01/05/2026
One of Rusty's followers had a very insightful question, so I thought I would share the answer here as well… Hi, Rusty the Science Rescue Dog here. It took approximately 18 months for Rusty to start feeling a sense of normalcy and peace. He had his crate open for him to retreat to whenever he needed to feel secure. He had faced incredible challenges and clearly suffered from PTSD. There were many times when, without warning, he would scream at the top of his lungs, and sometimes he still does this to this day. I often worried about what our neighbors must have thought. Visits to the vet would leave Rusty completely limp, as if he had given up. When Rusty first arrived, we spent a lot of time outdoors, helping him get used to going to the bathroom outside. We had a secure backyard, and he was never left alone. He was so stressed that he didn't p*e or poo for a while - his first p*e was after two days, and his first p**p was after 10 days. It may seem strange to share this, but it's a testament to the trauma he endured. He didn't even learn to sniff and explore his surroundings until about six months later. He was amazed by everything around him, constantly looking up, which was wonderful to see. The real breakthrough came after 18 months when he finally felt confident enough to give up his crate altogether - he no longer needed it, and that's when we knew he had truly turned a corner. 🥰❤️😍🐶!
