Zac is one of our most special pets. Zac has had a long, hard road to travel just in order to survive. Zac came to us in the beginning as a deaf Rottweiler who knew no commands or manners. We taught Zac commands such as "sit", "down", "come", "good boy", and "outside" in American Sign Language. Zac is so eager to please that he was thrilled to learn these commands and obeys them easily (better than most hearing dogs obey vocal commands actually!) Rottweilers are extremely loyal and intelligent companions who, unfortunately, attract the wrong type of crowd. Some people will go to any lengths to have this breed, as one can see by Zac's story.
Zac was adopted to a family who we intended to be his forever home. They were educated in his ASL commands, they were informed of his anxiety issues. They willingly lied to us when they told us they would continue his training, give him his medication and a good home.
These people abused Zac, both psychologically and physically. Zac requires a medication, to be given to him daily for his separation anxiety. We supplied a two month supply of this medication to them when they adopted Zac. They simply REFUSED to give Zac his medication, thinking it was no big deal. When Zac gets anxious, he urinates and defecates (some dogs become destructive; i.e. chewing, digging, etc to express their separation anxiety. Zac's separation anxiety demonstrates itself by him defecating and urinating in the house. Something he never does when on his medication, because he is house trained. ) They beat Zac and banished him to the back yard. They ABUSED him for doing something they KNEW HE WOULD DO if he didn't receive his medication, yet they REFUSED to give him the medication we supplied.
We found out how severe Zac's abuse was when we confiscated him. Zac was adopted to them weighing 100 lbs and two months later when we confiscated him, he weighed only 69 lbs. As soon as he walked through the door, he collapsed on the floor in pain and exhaustion. We rushed him to the veterinarian and nearly lost him. The vet told us that they had been starving him and beating him regularly, and X-rays showed that Zac had suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck from being kicked. It was pinched a nerve in his neck causing him excruciating pain. Our hearts were broken for our poor boy who we thought we had placed with a responsible family. We have vowed to do right by Zac and make sure he never again had to experience suffering.
Zac has been in a long-term foster home since this ordeal. Even though Zac has been through terrible and unfair trials in his lifetime, he has never stopped loving people or being friendly. Zac loves both men and women but gravitates towards men the most, even though the majority of his abuse was from a man. He gets most joy out of his toys (he loves tennis balls and Kong toys.... look at the pics!) and he will play fetch all day if he has someone to throw the ball for him. Zac is a true companion who loves human interaction. Despite the suffering Zac has endured, he remains TRUSTING of humans-a trait that we as people cannot usually even lay claim to.
Zac continues to be rehabilitated within his foster home. He knows all common commands in ASL, which are extremely easy for a potential adopter to learn. The medication Zac requires is a VERY inexpensive medication that can be found on the four dollar list at Wal Mart. Zac requires proper exercise not just because he is a large dog but also because this helps reduce anxiety.
One would never be able to tell that Zac had anxiety when he is properly exercised. Zac has such a personality and is just one huge teddy bear who is looking for his forever home.
Contact
Diamond in the Ruff Rescue & Rehab, Inc.
ms@diamondrescue.org
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