Oliver is one of many animals that received loving care from Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) in 2019. This care included a loving foster home, behavior training by SAS Animal Behaviorists, and continued training and love in his forever home, which ultimately transformed him from a starved 18-pound puppy to a now 53-pound dog.
Oliver’s story was featured in the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation’s (SASF) 2019 Annual Report. Read more about Oliver’s journey below.
Oliver came to Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) at the very end of June 2019. A Good Samaritan had brought in Oliver, a skin-and-bones pitbull puppy, to a local vet before he was transferred to SAS. When Animal Control Supervisor Brandi Homeier laid eyes on Oliver, who needed a foster home, she eagerly signed up. “When we first brought him home, he was scared, apprehensive, and would completely shut down. He’d often try to hide behind something when someone approached him.”
Eventually, after some time of respecting Oliver’s reservations, he warmed up to Brandi and her husband. “While still scared of strangers and other people, Oliver became more open as we introduced him to our own dogs at home. He became bolder as time went on and wanted to play more with other dogs,” describes Brandi.
While Oliver grew more comfortable in his foster home with Brandi and her dogs, he still remained uncertain and scared around other people. “I would bring him into the office with me and he was still one of the shyest dogs around people.”
To help overcome this apprehensiveness, Oliver worked with the SAS Behavior Modification team when he spent time in Brandi’s office. “I think one of the things that helped Oliver come out of his shell with other people was the way the behavior team worked with him. They respected his boundaries and allowed him to make the first moves.” By building this foundation of trust, Oliver made progress by becoming more comfortable around other humans.
Bryanna and Dylan Bowles, Oliver’s forever parents, used the same trust-building tactic when first introducing him into their home after six months in foster with Brandi. “We gave him room to make choices on his own terms and honored them through positive reinforcement,” says Bryanna. While he still acts a little unsure around other people, Oliver has shown greater curiosity in getting to know others. “The day we met Oliver at SAS, he looked at my husband and I like we were crazy people,” says Bryanna of their first encounter. Now when spending time with other people, such as Bryanna’s family, Oliver has slowly learned that although these individuals are not in his space every single day, they aren’t going to hurt him. Oliver has grown from an apprehensive pup to a more open and trusting animal around humans.
Oliver is the strongest little fighter and lover we’ve ever met. His story and triumph are what made us fall in love with him at SAS. He deserves so much happiness, and we wanted to be the people that showed him patient, loving, and good people exist, just for him. Thank you to Seattle Animal Shelter and the Foundation for their support of Oliver during his foster care and his behavior training. Saving one dog may not change the world, but surely for that one dog, their world will change forever. We hope Oliver loves his world with us.
To read more stories like Oliver’s, explore the SASF 2019 Annual Report. If you are interested in supporting the important work SAS does in getting animals to their forever homes, consider a donation to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.