Adopted dog success stories?

Was her problem also separation anxiety? Are you able to leave the house now and if so, for how long? Thanks so much! I'm pretty much at the end of my rope.

I’m more a dog-person than a cat-person, but have had enough interactions with cats to notice the tail-switching and guess what it meant. But thanks for confirming my theory.

She had anxiety even when we were home, she was found as a stray and we adopted her from animal control. She was very thin and had obviously never really had a home just based on some of her behavior. We have another dog and that may have helped her some, she is much better now and not so anxious but is still a very excited dog.

An acquaintance was going through a divorce and was relocating to an apartment where she could only bring 2 of her 3 dogs. While this was going on I was having life saving procedures on my heart (which bled out) and spent 3 weeks in rehab. At home recuperating, I learned of her efforts to find a family for Lacey- a 13 lb non-shedding (truly) mutt. Long story short- I adopted Lacey to learn that she had a troubled background- going from home to home where she was not treated well. It took a long time (2 years) for Lacey to relax and she was on doggie prozac for a while. But now.....Lacey is my reason for long walks, even on snow and ice and in the heat of the summer. I swear that dog keeps me healthy. When I leave she cries - I created this super safe space for her with pillows, and toys and lots of treats so she settles down. It is so hard for dogs and it takes a long time to build trust and connection. Worth it!

I am 82, live alone and I lost my 13 yr old poodle mix a year and a half ago. I still miss her terribly every day. I got her as a two 2 yr stray about to be euthanized at a kill shelter. She had severe separation anxiety which never did improve much even though I tried everything. But I found a solution that worked because I loved her so much, there was no other option. Where there’s a will there’s a way!
I found a neighbor who was desperately struggling financially and I paid her to doggie sit. My dog, so happy not to be alone, came to adore her. I am also very low income so I was only able to pay my neighbor $10 each time she watched my dog ($20 if it was more than four hours). This turned out to be a win win situation for all. I helped my neighbor financially, she helped me, and my dog quality of life was much improved.
Separation anxiety is a difficult situation. I commend you for seeking feedback and wish you a peaceful decision.

You might want to tell him, "okay, you guard the house," place him in his kennel with a favorite toy and the two of you leave, making sure he hears the door close. Wait just a few minutes and come back in, and make over him, "Good job! What a good boy, etc." and give him a treat/reward. Constantly do this and after a week or so, extend the time you are out of the house. We did this successfully and yes, it is time consuming, but it worked! Good luck.

We’ve been doing a similar form of training that the behavioral vet taught us for seven weeks. Still no progress.

Our desert rescue that I mentioned in a previous post didn’t suffer from separation anxiety but he was just out of control crazy and biting (puppy teeth) with no boundaries. He was so traumatized. He had survived the desert on his own for three weeks (we were able to calculate this later with the help of neighbors) at the tender age of two months. He was starving, infested with ticks ( which turned into a chronic case of Tick Fever) and near death. I guess my point is, for the most part with these babies we don’t know their prior history and we don’t know what’s inside their heads. Yes, ours is a great success story and our pup is nearly perfect! But! It wasn’t until he hit 18 months that he settled and calmed down. Suddenly our crazy dog was so mature! And my husband (72 at that time) and myself (60 at that time) said a million times that we were too old for this. So, what did we do? A year and a half ago we rescued one more! He’s our work in progress now. I’m wishing you the strength to get through this and that your pup will finally settle. Bless you both for giving it your all.

Luckily our 10 yo rescue is perfectly happy alone at home when we're gone.
A different Jack had anxiety and I feel I resolved it by leaving for maybe 2 minutes then working up to longer times. It worked for us. I think many Covid era dogs were never left alone.

Ditto at eight weeks