29/09/2025
Meet the newest guy in the rescue, Hobbes! Hobbes is a 5 year old neutered male who came to us as an owner surrender. He actually came from the same home as Lily, who was recently adopted. His family lived in a rental and he was constantly marking in the home. They kept him in one room in the home to prevent further damage in the home from the marking. After surrendering Lily, they decided to try to make things work with Hobbes. But they eventually changed their minds and decided to surrender him over to us.
We got Hobbes into a very experienced foster home. His foster was very prepared to deal with the marking. He immediately wore belly bands in the home and he was taken out often. We were not sure if the marking was behavioral or medical, but since Lily did so well in a new environment, we were hopeful that Hobbes’ marking would quickly dissipate. Over time, it started to become clear that his marking was due to anxiety. He arrived in his foster home with a lot of separation anxiety. And his marking mainly happened when he was left alone. He was also very determined and he would manage to get his belly band off sometimes, causing him to mark in the house.
His foster has worked with him a lot on his anxiety and he has made amazing progress. They have worked on crate training him, so that he could be contained when left alone. They have also worked on leaving him alone, starting with small periods of time, and over time making it longer and longer. Now, he no longer marks in the home, as long as he is crated when he’s left alone! He is fully housebroken and he doesn’t have any accidents in the home. This took a lot of time and patience, but we are so pleased with the progress he has made. He still has separation anxiety, but it’s much better than when he first arrived in his foster home.
Hobbes has been in a foster home with another dog and he’s done great with her. He definitely lacks a lot of confidence, and she gives him comfort and has really helped him gain some confidence. When he first came to us, he was a little unsure outside of the home and in new environments. But she has really helped him feel safe. We don’t think he was ever properly socialized, or exposed to the outside world much, so all of this was very new to him. He has also been learning how to be a dog. He has started to play with toys on his own, and he’s been very slowly learning how to play with puzzle toys. He is a little bit of a slow learner, and it takes time for him to pick up on things, but he is very eager to please. He absolutely loves people and he’s never met someone he doesn’t like.
Hobbes recently went to the vet to get updated on his vet care. He was good for his exam, but he was not well behaved for his blood draw. They prescribed him some anxiety medication to take before his next appointment and they would try again. Unfortunately, he was still not a good patient. They prescribed him strong medication to take before his next appointment. Sadly, those did not work either. So we decided to drop him off for a day and they sedated him to get his blood draw. Thankfully this went really well and it was the most stress free option for Hobbes. Thankfully, his bloodwork came back great and he was negative for heartworm disease and tick borne diseases. His f***l was also negative for parasites. We opted to also do a urinalysis for him to rule out any possible medical issue causing the marking. His urinalysis showed a few white blood cells but didn’t show any bacteria or crystals. So the vet did not feel there was any medical cause for the marking and she did not have any concerns with his urinalysis. They did note that he could use a dental cleaning in the future, but it wasn’t something that wasn’t needed at this time.
Hobbes needs a quiet home with people who are home often and can work with him on his separation anxiety. He needs people who are patient with him and understanding of his anxiety and the marking. He does best in a home with a lot of structure and a set daily routine. He would really benefit from group obedience classes to work on his socialization and to help build up his confidence. He is dog friendly and he would do best in a home that has a very friendly but confident dog. We have not cat tested him, but he has lived with cats previously without issue. He would do best in a home without any small children. He’s come a really long way during the time he’s been with us, and we know he can continue to thrive and succeed. Here’s a message from his foster:
“We have loved having Hobbes in our home! This sweet, cinnamon roll is all heart and absolutely adores his humans. His happiest moments are spent cuddling close and covering you in kisses. He’s friendly, affectionate, and gets along with just about every human he has met. Hobbes does struggle with separation anxiety, but he has made great progress while he has been here with us. He feels safest with his people nearby and would do best in a home where someone works from home or is around most of the day. He’s also learning how to navigate the world—he may not be the quickest learner, but he tries hard and always gets there with patience and love! He’d really thrive in a home with another friendly dog to lend him some confidence and keep him company. He relies on our resident dog to give him courage on their daily walks. For the right family, Hobbes will be the most loyal little shadow and the snuggliest best friend you could ask for.”
****Our adoption applications are currently closed.**** Please do not message or email us asking how to adopt a dog from us. Our applications were open Jan. through April and we received over 120 applications. We will make an announcement on our page when our applications are open again, probably in the fall/before the end of the year. We have a pool of adoption applications that we’ll be choosing from. If you submitted an application during this round, your application is most likely still in process as we slowly work through all the applications. You will receive an email notifying you if your application was accepted or denied. Please check your email daily as this is our only form of communication with you. Once accepted, you will hear from our team when we have a dog that makes a match with your application. Your application will stay in our pool until a match is made. Thank you for your understanding and support.