• Neutered/Spayed

  Yes
• Trained

  Ongoing
• Vaccination Status

  Yes
• Colours/Markings

  white/orange
• Existing Conditions

  Not provided

Pet Story

Benji came to us together with his brother. He is one of our Italian rescues. We got a call about two young puppies in need of help because their owners were threatening to bring them to the overcrowded municipal shelter if no one else came forward. So of course we said yes. It took us quite a few attempts to catch them though. Despite being technically owned both of them were incredibly skittish and fearful towards us. While they initially took treats from us they quickly became suspicious. You can imagine the relief of eventually managing to get them into a cage and to the safety of the shelter. After their arrival initially both of them were frozen with fear – but by the first morning they were already coming out of their shell, starting to play with each other and us. They have been with us a few months now and have improved so much. However, they clearly carry their scars with them. Benji has quickly become a favourite amongst our volunteers. He's got quite the unique quirks and manners about him that manage to charm us daily. With other dogs Benji is friendly and looooves playing with them (though he is also testing their boundaries from time to time). His leash training is coming along nicely and he is showing quite a lot of promise when it comes to training overall. He loves getting treats and has an eagerness to learn. From initially running from the leash and freezing when wearing the harness he now already associates only positive things with both. However, there are things Benji needs to learn. While he can be an angel, napping peacefully, he also has times where he doesn't know how to stop playing and running. His biggest area that needs work – and possibly why he hasn't been adopted yet – is that Benji initially takes his time to warm up to new people. He doesn't show aggression but does bark at strangers and, when they aren't looking, likes to boop them with his nose. With new volunteers this generally stops after a day of them being at the shelter so ideally Benji would like to get to know his new family before moving in with them. We know Benji would benefit SO MUCH from life with a family where he can learn what it really means to be a dog out in the world, living their best life. We hope someone out there is willing to put in the patience of getting to know Benji – your reward will be never-ending love and loyalty.