Pinto is a little dog of indeterminate age, but very likely well into his teens (in human years) by now.
He’s quite healthy, though probably has vision loss in one eye. Up to date on all shots and vet care.
Being prototypically “small”, he is very much a barker. He would make an excellent watchdog for anyone interested in not having strangers sneak up on their residence.
His history is confusing. In 2015, he was adopted from a shelter in Boston where he was temporarily kept after an unhomed gentleman who had apparently been “his human” for quite some time on the streets (perhaps since he was a puppy?) had been forced to relinquish him. For a number of years, he lived in his current home, quite happily. However, the couple who owned him have now both passed away, and he really needs to be in a better situation than he is now (as he’s not getting enough attention there at the house where the one resident works all day 6-7 days a week).
It’s unclear how long Pinto lived in Boston on the streets. But what is clear is that he was almost certainly a wonderful “partner” to his owner(s). In fact, it may be that to some degree, he really provided salvation when the trinity of his family was initially reduced to 2 (the couple who adopted him had been together for over 5 decades when the wife passed from this plane), which happened almost exactly 5 years before he lost his one remaining primary caregiver.
Pinto has certain peccadillos which will limit the options in terms of homes that he would be able to live in. He can be ridiculously aggressive. He’s bitten a lot of people, though in every incident in which this happened, there were warning signs, however incredible atunement will be necessary (as we didn’t recognize those signs until after). He can be very territorial and overly protective of his home turf and/or the people he’s close to (defending them when they don’t need defending). Being he’s small, the damage he’s done has never been significant. I think I’m actually the one who got the worst injury, when I bent down to pet him after an overstimulated day he had just over a month after the death of his 2nd primary caregiver. He bit me very hard on my middle finger (and didn’t let go, trying to yank me towards him (a ridiculous challenge as I outweigh him by at least 2 orders of magnitude)). The puncture wounds were deep, and I also needed antibiotics for an infection which immediately began to bloom within hours of getting bitten by him. But, while I don’t fully understand why he bit me (I do have some specific guesses), he and I have a very very good relationship now (and I’m able to pick him up, albeit, carefully, without any problem). Most of the other times he’s bitten people have been on their legs or shins, and far less problematic. He’s never bitten one of his primary caregivers to my knowledge (and I’m fairly certain he’ll not bite me again). To some degree I think his aggression may often be fear-based (though it’s hard to tell, as I’m not a domain expert with regard to animal/canine psychology).
The TL;DR though is that a home without small children is a definite requirement (and it’s probably best to be very very mindful when children come to visit, or better yet, to allow him to retreat to an enclosed space during such visits).
While I don’t know for sure that he couldn’t eventually make friends with a very tough, quick, strong cat (or at least get along?), a home without a cat is highly recommended. I’m pretty sure that if he was able to catch a cat, that he would kill it. His hunting instinct is phenomenally strong; he pursues squirrels and rabbits with absolute and total abandon, likely in large part due to having a lot of Jack Russell in him. It seems likely that the other “half” of his genetic heritage is probably Chihuahua.
The other main concern is that he’s totally a flight risk whenever he’s off-leash. I’m really the only one (for years now) who ever lets him off-leash, and even I’ve been burned by him (and been frantic for 1/2 hour before I found him tired out and coming back towards home on his own after his walkabout/runabout). In a safe environment away from roads and other dwellings, he might be able to eventually learn to not have to be constantly leashed when walked. But probably best to assume that he’ll need to be leashed at all times when outdoors outside a fenced-in yard or dog park.
He’s generally quite aggressive with other dogs, but this can be overcome. My older female dog Teyla, who is much larger than Pinto, mostly ignores his nonsense, and after a few minutes of interaction over the course of several weeks of bringing them together, he always eventually calmed down (and now they’re quite good buddies). But initially, defintely expect him to not just bark at another dog, but to actually feint and try to nip at them too. A bigger dog without a calm disposition might actually injure or kill him as a result if not introduced very very carefully.
So yeah, I wanted to get all of the negatives out on the table for as full a disclosure as I possibly could. My hope is that if Pinto is not the dog for you, that maybe you might know someone for whom he could potentially be a good fit.
He’s really loving and empathetic. After his next potential new human(s) earn his trust, I’m quite certain he will be fiercely loyal to his human family. And he’s not a berserker. He is a very smart guy, who will respond to authority, and under a watchful eye, is totally capable of being controlled (it’s not always necessary to lock him up when visitors come, only to pay a lot of attention to his mood, posture and general demeanor). The cases when he hasn’t given any overt “warnings” before attacking people (via growling and/or baring his teeth) have been few and far between.
Should you wish to inquire about having Pinto possibly come join you at your home permanently, you can reach out via email: pinto@emergencyguild.org.
We are located in the northeast US, quite near the intersection of NY, CT, and MA.
If you don’t personally wish to try to become Pinto’s owner, my hope is that you might be willing to share this webpage more widely so that we can find him as ideal a home as we possibly can.
[edited with an update: December 3rd, 2023 below]
So while this page has been “up”, it was only shared very minimally, so unless someone “stumbled upon it”, it’s not likely there was much traffic here at all. But at this point, the family consensus has been that it’s time to do more of a “broadcast” for a new home for Pinto.
I will share though, that my own personal relationship with Pinto has become one of mutual affection and trust. I no longer have any fear of him biting me, due to respecting his boundaries, and only interacting with him with focus and love, rather than my “inattention” to his state/mood (and ignorance of the danger that not paying enough attention produced) which resulted in him biting me a year and a half ago)
It’s so hard to know what his quality of life is. He essentially spends all day, every day, alone, except for a quick visit to take him out once midday. But he does have a loving human companion who dotes on him in the evening, takes care of him, loves him, feeds him, and walks him when she’s home. Due to her work schedule though (and a sense that Pinto really does have a desire, if not need, for more attention and companionship), it’s a tough thing.
So if any of you (or someone you know) might be willing to go into a trial adoption of Pinto with eyes wide open to all his idosyncracies and flaws, it’d certainly be welcome to get your request via pinto@emergencyguild.org and/or just a chance to discuss more if there’s apprehension. And certainly that’s warranted in this case. Everyone understands that Pinto is capable of flourishing (and having the transition period be tolerable for a new owner, and hopefully not involve trauma to, nor inflicted by, Pinto) only in a tiny subset of willing pet owners’ homes. So our expectations are low in terms of actually finding a willing household and/or person to take him.
Namaste