Latest News

After more than a year, sweet German shepherd finds his forever home.

Photo submitted

Rambo gets his happy ending

By Pat Johnson

Published 2:27 PDT, Wed May 13, 2020

Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021

—

It was a joyous day recently when Rambo, a six-year-old German shepherd who spent more than 15 months at the RAPS Animal Shelter and in foster care, finally found his perfect forever home.

On March 17, Rambo went home with new parents Michelle Petzold and Gavinder Atwal. It was the happiest of endings for a sweet dog who inexplicably had a challenging start to life. He was adopted and returned a number of times. He struggled with anxiety while at the shelter. He had a knee injury—he slightly tore his ACL—which meant a lot of cage rest, which did not help with the anxiety. So he was transferred to a foster home, where he recuperated and got ready for the next stage of his life.

The couple were on the lookout for a larger dog and Rambo, a gentle giant, really fit the bill. Although he is reactive with other dogs due to lack of socialization, he’s a big softie with people.

“We were kind of looking around for a dog, checking out different shelters online,” says Michelle. “Rambo popped up. He had a really cute smile so we thought we’d go meet him. We just played around in the yard with him a little bit. We kicked the soccer ball around and he would kind of come to your feet and you could pet him. Just really sweet.”

The very first night at his new home, Rambo was a little bit confused.

“He would kind of just sit there,” Michelle says. “He would lay down and stare at us or follow us around, a little bit unsure.”

He wouldn’t even touch his food. The next morning, Gavinder spoon fed Rambo his breakfast and, since then, that has never been a problem.

“Now he follows us around the house and seems like he is pretty at home now,” she says. His favourite activity is chasing the soccer ball and he’s a big cuddler.

“He loves to snuggle with us,” says Michelle. “If I’m taking a nap on the couch, he’ll come and lay down right next to me.”

He’s also a face-licker.

Rambo gets excited when he sees other dogs while walking, which is something his owners are working on with him. But, at home, he’s incredibly chill.

“He’s super quiet, just chills out and stares at you, cuddles, licks your face,” Michelle says. She wishes other people would see the joy in older dogs. Rambo waited more than a year to find his forever home and he is a delight to be around.

“I’m so happy that we got him,” she says.

Happy endings like Rambo’s are possible because RAPS is a no-kill animal-serving organization. In so many other jurisdictions, amazing dogs like Rambo would be euthanized due to lack of space or even minor behavioural issues. At RAPS, we never give up on an animal.

Happy endings like Rambo’s are possible because of a community that helps us keep our no-kill promise.

Pat Johnson is communications manager of the Regional Animal Protection Society.