A Great Pyrenees named Olaf had lived outside at a puppy mill his whole life. But when he was rescued by The Animal Pad he was too scared to even walk. This posed a bit of a challenge for his rescuers because he weighs 130 pounds!
The Animal Pad revealed on Facebook that he was one of 111 dogs they “recently rescued from a bad breeding situation in Baja, California.” The breeder told them that she kept Olaf on the property to “protect” the rest of the dogs “the ones that were making her money.”
Animal Pad added, “The ironic part is that this dog wouldn’t hurt a fly and is afraid of everything. Still, to us, he is perfect.”
Fortunately, with a bit of ingenuity and muscle, Olaf’s rescuers managed to get him back to the shelter and from there to a loving foster home. Their next challenge was to convince Olaf to come inside the house.
Olaf’s foster mom Anneliese shared that initially Olaf would not let her get within 10 to 15 feet of him. He stayed in her backyard and didn’t come close. But he slowly got more and more curious about Anneliese’s other dogs. He really likes Buttercup and began to play with her and stand at the door inviting her to come outside to play. When Buttercup and Anneliese’s other dogs went inside he would only come in part of the way, putting his front paws through the door.
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Then, on the 4th of July, when the outside fireworks went off, Olaf came inside. “It was a big deal,” said Anneliese. Now, he’s not afraid to come into the house and will take treats from his foster mom’s hands.
Olaf has been with Anneliese for several months now. “He’s 100% comfortable in the house now. He freely goes in and out and follows the pack (and me) into the front yard,” she shared on Instagram. “He still prefers the covered porch and never hangs out inside the house. Mostly, I think, because I am in the house and I am the only thing Olaf isn’t 100% sure of. That’s OK, we will get there.”
She also shared, “Some seemingly small, but huge, progress he’s made lately is he comes when he’s called and will approach for his meals and stand right there as I put the dish down. Also, he will come up to me in the kitchen when he’s hungry like ‘Lady, you got any meals or snackies for me?’ Needless to say, the answer is always yes, because we got to reward that!”
Next up on the list of things to work on is to groom him. “His coat needs a good brushing, and those dew claws need a clip. Stay tuned on that,” said Anneliese. “That’s all for now. He’s a happy, content boy living his best Pyr life: barking and patrolling all night, guarding against coyotes and the neighbors, and marking in the house if mom’s not around.”
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And because it just brings a smile to our faces, here’s a longer video of Olaf when he’s being picked up by Animal Pad to bring to their shelter.
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