Rescue Dog "Issue"

[keekee]

My dogs never played with toys with one exception, that dayum tennis ball. I would throw that thing til my arm fell off or the dog decided she was done playing.

Our 100+ lb shepherd mix loves her tennis ball... however, we bought one of those stuffed animal toys without the stuffing - it's like a deflated stuffed animal..... and our poor girl carried it around gently, pawed at it gently, and cried.
It was soooo pitiful. I can only assume she thought it was a dead puppy.

It caused her so much anxiety... I had to throw it away.

 

[acommondisaster]

It's not that he's ignoring toys because they are boring. He's scared of a toy just laying there next to him. He will skirt and take the long way around any toy laying on the floor. I want him to get past this and help him see that toys can be fun, not scary.

I'm only speaking for myself. I will never get past being scared of mice. I know that plenty of people keep them as pets and find them interesting, but I will always be scared of them. Maybe your pooch is the same way with toys!

 

[mamatutu]

There is no doubt that our Cookie (Akita/shepherd mix) was abused. She would yelp if you moved wrong. She got better over time and was a truly loving sweet dog, but she never got over being scared from loud noises like thunder and gun shots, or the cats, or sudden movements. Now, that I have read this thread, I realize she never was into toys like our Oreo (lab/greyhound mix); we adopted them at the same time, and they were both 3 months old. Oreo loved her toys and was happy go lucky. We had both for 15 years. They died last year within 6 months of each other; I think one missed the other. But, I do know that the OP and all other animal lovers on this forum are giving or have given these sweet animals a better life than they could have ever expected. Group hug.

 

[idiganthro]

Actually, my theory is a bit worse than that. It appears that at some point somebody punched him in the face hard. Maybe multiple times. Several of his teeth have been knocked out /broken and his eyeball socket is damaged. He's just a little guy and it makes my blood boil when I think about anybody harming a defenseless animal. I wonder if he was severely punished for playing with something he shouldn't have. Many of us have experienced a pup picking up a shoe/sock/etc to play with.

He is adorable! It makes me sick to think of anything happening to my little dog, how can people be so cruel? Glad he is in a good home now.