Thor - Adopted 7/7/02
Thor is a very active 2 year old neutered Smooth
Collie male. He is a special needs dog in terms of
behavior issues, not because he is a bad dog, but he
has fear issues due to lack of socialization. Thor
was surrendered to MWCR by his owner because (as a
first time dog owner) she felt an environment with
an experienced and confident dog owner would be
better for Thor, whom she adopted when he was 1 ½.
Thor is a very sweet and polite boy who needs the
opportunity to learn to be a dog and to overcome his
fears of new situations. He is very good with other
dogs and likes kitties. Thor does not do well with
young children or over-zealous teenagers, he is
startled from their quick and seemingly aggressive
movements. He would learn to be ok with a calm
dog-friendly child over the age of 10 who took the
time to let Thor trust them. Thor is fully
house-trained and very obedient unless he is fearful
of something and then reluctantly obeys. He is good
with people, but needs to greet them on his terms.
If someone tries to approach him he shows fear, but
if the person ignores him and lets Thor come to them
on his terms, he's just fine and very happy to meet
new people.
Thor needs to be in a situation where he can be
active in a fenced yard since many new situations
frighten him. His recall has improved immensely with
this foster mom because he trusts her, but if he is
afraid of something he would run away from it. He
walks on leash with a gentle leader because he
fights to bolt when he is fearful of something and
would slip out of a regular collar. When Thor is
relaxed and feels confident he is very playful with
other dogs and very puppyish in his antics. He loves
to chase balls and will return them to be thrown
again. He really loves being with other dogs and is
learning a lot from them. At first he did not bark
very much, but his Collie foster sisters have
changed that. Thor has found his voice and likes to
let everyone know he can use it! He has become the
Don Quixote of dogs - which means that he barks at
everything that he fears. Thor rides very well in
the car and has learned to jump willingly into the
car to go to the FULLY FENCED dog park. Thor is also
very much a herder. He gives his foster mom little
nips and nudges and wants to chase motorcycles and
bicycles as well as other dogs.
Thor is very affectionate and really wants a gentle
human leader to bond with and trust, someone who
will be confident and firm, but also kind, with him.
He will trust a human that is willing to take the
time and effort with him. A situation with an active
lifestyle with at least one other dog will help him
work through his fears rather than avoid them would
be best for Thor. He shows much promise of becoming
a normal Collie and Thor very much wants to be a
normal Collie; he just needs the right people and
environment to show him how to be one. Thor has
blossomed in his two weeks in foster care.
Latest Updates:
1/21/03
Foster mom,
Thank you for your nice note to my
new family. I love them a lot and I KNOW they love
me! My new dad says I'm showing great strides every
single day. I love my brother too, and always sleep
by him on the couch at night. My mom and dad said
they would be glad to talk to any potential adoptive
family about adopting "unsocialized, behaviorally
challenged collies" like me because they say I'm
worth it!
Thank you for taking me in and
starting me off on the right paw, and for being
honest about my problems and what kind of help I
would need right from the start.
Love,
Thor (Mr. Smoooooooth)
Thor and Barkley
1/20/02
Hi all,
Last summer I was foster mom to
Thor, the smooth collie boy, who was unsocialized
and pretty much scared to death of everyone and
every new situation. We saw Thor over the weekend
and I wanted to share with you how far he has come
with the love and patience of Rob, Mel and Barkley
Stanek. I'm so very proud of all of them!
After a VERY COLD trip to the dog
park we went to the K-9 Cafe where the dogs are
welcome to come into the cafe for treats with their
owners. Thor was hanging out in there with the rest
of the dogs like he'd done it every day of his life.
Last June he would have freaked out even with a
gentle leader collar on and acted like a complete
spaz dog.
Mel and Rob - thank you for all of
your training, love and patience with Thor. It's so
rewarding to see how far Mr. Smooth has come under
your care!! (Barkley's done a great job being a good
collie brother and showing Thor how to be a dog.) It
just goes to show that so many of these dogs that we
see have the potential to have a better life... we
just need to find the right families to make it
happen for them.
Great job!
Andi
8/4/02
Last night's thunderstorms scared Thor to death. I
got both Thor and Barkley up on the bed with me and
Thor was shaking like a leaf. Then the CUTEST thing
happened. Usually, Barkley doesn't like to share his
"on the bed with mom" space with Thor, and has done
so in the past with begrudging low growls.
Well, last night I wrapped Thor in a blanket and
purposely snuggled him into Barkley on the bed with
me. Barkley did his usual complaining, but sensed
that Thor was really scared because Thor was panting
so hard. Next thing I know, Barkley got up, snuggled
into to Thor, put his paw on Thor's tummy for
comfort and began NUZZLING into his neck, and
licking his whole face for about five minutes! I
couldn't believe it! When he was done, Barkley put
his head down next to Thor, but still kept his paw
on Thor's tummy for comfort. The little peanut
calmed down and the two of them fell asleep next to
me. It was a paternal thing with Barkley and the
cutest interaction I've seen between these two EVER!
We're really enjoying Thor as our new addition to
the family.
- Mel
Hi
everyone.
Wanted to give you an update on my
little "Bat Ears" (Rob calls Thor his little "fox").
During Thor's first night, a thunderstorm rolled in
and I woke up to about 55 pounds of hound laying
right on top of me! He was so cute. I reassured him
and he went back to sleep.
He follows Barkley everywhere and
does everything Barks does (including, thankfully,
eating and drinking). This morning on the bed, he
caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He
growled and growled . . . "Who is that dog?!"
Last night, Anna, our seven year
old little neighbor girl came over and wanted to
meet Thor. He barked at her and ran away a lot, but
by the end of her visit, he came pretty close and
was actually interested in her. Anna wants to be a
vet (because she loves Barkley and other animals)
and will probably be the child that will turn the
cards for Thor.
That's it for now. We love him
dearly; he is so gentle and pretty. Barks has
warmed up to him too.
Andi, you did an
awesome job fostering Thor! Thank you so much for
taking as much time and care as you did with him. It
made all the difference for us.
-- Rob and Mel
Mel and Rob
are now the proud parents of Thor, aka Mr. Smooth.
I understand that the first day went very well and
he's having a great time with his new collie
brother, Barkley. He has a great big yard to run
around in and explore.
I'm very happy that Thor has found such a great
family for his forever home. I know he'll be very
happy there.
Daisy, Tasha and I became very attached to him
during the 6 weeks that he was at our home.
Congratulations Mel, Rob, Barkley and Thor!
Thor was fostered in Minneapolis, MN.
