Rico Rico has been with us for over a year now, and he really wants to find his forever home. His story is very sad, but we are looking for that special someone to turn his life around. Rico was adopted from Project Pet as a puppy. He was returned approximately a year later in a terrible state. It was obvious that the adopters did not socialize this boy, and we have seen evidence that he had been abused and likely found himself in the middle of abusive situations between his owners.

Rico has been in a foster home for several months and has made tremendous progress from the terrified, shattered boy he was when he was returned to us. Rico has been in training with a highly –acclaimed behaviorist and has learned to trust the world again. His obedience skills are phenomenal, and it took him no time at all to master leash walking and all basic commands. He is housetrained, gets along very well with most dogs, and though he’s always interested in the cats at his foster home one swat from the kitty telling him he is getting too close is all he needs to back off.

Rico strongly bonds to one person and would do best in a home with just one owner. A home with two owners would ultimately work as long as both understand he will bond very strongly to one and not the other and will need time to build trust with the second person. Rico is more apt to bond to the female in the household and can be very protective of her. For instance, in the current foster home he is very bonded to the female and will often place himself between the female and male almost “guarding” his foster mom. He grows very anxious when his foster dad approaches. He is never outright aggressive but will bark when he approaches. When foster dad reassures him he will eventually relax.

This dog will be unwaveringly loyal to the person that he bonds to and that bond will be almost immediate. He will be a constant companion that lies at your feet wanting nothing more than love. He would make a fabulous companion for someone who lives alone as he always warns of a stranger approaching. He would easily scare off someone who didn’t know him with his bark alone.

Above all, we want a life long commitment for this boy. He has so much love to give to the right person. We are willing and would require that Rico’s transition to his forever home include continued training with the behaviorist for a period of time. Project Pet is willing to pay for this training. We want to ensure that the transition to his permanent home is successful and that his adopter has all the tools that they need to help Rico be at his best.

If you would like more information on Rico, please contact his foster mom Tracy at (803) 360-4449.

www.projectpet.com.