Our first lucky dog to work with Marvin is Rio, an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever. He came to our shelter last summer; his owners no longer had time for him. He’s sweet, funny, plays well, and smart. Well then, why has this beautiful boy been in the shelter for a year?
Rio arrived with major dog aggression and anxiety. To help him feel safe, he received constant one-on-one attention. He arrived during wildfire season in 2021 and we would stand in the hot sun with the red-smoke-filled skies, throwing tennis balls for him and letting him cool off in a pool. Winter arrived and we repeated this, except we were knee-deep in snow (minus the kiddie pool)! For a year, we tried relentlessly to help him feel more comfortable with dogs with no success.
After just a few days working with Marvin, Rio is successfully interacting with other dogs off leash! He has also been running on their treadmill to get rid of some excess energy and has lost six pounds! Good boy, Rio and thank you, Marvin! Check out the videos below which follow their adventures.
