I am taking a course in manners. It’s called “Manners 101 for a Bulldog Who Loves People A Little Too Much.” You see, when I see a person, I have this desire to jump up, wrap my paws around their thigh, and hump. And really, I mean no harm. It’s all about control, and after being neutered, I am hoping I lose that loving feeling. But, like all bad habits, this one is hard to break. I will do my best to learn to greet you with a handshake, and not a hump shake. My perfect family will be active because I love to walk, and will NOT have small kids that I might knock over. They will be kind and patient with me. If you are that family, send in an application.

9/27/17 Update:  Colossus continues to stay at Country Dog Services boarding facility awaiting his foster.

Poor Colossus is itching like crazy lately!  I think his allergies are like a lot of folks and pets this time of the year. He came with anti itching meds and we’re going to up his dose. Good news is no more coughing and he’s back in general population! His humping has also gotten much better.  He’s just so friendly. He is also finishing up an antibiotic for his skin, as well as one for his cough. We’re giving him two medicated baths per week and an oatmeal one.

10/15/10 Update:  Now, this is a story all about how

My life got flipped-turned upside down

I’d like to take a minute

Just sit right there

I’ll tell you how I came into Rescue

With itchy skin & patchy hair 😳

In the east Texas country I was born and raised

On a comfy couch where I spent most of my days

Chillin’ out maxin’ relaxin’ all cool

Tearing tennis balls up, leaving nothing but drool

When some nasty allergies blew in who were up to no good

They started making trouble in my neighborhood

I had one bad reaction and my mom got scared

She said ‘You’re movin in with rescue

They’ll take better care of you there’

I barked for a cab and when it came near

The license plate said rescue and it had bully stickers on the mirror

If anything I could say that this cab was rare

But I thought ‘Itchy life, forget it’ – ‘Take me home to skin care’!

I pulled up to my foster house about 7 or 8

And I yelled to the cabbie ‘Thanks for the ride, lick ya later’

I looked at my kingdom

I was finally there

To sit on my throne as Colossus, the cuddle bear.

10/22/17 Update:  Sunday Funday involved a Great Pumpkin Adventure for Colossus! He had a blast exploring the maze of hay and pumpkins, and found the perfect spot to plant his bum while people passed by and offered love and affection for ‘such a cute boy.’ 😉 Mission accomplished!

11/21/17 Update:  Colossus took a step back from the rescue spotlight over the last few weeks because he has been busy working very hard on his manners. Now he’s back to center stage and foster mom & dad are so PROUD of his progress! After a few incidents where Colossus decided the word ‘No’ didn’t apply to him, foster mom called in reinforcements and he’s been learning and improving ever since.

Part of this training journey for Colossus included diving deeper into his life before rescue, and unfortunately we discovered that he’d had several homes, including some where discipline meant pain. It became a survival skill to develop a few warning behaviors to let bad people know that he was not willing to take anymore. Thankfully he is a VERY smart boy, and through POSITIVE reinforcement, patience, and LOTS of love he is learning that correction does not mean pain, and the word ‘No’ is not a threat. These moments are the exception, not the norm, but when they happen you can tell Colossus feels unsure of himself and this can be a trigger for anxiety. That is why finding a family that will emphasize building him up vs. forcing him to assimilate and ‘fall into line’ will be critical. Colossus is a wonderful pup with an amazingly fun and playful personality, but he needs a family who is willing put in a little extra effort to help him become his ‘best self’ through a few simple training techniques.

Colossus knows: sit, stay, come, down, will wait to be told to eat, and can prance circles around most of his lazy bully counterparts. He’s the cutest toy hoarder you’ll ever meet, and LOVES to play with other pups (& even kitties). He is even great at playing the role of Big Brother to his new foster sister, Gypsy Blue. He will wrestle and play with her till he collapses from exhaustion, and then demonstrates the patience of a saint as she persists with puppy antics while he’s trying to catch some sleep!

Colossus has a kind and gentle soul, and when he curls up in your lap come snuggle time your heart will swell to 10 times its size  This handsome boy deserves to have only the best in life from here forward. Are you willing to put forth the effort to teach him the ‘no trauma, no drama’ way? Can you handle 70 lbs of overgrown teddy-bear with sensitive skin and soul-piercing eyes? Then stop scrolling and start typing up your adoption application today!

12/6/17 Update:  Colossus is working his way up Santa’s NICE list this Christmas! He’s definitely on a mission to prove that he is a GOOD BOY.  You see its not always easy being such a sensitive baby in a ‘big-boy’ body. He can get too excited meeting new people and accidentally knock them down when he’s literally ‘jumping for joy’. Colossus sometimes struggles to understand that his excitement can be scary because of his size, he just wants to LOVE! But he is a very smart boy and is learning new manners with each opportunity.

Speaking of manners, Colossus continues to work on indoor bedtime protocols. Although he doesn’t have things down just yet, we are seeing improvement over time. Each night he has a clean blanket, a special bully cave (kennel), and even some classical music to help him feel safe and secure. Occasionally he gets anxious about whether all of this is just too good to be true and he will wake up and it will all be gone. So he will mark his bed sometimes to try and claim his happy space. He recently made it a whole week without any pee-pee on his bedding  but he still has accidents. Its ok though, foster mom still wakes him up with kisses, forgiveness, and a fresh blanket so he can try-try again.