Meet Goji !! (Post updated) This sweet boy has come so far!! He’s a completely different dog now. He WAS one of the most fearful ones from this group but man he’s really doing amazing in a short time. Goji is now a couch cuddling, cheese eating, tail wagging guy! He’s getting very playful with other dogs and definitely wants human love and attention. He is one of the now 23 dogs we’ve taken in from a horrible hoarding situation. He survived being in a feces covered home during freezing temps with no heat, no water and no electricity for a very long time. The dogs there all had to fight over very little food and resources. Goji has put in some real work to trust us. He is making so much progress but will need an understanding adopter to help finish up his progress. Goji is approx 3 years old. He is a male schnauzer or Yorkie mix best guess. He weighs 20 Pounds is full grown. He has been neutered, is up to date on vaccines and microchipped. He is heartworm negative and on monthly preventions. Since we originally posted Goji has really turned a corner. He has been doing so well and excelling at every confidence challenge we have thrown at him. He’s very smart and catches on quickly. We’ve updated his info several times to reflect his continued progress. When first captured in that horrible house he had no option to run away and nipped a volunteer that helped catch him. Now that he’s had time to trust us we doubt he would ever bite again. He was just scared. He still gets scared nervous at times but he handles it very well now. He’s working through his fears and we have been pushing him out of his comfort zone to help him grow. He went from flailing around on the leash to coming to us to have it put on. Each challenge we give him he is stepping up to meet it. We can now pick him up, walk him on a leash, get him to come to us, bathed him and he’s recently started jumping up on the couch and climbing up on us to cuddle. He’s a whole new dog!! We are so proud of his progress in just a few weeks. Goji loves cheese and it’s a great way to earn his trust. He’s still scared of being reached for, but he does not try to bite, and if you slow down and ask him to come to you, he will or if he puts himself into a corner you can go over and touch him and pick him up. Whenever you turn around he is following you and booping the back of your legs. He is really adorable. He has done really well with other dogs of all sizes and ages. He doesn’t mind our bulldozer of a bulldog and they cuddle and play together. He is also around a great dane and a chi and he is great with them all. He is not fostered with cats so we do not know how he will do but we suspect he would do fine. Goji has not been fostered with children but we think he would be fine with older kids that can give him space and time to adjust. As with any dog he would need any children in the house to be respectful and not treat him like a toy. You need to understand that he could be pushed into a bite situation if a child cornered him or grabbed him before trust is built. If he can run away he will but care needs to be taken when handling until he trusts you. He has been working on his house training and he’s doing amazing. He did really well with crate training but we took it away as he was using it as a crutch to not be social. He now has the entire kitchen area and does well with that. He does best being in a high traffic area of the home and being ignored for the first few days. That really worked well to get him to feel safe. He has done good on car rides and does not get sick. His last trip to the vet he rode in my lap and did great. He had clearly never been on a leash before and was terrified of it. He still is at times but he’s learning. He sometimes gets scared when he feels pressure but if you’re gentle he will recover quick from the fear and follow you on it. He’s doing really well so far. Goji has recently started doing fantastic with potty training. He came from a place where they were trapped inside and had no options for going anywhere else. It will be slow going initially because he has to trust you to be able to go into the yard and come back. If he has a securely fenced area with no hiding spots he does very well. Anyone adopting him needs to know he is going to have some regression in her new place until he starts trust you and you guys work out the routine. He was in a situation where he had to fight over limited food and resources from the other dogs in the home. We suggest allowing him to eat alone where he can take his time and not feel threatened or pressured. He has however not shown any issues over food at all with other dogs or people. He isn’t overly concerned about his food and does not overeat. He will leave food in the bowl and watch another dog eat it. He takes treats extremely gently from people. So far, he’s been very polite with even his high value cheese around other dogs however we do not allow other dogs in the home to take stuff away from him. He has a low to medium energy level so far. He has not problem with you being gone all day at work. He will lounge around in his dog bed. When you get home he is ready for couch cuddles. He has a very low indoor energy level but gets spunky when it’s time to go outside. He does like to romp around the yard with the other dogs but it is not hard to meet his energy needs. Goji is a dog that has all the potential to be the most loyal dog for the right person. He deserves a chance and he is willing to trust again. We are happy to pass on our methods with his confidence building to potential adopters. It will take time but in the right home he’s going to continue to excel. Once you earn the trust of a dog like this you’ll gain the most loyal companion you’ve ever had. Every time he accomplishes something we throw another challenge at him. It takes him a day or two to push past his fear, but then he’s letting us do it. Its hard to express how hard this sweet boy is working to lose the fear and enjoy his new life. ***Do not apply to adopt one of these hoarding case dogs if you’re not serious about giving them time to adjust. It’s absolutely unfair to expect them to adjust in a day or two. We’ve had 3 adopted and returned within 24 hours of adoption for not being immediately settled and perfect in a completely new place. All returned for things we explained upfront about them. It’s completely unreasonable and unrealistic to expect that from dogs that have been through what they have. The last thing they need is to be shuffled around due to adopters not listening or being serious about their needs*** Vet and home checks required. Located in Hampton VA. (He will need to be adopted within a 2 hour drive radius) ‼️Please message us at villagedogresource@gmail.com directly with questions or to get an application. For more pics and faster response visit our Facebook page.