks wait to be picked up.
