Help Me Rescue and Train an Abandoned Dog

I got a big surprise last week - I went outside and there was a big dog on my patio! Someone who knows I'm a dog lover must've tossed him inside the gate and run! Can you believe it?! He has no chip and was left behind without a collar on.

My landlord tried to take him to the local shelter, but they are overflowing and can't take another dog for two months! All of the rescues my landlord and I contacted said they would need a foster to take him on, but none are available right now, as well!!

I can't afford to take on another dog, but because he is a very good-natured boy and my rescue dog, Crackers, already loves him (and vice versa), I decided to foster him and have already nicknamed him "Big Boy" because he is so big - but I would need your help to make it happen!

He's not fixed and has already tried to mate with my dog, plus he has urine marked indoors twice, so he needs to get neutered ASAP! He seems to have no training and will jump all over people, furniture, tables, and counters if given the chance (like in the video below).

Your donations will help to buy food and supplies and pay for a vet visit so Big Boy can get neutered and get some flea and tick medication (he's scratching like crazy!), plus his continued training with me.

I'm also still struggling to keep up financially since adopting my "unadoptable" rescue dog named Crackers last year. I couldn't afford to adopt Crackers but I didn't want to be the one to give up on her, so I've had to put most of her expenses on credit cards.

Crackers (featured in the video below) is a lovable 80 lb, Staffordshire Terrier/Plott Hound mix that was going to be euthanized at only two and half years old because of serious guarding aggression issues that make her a liability to own and impossible to get adopted.

Ultimately, your donations will also help to keep my rescue efforts afloat so that I can continue to take care of both Crackers and Big Boy, as well as document my journey training them on video.

Crackers has come a long way and can walk around the outer perimeter of Echo Park Lake now, but she still needs daily training, and taking care of two big dogs with behavioral issues is a full-time job!

But, with your help, I can do it, plus film the whole process so that other people in similar situations can have access to a video library full of force-free methods for training their wild, unruly, and reactive dogs!

More about Dog Savvy L.A. and my company's mission:

We use compassionate methods for addressing behavioral problems that take the dog's well-being into account and make learning new habits of behavior an enjoyable experience for dogs.

Our approach to obedience training is also 100% positive and game-based and represents a system of training called "Learning through Games of Choice."

It's a fun way to train dogs, plus grow their confidence in various situations and settings while building a loving, trusting bond with them.

This is particularly beneficial for dogs like Big Boy and Crackers (who have over-arousal and reactivity issues) because it channels their excitement or concern about something into showing self-control instead, and promotes that a dog learns to listen to their guardians around distractions, the first time they ask.

To see an example, watch Big Boy's second informal training session where he gets some "place" training with me on Youtube:

Ultimately, my goal is to provide anyone facing behavior challenges with their dog with positive methods for solving them and to help more dogs stay in their forever homes.

Your donations will help to make that happen by funding the making of dog training videos that can help other people in similar situations with their dogs overcome behavioral problems!

Our videos will address a wide range of challenging dog behavior that many dog guardians encounter when adopting a puppy or a rescue dog that make living with them difficult, such as:

Below is an example of the first video we made with Crackers for addressing her leash reactivity on walks.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me and Crackers! All donations big or small will help me to reach my fundraising goal including sharing the fundraiser with other dog lovers like yourselves!

Sincerely,

Alexandra Bassett

Lead Trainer & Behavior Specialist

Dog Savvy Los Angeles