Shanti the Rescue Leonberger

Shanti got some rough breaks. Her first family adored both her and her brother, but experienced a tragedy that led to the re-homing of both their Leos. Her brother went to one home; she went to another.

Losing her family and her brother affected Shanti. Although a sweet-tempered girl, she started developing "inappropriate" behaviors - jumping on people, mouthing/nipping at sleeves, barking incessantly at strangers. With small children and lots of neighborhood traffic, her second family felt overwhelmed by this behavior. They tried everything they could, but eventually determined that Shanti needed more than they were able to give. They contacted Leonberger Rescue for help.

Placing a Leo with "behavior problems" isn't always easy. In Shanti's case, we felt that her behaviors were demands for attention rather than "aggression", and that consistent and focused training would take care of the problem quickly. The challenge was finding a home that could provide that training, and deal with the behavior in the meantime.

Fortunately for Shanti, we found a home that was practically tailored to her special needs. The photo on the left is of Shanti with her new mom, who reports that, after only three weeks, her jumping and mouthing has almost disappeared, and that she has completely bonded with her new family. You can see Shanti's Leo smile in the photo - a sure sign of a happy dog.