Muttropolitan Management

This beautiful boy is Mallo, Belgian/German Shepherd. He is 3 years old. Neutered. He is currently in foster and looking for his adoptive family.

He has been through a lot in his short life facing euthanasia at one point, (link to more on that here https://wp.me/p7KTQn-79 ) being saved by the kennel owner he was staying with and then sadly losing that kennel owner in tragic circumstances which really traumatised him. Despite this he is truly a beautiful soul of a boy. He faces the world with love and affection and puts trust in those who show him love and kindness back.

He has settled extremely well with his foster family after spending such a long time in kennels. Adapting to home life really well, with his new humans and furry foster siblings teaching him the ropes to all that is new.

He is toilet trained; non destructive (unless u are of the squeaky stuffed toy kind then unfortunately ur chances of survival are non existent 😌); able to be left in the home with no separation anxiety shown; a chilled boy in the house with the occasional zoomie thrown in; he’s good with the kids learning all their movements and noises and he loves a snuggle.

Outside the home he has shown lead reactivity. He is better when walking with his doggo buddies which makes him feel more secure. When walking alone his reactiveness has been reducing with training and nothing distracts him more than a squeaky ball. 🎾
After the traumatic experience he had at the kennel at Christmas, his age and being in the kennels for over a year, alongside needing to adapt to the outside environment again, being his typical vocal Shepherd self this was expected. The more he settles the more he will hopefully keep reducing.

He is also wary and uncomfortable of meeting strangers. Outside and inside the home. This needs to be done with an experienced human. And all taken at Mallos pace. He has been through so much that his human needs to advocate for his space and keep him safe and those he meets safe too that want to put hands on that gorgeous big face of his unexpectedly. Because he is simply irresistible!

WHAT HE IS LOOKING FOR
———————————————
He is looking for a breed experienced home. Scotland area.
Someone who understands his breed, has the time to continue to work with him building his trust up with not only the outside world but with other humans. He can become protective with his humans and this needs to be understood and his training continued with.
He needs someone to guide him confidently in the world, preferably who are active as he loves his walks and loves nothing more than finding the biggest stick he can possibly carry back home! If he could bring a tree home he would!
He is currently with 3 other doggos at the moment and other dogs will be considered, a dog that is the right match and with someone who has the ability and experience to do slow intros and put management in place with them.

Preferably no cats, although he lives with them at the moment. He is still integrating and he can be a bit overly focused. No other small pets.

No small children. The less visitors to the home the easier this will be for Mallo and settling in. So for this reason it would also be preferable that there is no older kids too as it is less foot traffic going in and out the home with their friends etc.

Would prefer a calm, quiet home for him. He has progressed so well in his foster home. However the slightest change can make him out of sorts so when he does move on to his adoptive him he will regress a little and need time and patience to settle in. So a nice calm environment for him will do good.

This boy makes a best buddy for life. When I first met this boy it was for an assessment to stop him being euthanised by police/courts through no fault of his own. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he was caught up in a situation non related to him. At the assessment, he was the easiest dog I had ever assessed. It was like having an extra limb. His focus is amazing. He loved affection, was in my lap for a massage, I was able to take food and toys from him without any concerns. No resource guarding issues. He was bomb proof with everything on assessment. Unfortunately at Christmas he has experienced some trauma which has made him skittish/nervous to some noise and wary of things but he is slowly coming through the other end and his foster family have done and are continuing to do amazing for him! They absolutely adore him! 🥰
All of this will need to be taken into account by his adopter. Because underneath he truly is the sweetest and gentlest soul of a boy!! 🥰
If you are interested, have experience with the breed and meet the requirements please fill in the adoption application form here https://form.jotform.com/muttropolitanmanagement/Edinburghandlothianlostdogsadoption

You can also send an email either through here on the website on the contact page or the email at the bottom of this appeal.

Thank you. Alexis 🐾

Alexis – edinburghlothianlostdogs@gmail.com

It’s been back to back expert witness behaviour assessments/reports for the courts these past few months and it’s not often I get to post cases public.
I do want to get this Belgian Malinois boys story out there who was facing destruction though.

He hadn’t been involved in any dog on dog incident, he hadn’t bitten anyone, he wasn’t seized under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991/Control of Dogs Scotland Act.
He found himself caught up in a situation where multiple police had to enter his owners premises on a totally unrelated matter to him.
Which then resulted in multiple people returning over a day later, whom were strangers to him, entering his territory with the intention of capturing him, in circumstances where he was already on high alert from the day before, had nowhere to retreat to, what he would perceive as a threat and a danger, displaying defensive fear aggression as per any dogs nature on these circumstances.
The authorities were not able to capture him and he had to be tranquillised/darted and transported to kennels when sedated. An application to seek destruction on him was then ordered for this brief instance of purportedly aggressive behaviour. With no owner to fight for him and now mistakenly labelled aggressive and dangerous for the public a destruction was sought at the courts.

Thanks to the kennel owner realising this was a dog who had shown this behaviour through fear and stress, wakening up in a new unfamiliar kennel, although initially fearful of his new surroundings he was not showing aggressive behaviour or any concern, and settled into kennel life quite quickly, the kennel owner reached out for help and wanted to fight for him. This was all done very urgently as time was ticking.
I was asked to assess him and he was the easiest dog I’ve assessed to date! (Small video clip him loving being handled at the assessment).

It’s so important to remember that dogs rely on us as humans for everything, they learn from their environment and they learn from us. Just like us they react to everything in their environment, from smell, sound, sight and touch.
Being forced into a fearful situation in the environment with triggers he would perceive as a threat, the primitive survival part of his brain and body would take over, not the thinking part, everything in his body preparing him for flight or fight, his hormonal and behavioural responses all about survival and doing what he knows instinctively. The main point is making the threat go away.
In confined circumstances this is all quite traumatic and it’s a natural instinct of self-preservation for any animal.
The trigger the dog perceives as a threat is a threat no matter how irrational we as humans perceive this trigger. They do not have our logic. It is up to us to understand the behaviour presented to us and to not mistakenly label the dogs behaviour afterwards. This boy is certainly not dangerous and not aggressive and he is a dog that is more than able to be re-homed and live a happy life. He is not a dog that even needs restrictions imposed. He has an exceptional temperament and one of the most affectionate friendliest dogs I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Some of the temperament tests he was put through the average household domestic dog would not be able to withstand!

The police agreed after the assessment that he is not a danger to the public, he is no longer facing destruction and he is off to a rescue to start his new life! Wish u all the happiness and the best beautiful boy!

I want to say a huge thanks to Jacob Cohen in the legal fight for this boy! I want to thank Police Scotland for working with us and letting this boy have a chance at life! A huge thanks to the kennel owner whom I can’t disclose! And I want to thank Maureen Berry for assisting me with transport on the day.