See Rufus in action as he settled into his training routine and discovered the dog pool.
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When a dog named Rufus landed on the Jersey Shore and stepped out of his crate, there to greet him was a group of dedicated well wishers. And it’s been uphill for Rufus ever since.
That was five months ago. Since then, Rufus has gone through rigorous training at Purr’n Pooch, a pet boarding and grooming establishment in Tinton Falls on New Jersey’s coastal plains.
Sam Wilke, a former K-9 unit handler for New Jersey Transit, took Rufus on as his personal project. But it sometimes takes a village, and in this case, Purr’ N’ Pooch was Rufus’s village of helpers.
And it worked. Today, says Wilke, the lead trainer for Purr’n Pooch, “Rufus is ready for a home.”
Rufus has the distinction of being the first dog from the sanctuary to go into Best Friends’ Community Training Partners program, which focuses on behaviorally challenged dogs to ensure that each dog gets the training he needs to be placed in a good home.
And now Rufus is a proud graduate of the program, which brings him one step closer to finding that forever home that fits his needs. Two other dogs who needed more one-on-one time have followed in Rufus’s footsteps and are now living with trainers who are preparing them also for homes.
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Rufus takes his job seriously |
Employees at Purr’n Pooch have made a point of spending time with Rufus. “They were waiting for him when he got here,” Wilke says. “There were staff members who were off that day and came in just to meet him. Everybody always takes time with him. It’s because of their work that he’s where he is.”
Rufus is a prime example of what additional people can do to take a dog a step further to reaching the goal of a forever home, says Community Training Partners coordinator Mike Harmon.
“The work that has been done with Rufus by Sam, Dick [Palazzo] and the rest of the Purr’n Pooch staff is a model for the program,” says Harmon. “It shows that certain dogs can only make so much progress at the sanctuary before they begin to plateau. There needs to be a complete program in place like this to help these dogs get into their forever home.”
Wilke emphasizes that Rufus’ progress could not have been made without the groundwork laid by staff in Dogtown, where Rufus lived on the sanctuary grounds.
“Everybody’s worked for Rufus,” Wilke says. “He’s used to being fed by Best Friends’ staff, he’s used to playing with them, being walked by them, and that’s what’s given us the opportunity to make Rufus better.”
To prepare the once fearful dog for a home, Wilke has been taking Rufus on weekend events in the area, like town block parties. And he participated in a dog walk for cancer. “He goes home with me on weekends,” Wilke says.
“He’s always going to be a little nervous, he’s always going to be a little scared,” Wilke says. “But he likes meeting new people now. We had him out on a hike recently. We had bicyclists going by us and he had no issues.”
He’s approached Rufus’s training with small steps. “If you do the exposure in baby steps, then you slowly start to raise the exposure level. You push the envelope. Then Rufus sees there’s nothing there to be overwhelmed by.”
Besides spending individual time with the 10 staff at Purr’n Pooch, Rufus has taken advantage of the play area and dog swimming pools. “He is a water dog without a doubt,” Wilke says. “He loves being in the water.”
To see the progress Rufus has achieved, Harmon says, has been rewarding for all involved. “This program is all about completing the picture,” he says. “Thanks to the his caregivers at the Lodges [at Dogtown] and the Purr’n Pooch staff, we have been able to give Rufus the one-on-one training that he needs to be able to live in a home with a family.”
“Now,” he points out, “we just need to find his family.”
To learn more about Best Friends’ Community Training Partners program, click here.
To learn more about Purr’n Pooch, click here.
Written by Cathy Scott
Photos provided courtesy of Sam Wilke
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
