Scruffy was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and went to a shelter, but when his shelter closed a few years later, he came to Best Friends. He is a painfully shy dog who lived in the admissions area for quite a long time getting one on one work to help him come out of his shell. When he arrived at Best Friends, he couldn’t even walk on a leash. The admissions team made a lot of progress with Scruffy and eventually he moved into a run with other dogs where new caregivers continued to make progress with Scruffy and earning his trust. Dogtown Manager Michelle Besmehn stepped in to help out and worked alongside Scruffy’s caregivers to help push him just a little bit more.

They found out that Scruffy was afraid of walking on linoleum and getting into cars – very scary things for a dog who has never had to practice those seemingly every day events! Scruffy may always be shy and will certainly need a home who really understands that Scruffy’s progress may always come in very small steps – but that patience and understanding will certainly have its rewards.