I originally lived in Indianapolis and was confiscated from my backyard along with my momma (who is already in her forever home), to be brought to a shelter. My "owners" kept us locked in the yard without human contact for a long time and the way they fed us was by throwing out scraps through an open window. I was born and raised in that situation. I had no way of knowing there was another way of life out there. A human never touched me until the traumatic day my mom and I were taken by animal control. My very first experience with a human was to be cornered and taken by force. I was then separated from my mom for the very first time in my short life and left in a small cage by myself. Humans terrified me. I had never been petted, never been loved. To me, these humans were aliens out to kill me. They may have already killed my mom...I had no way of knowing. I also had no way of knowing that there were humans out there fighting to find a safe place for my mom and me. Those humans posted about my mom and me on Facebook and the rescuer with Autumn Acres Animal Rescue saw the plea and became involved. When she came to pick me up was the first time I had seen my mom in over a week. I was so excited to see my mom again that I forgot about those humans around me and actually stood up to greet my mom. It was then a whole new world was put before me. For the past year I have been learning to walk on a leash, to accept humans and to go for car rides. While I LOVE to play with humans, I still do not trust new humans. Remember, I know there are people who will do me harm, so I take awhile to trust new people and even when I do trust you...I still do not understand why you want to pet me. Petting is one of those things I have learned to accept, but I am not sure of. Leo is a smart beautiful boy. He is nearly 2 years old and around 100 pounds. He has a long way to go still. He has made amazing progress while with us, but it is time for him to have his OWN home and pack to learn from. The code word is George. If you email me to ask for more information then please mention the code word to show that you have read this bio. Leo was a feral dog. Working with Leo is like building a pyramid. Every time an interaction was positive, he didn't get harmed, it ended on good terms, and he was ok then he moves up the pyramid. Anytime something goes bad it knocks him down that pyramid several steps. He has so much potential, it is imperative we find him the right home. If you don't know about feral dogs or super shy/unsocialized dogs then you need to be willing to learn about them. Leo's new home MUST HAVE ANOTHER DOG. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to that. The new home must have a dog that he gets along with. Leo loves to play and loves other dogs. If you are interested in adopting Leo then please schedule a time to come meet him and we can talk about him more once you meet him.
