Doug Needs Your Help!

Hi! My name is Katie and that handsome man on the cover is the one and only, Doug! Doug came into our life five months ago. I have been working along side The Shiba Rescue Of New England to help train owners/foster and work with aggressive dogs. Doug was a special case because he had never had a bond with a human. He didn’t know what that was. I feel so lucky to have been that person to show him how to trust and to be connected to a human. 

On April 4th, Doug injured his back left leg. I immediately knew something was wrong and took him to get an x-ray at Freeport PetMed (amazing place BTW), and he was diagnosed with a soft tissue sprain. A week later, the swelling had gone down however he wasn’t using it at all. I ended up taking him back to Freeport PetMed and they referred me to a specialist. Which leads me to today. We went to our visit (he was amazing yet again!) and unfortunately the news isn’t good. Doug needs his lateral collateral ligament replaced. As you could guess, this is an expensive procedure but it is vital that he gets it to prevent further harm to his ligaments and tendons. He’s been very brave through the whole thing. He’s been sedated, handled by over 5 different people, and on daily pain medication for a few weeks now. The total cost will be around 7,000.00. My goal is to have some help towards the deposit that is due day of drop off. His surgery is FRIDAY APRIL 25th. It’s very soon but again, he needs it asap to lower the risk of causing further damage. He is on strict bed rest!

If you have time, please give Doug’s story a read. He has changed so much and it’s only going to get better. I also have a playlist for his training as well! Please take a look. :)

Any amount of donation is very appreciated and if you can’t donate, please share!

Thank you so much,

Katie and Doug

Here’s Doug’s (FKA Koopa) story:

Doug has been misunderstood his entire life, growing up in a shelter in South Carolina where people didn’t understand how to appropriately handle him, Doug became aggressive. This breed isn’t for just any person, they are difficult, stubborn, but REALLY cute. I mean come on… look at that face!

Anyway,

Adrienne from Shiba Rescue Of New England was able to see past his flaws and decided to take him into her care. He was placed in a few different fosters and he struggled just as much. When Adrienne reached out, I was hesitant because I already had a foster dog. I ended up talking it over with my partner and we agreed to help him.

We’ve had Doug for five months and officially adopted him April 17th 2025.

Doug has come a very long way from where he was. He enjoys affection, does absolutely amazing for vet visits (previously needed a sedative), and his ability to trust despite everything is inspiring. We absolutely love him and are happy to have him join the family. ❤️