31/03/2026
Little Charlie is currently having a nap on my lap 🐶💤
Charlie is quite fear-aggressive. It’s fear that drives his behaviour, and he’s very quick — with a pretty good set of teeth — so our movements have to be equally quick. I do have quite a few bites on my hands, and I’m even trying to grow my thumbnail back from a previous bite from another rescue dog.
It’s part and parcel of rescue work here at Tiny Tails to Our Rescue Australia Inc.
It’s not always what people imagine — just cuddling cute dogs. It’s incredibly hard work! There’s a huge amount of cleaning, working with each dog individually, lots of vet visits, and it can be very exhausting.
Fear-aggressive dogs in particular are very challenging — definitely not for the faint-hearted.
We’re so grateful to have a vet who supports our rescue dogs band and can handle our fear aggressive dogs without sedation, and we do our best to handle them calmly and safely too. But yes, there’s evidence — plenty of bite marks and healing hands — that shows the reality behind the work.
We’ve been able to rehabilitate and rehome most of our fear-aggressive dogs, except for Willow, who has been with us permanently for over five years. Dogs like Charlie often wouldn’t survive in a shelter or pound setting. They fail assessments, and sadly there’s usually only one outcome. That’s why we do what we do — because these dogs do have a place. They just need time, patience, and consistency.
We’re feeling a little exhausted at the moment, running on empty, with dogs waiting to come in... Rescue work never really stops. Sometimes we have to take a break to recoup, recharge, and re-energise — so we can keep helping them.
Charlie is safe here with us. We’re already seeing little glimpses of his personality when he’s not so fearful, and that’s beautiful to watch.
On the flip side, we still see the reactivity and the biting — it’s his go-to defence, his learned response. It won’t change overnight. It takes time.
But we’ll get there… one day at a time. 🤍🐾