Relic’s Journey: From Wild Pup to Champion Companion

“My husband and I had lost our cat who was with us for 15 years. The house felt empty without him but we weren’t quite ready to open our home to another pet. We thought fostering at the East Bay SPCA might be a nice way to have pets in the home without committing to it full time, and be able to provide a needed break from the shelter for a deserving pet. We started slowly by taking a few dogs out for day hikes. We then offered to take a dog for an overnight.

Not too long after that we received an email from the East Bay SPCA with a request for a foster family. The dog in need was Relic.

We knew we wanted to take care of a bigger dog and his story touched us so we offered to help. We figured it would only be for a week or two. When we picked him up we learned he was reactive to other dogs and some people. We had no experience with reactive dogs but quickly learned after a few challenging walks. The staff at the East Bay SPCA were really helpful – reaching out proactively to check in on Relic and make sure he had what he needed while supporting us with any questions we had.

As the foster period continued, we asked about training options and learned about the behavioral training program at East Bay SPCA. We signed Relic up for several sessions and learned a great deal about what Relic’s behavior meant and how to interpret what he needed in order to make him feel more comfortable with us and his surroundings. It is really true that it isn’t just the dog that goes through training – it is just as much about the learning journey that the humans go on that makes training successful. My husband and I tried hard to practice the positive reinforcement techniques we were taught on our daily walks but we wanted to do more and we needed hands on training in our home and out on walks. We asked East Bay SPCA for recommendations on trainers and we found a couple that we started working with off and on.

The team at the East Bay SPCA helped us screen potential house sitters and dog walkers as well as a vet behavioralist who could continue ensuring Relic got the support he needed. With a community of people lined up to help Relic, we made the decision to welcome him into our family permanently!

Relic is a loyal, good natured dog who is well behaved around the house and a sweet cuddler when we let him up onto the bed with us. He takes up a lot more space in the house than our cat did and it took some adjusting to, but we love having him around now and can’t imagine our home without him.

With help from our trainer, he has made friends with our neighbor’s dog and we go on regular walks with her. He loves his toys – especially balls. He has a basket of his toys that he has learned to take toys out of (and sometimes puts them back into) and typically can be found carrying one of his toys in his mouth or chewing on it. He LOVES chasing lizards and does a silly stomping move with his legs to try to get the lizards to run so he can chase them.

In addition to chasing lizards and his walks, he loves hanging out with my husband and his friend during their weekly guitar jam sessions. Relic lays on the floor between them drifting off to sleep, as his feet move to the sound of the music.

The East Bay SPCA staff provided us with everything we needed throughout the foster period, including blankets, toys, food and medicine. They continued to offer support on a regular basis, checking in on his medicine and food supplies as well as his behavioral needs. We have been really impressed by the professionalism of the staff, the holistic approach to both animal and human, and the ongoing support they provide fosters. The staff is responsive around the clock, 7 days a week and are always very pleasant and helpful. We are grateful to them for the work they do to help dogs like Relic and many more who come in and out of the shelter, to find happy, fulfilling homes.