So, I pulled the kennel out from the wall and he just kind of melted;Hoemsen
A dog that appeared aggressive in the backseat of a car could have been destroyed but Strays That Can’t Pay stepped in to save this dog.
Virden’s RCMP had been called to deal with a dog when the animal’s new owners, who had only had him a few hours, found they couldn’t get him out of the car.
The black lab cross pup had his vaccinations and had been neutered. Custer was just 10 months old, but already a big dog when his first owners re-homed him. He was picked up at 5:00 p.m. and when his new family got him back to Virden, they found he wouldn’t get out of the car.
Executive Director of Strays That Can’t Pay Alicia Hoemsen was contacted, told of the situation and asking if she had a catch pole (a pole fitted to catch and control dogs) to get the dog out of the car.
“They used rakes to encourage him, and that didn’t work,” explained Hoemsen. “So then, I came to see him. He was in a small two-door car, scared out of his mind in the back seat.”
She, too, was perplexed and waited to see if the dog would settle down; but as time passed, it was evident he had to be caught.
He fought the catch pole. “He killed that catch pole,” said Hoemsen, describing the fight he put up. “But, it was all in fear. He was backing up. He tried to go under the car seat. So, you know he’s scared.”
Once caught, Custer came out of the car just fine. “He just ran straight to my van and hopped in. It was about midnight, so I just left him in my van.” She wanted to introduce him to her place in daylight.
Hoemsen hoped the dog would have mellowed by morning, but again, upon opening her van door he appeared defensive – growling aggressively.
“So again, we got the catchpole and as soon as we caught him he walked nicely into a kennel.”
Why the sudden change? Hoemsen reasoned that the dog could relax when he realized someone was in control of him. “When we had the catchpole on him, he wasn’t in control anymore ...he can relax.”
From there he was put into a large, four foot square kennel. Once again, he appeared vicious when Hoemsen went to unlatch the door.
This time, with the wire cage between them, he was coming forward. “It was still fear based,” said Hoemsen, who has worked with hundreds of dogs over the past seven years. “If I stood up he would freak out.”
A day later, Friday morning, he still appeared vicious, yet cowering.
“So, I pulled the kennel out from the wall and he just kind of melted, he didn’t feel trapped anymore with the kennel in the middle of the room. It wasn’t in a corner, that’s why we didn’t put him in a solid kennel, because we wanted him to be able to see out.”
When called to a dog rescue situation, Hoemsen shows up with a closed kennel (sky kennel) and an open kennel (wire) in her van. “For some dogs, it’s easier for them if they can see out. So it depends upon the dog.”
Hoemsen doesn’t just rely on her own intuition. She calls for help when she feels she needs back-up; and for advice when she’s uncertain of the way forward. In this case she reached out to an associate in Brandon who brought confirmation and suggestions including encouragement to simply open the kennel door.
Custer now goes back into his kennel and comes out just fine.
Before he is re-homed, he will go through more de-sensitization, such as going into a kennel in a car.
A dog that may well have been destroyed is now polite and friendly in the large fenced yard with other dogs around, taking treats from humans and acting like the big puppy that he is.
“I took him to the vets today,” says Hoemsen on Sept. 12. “I had him in a kennel in the van - he was awesome. We let him get in and out several times with door closed, with the door open - no issues at all.”
Hoemsen is optimistic about the big pup’s future.
Alicia Hoemsen executive director of Strays That Can’t Pay is feeding a treat to Custer, a recent rescue dog. Hoemsen’s own dog looks on, waiting his turn.
