Elsa Beth the Rescue Leonberger

Four years ago a doctor's family from a wealthy part of <city omitted> showed up at our obedience class to meet our Leonberger, Gus. Gus was nine months old and had some hundred of hours of obedience training on him and was a quiet, well-behaved puppy. The doctor fell in love with him and began a search for his own Leo. He finally found a breeder and applied for a puppy, filling out the application with everything the breeder would want to hear, including the fact that the mom was a stay-at-home mom and the puppy would have company all day.

The breeder sold them a puppy and we loaned them a sherpa bag and a crate and they picked her up and named her Darcy. We, of course, wanted to come meet the puppy. The new owners were just too busy, but mentioned that they were having aggression problems with the pup. I had never heard of aggression problems with a leo pup and asked to see her. Too busy. I emailed the breeder and asked her about the aggression thing. She was concerned and asked me to get over there and find out what was going on. I talked to the buyers again. Still too busy to see me, too busy to socialize the pup, too busy to take her to obedience class. And oh by the way they were still having agression problems with the pup and the kids were frightened of her. More back and forth between the breeder and I, more attempts to see the pup, more busy, busy, busy and complaints of aggression.

The owners finally agreed to take the pup to obedience class and the next day after the class, I got a call from the trainer who was very concerned about the leo pup who had been in her class the night before. She told me the owners were ruining the pup, who had spent the evening at the end of her leash, yipping and biting at anyone who came near. The mom/owner made no attempt to control the pup and the child who was with them was terrified of the pup. I passed this on to the reeder, who told me she might have to pick the pup up and would I make another try to get into their house and evaluate the situation. I tried again - still too busy - pup still very aggressive. I passed this on to to the breeder, who had been trying to get in touch with the owners but they were not returning either phone calls or emails. Then suddenly the breeder got an email asking her to have the pup picked up or they were going to put her down for aggression. The breeder emailed me and I called them and told them I was coming to pick up the pup for evaluation, knowing the pup would not be returned to these people.

This was a very nice family who had lied on their application (mother was not only NOT stay-at-home, but this family was home MAYBE one hour a day total). No attempts to socialize or train this pup had been made - she had simply been isolated in a small back yard or inside in a crate and was hysterical with loneliness and need for attention. The big aggression incident the inspired the email threatening to put her down was the pup grabbing the doctor's khaki pants as he walked by and ripping them. The dynamics of the house were that the pup was running everything and no attempts to control her were being made. The mother talked about the pup "treeing" one of her daughters on the kitchen counter, and about the fact she didn't get along with kids and other dogs. We're talking about a 15 week old leo puppy.

When I put the pup in the back seat of my car and started the drive home, she tried to climb in the front seat. I put my hand on her and held her down and told her no. She nipped at my hand but I continued to hold her down and gently tell her no, and to get in the back seat. She finally relaxed and scrambled back into the back seat, where she sat like a perfect lady for the rest of the trip home. And that was basically the last bit of trouble we ever had from this pup.

Needless to say, she didn't go back to the doctor's family - and they didn't want her back. They gave her to us and begged us to raise her, so with the breeder's permission, that's what we've done. This pup didn't even know her name - so we immediately renamed her Elsa and within a day or so she was responding to her name beautifully.

Two days after her arrival, we had a large party with kids and other dogs and soccer on the lawn and all sorts of things. She played and had fun and socialized beautifully - no problems with either kids or other dogs. And of course Gus adored her and thought we'd brought her to live with us just for his benefit.

This is the dog who is so very popular with her therapy work at <the nearby hospital> that she's invited to be a rein-dog at the children's Christmas party every year. The neighborhood kids adore her and she gets along with all other dogs and cats and even rabbits. She has been a real gift to us and a total success story as far as re-homing.