I thought I would put up an update on how the Charley Project’s latest employee, the official Office Dog, Patrick, whom I adopted in December.
Last week I happened to stumble across an article about the rescue of the specific group of South Korean meat dogs that Patrick was in. (I believe it was his group based on the fact that the location and dates of his behavioral evaluation papers the shelter gave me match the details in the article.) After I read it I started sobbing–not just out of sadness at what Patrick had endured, but out of happiness that he is so happy now.
Patrick is a beacon of joy and it’s difficult to imagine that he came from a traumatic background. He is ridiculously happy and enthusiastic about everything he does at home with us, and while out on walks with me. I think he must feel like the luckiest dog on earth, to have come from where he came from, and to now be an indoor dog with a family and toys and stuff. We are having private sessions with a trainer and the trainer thinks he’s making a lot of progress.
That said, there have been significant challenges. It is my fault basically: I was unprepared for the reality of having an adolescent dog. Patrick may be a year old but that’s young for a dog his size, and due to the fact that most of that year was spent crammed into a tiny cage, he never got a chance to stretch his legs (literally or figuratively) and start testing boundaries before.
When he gets super excited he’s a tornado and it’s a little bit dangerous because he’s a fifty-pound animal with impressive native athletic abilities in terms of jumping, etc. The other day my husband and I went out for two and a half hours and when we came home he was so happy to see us he ran the length of the house full tilt several times, ricocheting off of furniture and us, sliding across the laminate floor and crashing into walls. Patrick also still doesn’t get along with the cats because he violates their personal space and doesn’t understand that they don’t want to be his friends. Basically, the trainer says he’s immature and I need to guide him and give him the opportunity to make good behavioral choices.
I had not wanted to start crating him because of his background but have changed my mind. Now I am saving up money to buy a large and really sturdy crate, the kind for big dogs who are major chewers. Until then, Patrick wears his harness indoors to make it easier to control him, and he spends most of his time in either the office or the bedroom with me, the door shut, so the cats can have the main areas of the house to themselves without having to worry about being bothered.
The Charley Project Blog 
I love that his name is Patrick, that gave me a chuckle. Best of luck with him hopefully he’ll calm down a bit for you soon.
When he was rescued the Humane Society named him “Pat.” This easily became Patrick. It seems to suit him very well. I also call him Pat, Paddy, Pat Roast, etc.
Given Patrick’s personal history, I would think you would refrain from calling him “Pat Roast.”
It sounds like you have yourself a pretty awesome dog trainer. I remember doing research into the dog meat industry & being traumatized by what I saw. Horrific practices. Patrick is a lucky guy. I grew up with Dobermans & when they got the “zoomies” they would cause havoc. Lots of broken dishes, dented walls and scratched floors in that house. But you wouldn’t trade it for the world. Dogs are the best!
Patrick’s dog meat farmer abandoned his farm and all the dogs. Eventually the South Korean Humane Society learned of the situation and went in to rescue the animals, which were packed into cages too tightly to move. You get the idea.
SKHUS was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the rescue effort and couldn’t find homes for all the dogs, so gave some to the International Humane Society. IHUS sent a plane full of dogs to Maryland where they got quarantined at a shelter and their health and behaviors evaluated. Then the dogs were re-distributed to a network of shelters across the country and within a few weeks Patrick became my boy.
The farmer signed some kind of document promising to never farm dogs again.
I wished we lived close I could help and go for walks with you guys. I think a nice bed in the crate will make him comfortable and maybe after a while you can take the door off when he realizes that’s his bed private Patrick space. When they run around like that and launch off you and the furniture we my parents and I call it a “crazy spell” halo still has them at 13 when my dad comes over!!!
Thank you for saving him. He’s lucky to have you.
It’s so great that Patrick has you guys after what he’s been through. He’s so cute! You recognize that he’s been through a lot and you’re willing to work through the challenges with a dog trainer. I think that makes you a very responsible and caring dog-mom. 🙂