Samantha Browne, a certified dog listener from England, was in South Africa where she was assisting in a dog rescue. One dog, in particular, was of interest to her. He’d been labeled as “aggressive,” accused of attacking other dogs in the open-air prison where he’d been living. He was presumably going to have to be put down, but Samantha felt she could save him. His alleged aggression was really just a sign that he was the “alpha male,” the leader of the pack. Perhaps she could convince the dog to accept a new, human, leader.
At first, Samantha had difficulty connecting with the dog she named Cerberus, but she was willing to give him the time he needed to learn to trust her. When she finally went into his enclosure for the first time, Cerberus immediately acknowledged her as the new leader. However, he still saw hands as a weapon and wouldn’t allow himself to be touched. Again, Samantha was patient, waiting until he was ready. Just six days later, she called him over and he was ready to receive a pat!
At this point she took Cerberus into her temporary home as a foster pet. Incredibly, he got along fine with the other dogs: he was now trusting his human to make the decisions. He’d never had a collar or been led on a leash but by gently moving at his pace, she was able to get Cerberus leash-trained. She also took in his puppy Charlie, who had been starving when he was found. Tough guy Cerberus took an almost maternal attitude toward his son!
The people at the local SPCA were amazed by the transformation Samantha had worked on the formerly aggressive dog. But rather than leave him in South Africa, she decided to adopt Cerberus herself (a friend adopted his puppy Charlie) and bring him back to England with her.
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