Bellwood Rescue

Ozzie

Ozzie came to us from his home near Chicago.  He was a beloved pet in a wonderful family.  Unfortunately,  Oz loved his master too well.  Westies are protective by nature and his master was a work from home guy.  Oz was with him constantly and a real bond had developed.   The little girl of the family and friends who visited were very uncomfortable with Ozzie's snarling and growling at them.  And he did sound a bit like Cujo!!!  Oz's owner and I corresponded for several weeks before he was comfortable with my taking Oz to my rescue home.  His vet had recommended that Oz be put down.  The family had tried everything, including drugs and an animal behavorist.  Nothing seemed to work with Oz.  He was just too good at, what he saw was his job, guarding his master.  I admit when I met Oz for the first time I was thinking I may have bit off more than I could chew.   Oz hit the window of the truck he arrived in with a snarl and bark that would have frightened Stephen King himself.  He was a little better outside of the vehicles but when we started back home he was sitting on my daughters lap and everytime she would move he would snarl or growl.  By the time we had driven 40 miles or so she decided she would like to have her lap back and could we put him in a carrier??  We stopped in Bloomington IL at a Wal-Mart to buy a carrier for the rest of the trip.  I had just remarked how loose the collar looked, when he backed up and the collar came off over his head and off he went.  Now, Oz had been a much loved and spoiled fellow and he was very overweight (Thank  Heaven) so he moved at a sedate trot through the lanes of traffic.  I chased him and grabbing him around his chest, swept him up.  He looked at me and I looked back at him saying in my firmest ,I really mean it, voice "If you bite me I will throw you under a truck."   It must have been my tone of voice because to this day he has not growled at me again.  I have grown very fond of Oz since then and feel we have a connection an understanding.   He is a funny guy.  He wants to be king of the hill and nobody here cares.  The cats aren't afraid of him and neither are my other dogs.  He "rooms" with my other 2 Westies Alice and Duncan and occasionally with Mandy a possibly pregnant Schnauzer.   Oz would be available to a Westie Savvy home only.  He needs a good strong leader, someone who loves him and will only accept his best behaviour.  He is a gentleman in the house and takes care of his business very quickly outside.  Oz loves walks and would need to be walked a minimum of 20 minutes three times a day.  His aggression goes way down when he is exercised.  He is on a diet of Blue Buffalo Lamb and Brown Rice and has lost a couple of pounds already with 7 more to go.  Oz would do best with one other dog in the home but it would need to be a submissive dog.  There are some spats occasionally with the other dogs but nothing serious, just sounds like it's serious, and he is not the only one to start them.   If you are interested in meeting Oz contact me at bellwood.rescue@sbcglobal.net