What a difference a home makes

Rexx arrived at the shelter in February. He was a perfectly good dog once he was out of his kennel on a walk. But he was not fit for kennel life at all, showing all the typical signs of stress - lots of barking and jumping, anxiety, and unease around other dogs.

His condition was severe enough that Pam wrote up a special blog entry to give Rexx some extra publicity. And luckily, we were able to find an adopter for Rexx. He wouldn't have lasted too much longer at the shelter!

That was four months ago, and we hadn't seen Rexx since. His adopter, Anastasia, did send us a note to say that Rexx was doing very well in his new home with his new dog housemate, who had also been adopted from BACS.

Anastasia brought Rexx to BAD RAP class last weekend. Free, indefinite access to BAD RAP classes is a great benefit to adopting a pit or pit mix from our shelter - and the offer is still valid even if it's been awhile since the dog was adopted.

Rexx was not in our shelter long enough to start attending class with a volunteer. And because he was so jumpy and anxiety-filled during his stay, we were interested to see how he would handle the demanding class environment. There are so many dogs and handlers all in one place that it can initially be overwhelming for a dog.

We are happy to report that Rexx is a totally different dog these days. He handled class like a pro right from the get-go. He is calm, composed, and totally in tune with Anastasia. He has also filled out - he's gotten bigger and more muscular. He's quite a specimen. He looks like he could win the Kentucky Derby!

Apologies for the bad pictures, but Rexx is very focused on Anastasia. It's hard to draw his attention away!



Lots of dogs are right in front of him, but Rexx only has eyes for Anastasia:



I've had girlfriends who never looked at me like this. Such devotion!





Thanks to everyone who helped get Rexx to his new home, and to Anastasia and her boyfriend for welcoming him. Sometimes all a dog needs is a change in environment to really thrive. And here is Rexx's roommate, Stella...