A dog’s aggression and reactive behavior are never the result of genetics, but a human touch. Despite their breed, dogs who lived their life in a positive, nurturing environment and underwent their socialization properly are not a threat, ever.
Sadly, this poor Pittie pup, Maddie, had a rough start in life.
When a woman stumbled upon her in a park in Brooklyn, New York, she was severely reactive to everyone. This adorable girl was the victim of dog fighting breeding and about to become a severely aggressive dog. But then, the right people stepped up!
Maddie’s Backstory
When Elli Frank, of Mr. Bones & Co., from New York City, got a call about Maddie, she was quite confused. The woman who called her said that Maddie was handed over to her in a park by a man who “found her in a dumpster.”
Shortly after that, the man fled, and the dog was surrendered to the organization.
As soon as she arrived in the organization, Elli and the team realized that Maddie didn’t spend days alone, as she had no signs of starvation. Instead, she was likely dumped by a man that very day.
“The man fled after making up a story as to how he acquired the puppy, who was then turned over to our organization. We immediately realized she was in serious trouble,” Mr. Bones & Co wrote on Facebook.
The problem was, Maddie was no picnic! She was severely reactive and intolerant of every single hooman and dog in the facility.
“MADDIE was highly reactive to people and dogs, not tolerant of handling and her frustration threshold was low – she escalated to reactivity almost immediately if she was uncomfortable,” the organization wrote.
The staff assumed that she was likely bred from a fighting stock and already “begun the grooming process to fight,” and then someone rescued her.
Becoming A Brand-New Pup
Elli immediately contacted Suze Cullinan, the president of Instinct Dog Behavior & Training and a long-time certified dog behavior trainer who specializes in helping dogs overcome fear and anxiety issues.
This reactive doggo girl enrolled in the training camp, where she had a long way to go. Even though it all started out as a three-week training period, Maddie was still wary of strangers and had sudden outbursts. That’s why Suze decided to foster her until she fully recovered.
Throughout positive reinforcement training, Maddie’s every day was progress. She slowly started to learn to trust people and other dogs. Thanks to her momma, this aggressive girl was on her way to a full recovery – and even more!
Nine months later, the most wonderful news arrived!
Instead of approving her for adoption, Suze couldn’t bear the thought of parting ways with her canine bud. Instead, she decided that Maddie would be a foster fail and stay with her mom – forever!
She came a long way and mastered social skills like a real princess, and now she’s thriving and enjoying life to the fullest!
“MADDIE worked so hard to survive under the care of her foster mom and she mastered social skills needed to integrate into an environment filled with new people and dogs on a daily basis,” they wrote on Facebook.
Suze is extremely happy to see Maddie in a brand-new edition.
It took time, sweat, and tears, but eventually, the whole process paid off! Maddie was no longer her old self, and now she even took part in helping her mom heal other dogs that coped with fear and anxiety issues.
Once a mistreated Pittie that didn’t stand a chance, Maddie is now a brand-new dog… all thanks to humanity!