Pet News

Urbanley was surrendered to One of A Kind Pet Rescue in June of 2018. At that time, Urbanley was a five-year-old Cane Corso Mastiff and was friendly with most of the staff at the rescue. Urbanley is a smart dog but she had no manners. Because she was already an adult, as well as 100 pounds, Urbanley was difficult to adopt. The first few months, Urbanley was friendly and she was incredibly strong and used her strength to get what she wanted. In one case, she took a staff member skiing across the parking lot to get to another dog. In another case, she pulled an employee right out of her loafers to go after a bicycle. She seemed to be very dog-aggressive and reactive to children. She bonded with just a handful of staff members and volunteers at the rescue. The rest, she scared away, and was completely unwelcoming of new people. Urbanley began to react very negatively to small children, as well as certain other individuals as they passed by her glass room. She was then moved to the back where she was more isolated. For some dogs, they decompress and calm a bit when pulled away from the public. For Urbanley, she became depressed, more withdrawn, and less accepting of visitors. She was moved back up to her original room where she was able to see all that was going on, but she grew increasingly more aggressive towards dogs, cats, kids, and most people. In June of 2019, the decision was made to send Urbanley to training, as it was her only hope of ever being able to be in a home again.

Cane Corso’s are bred for protection, tracking, guarding, and law enforcement. This explains Urbanley’s desire to eat most people outside of her circle! They typically bond with only their closest family members, protecting them to a fault. This explains her behavior while in the rescue and only allowing a handful of individuals to get near her. A staff member agreed to foster Urbanley after training and attempt to find her a permanent home. The amazing thing is—after training—Urbanley acclimated into the foster home with four other dogs, two children and two cats. This was only achieved by following the training rules that had been given. The foster family had to be trained as well. Though dogs can be trained to do just about anything, it is impossible to remove their instincts. Urbanley is, and will always be, a protector. She has acclimated wonderfully into her foster home and feels that she needs to protect her family. She can meet new people and welcome them into the home if done properly. She has found a new best friend and playmate with the two-year-old Terrier in the home. Urbanley is a 100-pound lap dog who enjoys walks, treats, the trampoline and burying her toys. She has never bothered the kitties or the children and fits in as one of the pack. Her foster family has ceased trying to find her a home and has accepted her as one of their own.

The purpose of sharing Urbanley’s story is to showcase the incredible work that happens at One of A Kind Pet Rescue. We believe that all pets deserve a happy ending. We have an active rehabilitation program for dogs, like Urbanley, who need a little extra help in finding their happily-ever-after. There are multiple ways in which you can help support our rehabilitation program. Donations are always helpful, as the professional training is an expensive board and train program. We need fosters and adopters for these dogs as well. Returning to the rescue after training only causes them to regress. If you are interested in fostering or adopting one of these dogs, please email Dogs@OneofAKindPets.com.