Sanctuary Notes on Savanna: Savanna was nicknamed Smiley, as when she first came to us she would watch us with interest and a big smile on her face.
She came in with a group of seven other pyrs from the neglectful situation described below.
I thought for sure that she would be the first to warm up to us as she seemed to have the most confidence and did not seem as fearful as the others, but she would always keep her distance, playfully smiling at me from behind a tree.
We now have them in an area with access to indoors and outdoors in our main building, where they are getting used to seeing us all throughout the day.
We have found that although Savanna seems to be adventurous and inquisitive, she is still unwilling to let us actually pet her and will skip away last minute.
Because of this we are going to switch gears and give her and Leo more undivided one on one attention to help her past this hurdle.
She will happily stand at arms length from me, smiling and eat treats, but gets confused when we reach out to make physical contact as this was not likely the norm in her last "home" We have high hopes that we will have the needed breakthrough with Savanna, and would love a specific patient foster home to help her get there! Group notes: Milo took in seven beautiful yet under-socialized Pyrenees that had been seized from a hoarding situation, but were then set for euthanasia due to lack of space at the shelter.
We have been working with them to gain their trust as they were not raised as family members, and some are making great strides.
Because of this, they are looking for very patient, understanding and rural homes that will continue to work with them to help them to realize their full potential.
None of these dogs have ever bitten anyone and even the most fearful will run and bark when scared or unsure of a situation rather than show outward aggression.
They had not been raised walking on a leash and were living in a large fenced area together which they had never left and were used for breeding, cared for by a man with mental illness until seized by animal control for neglect.
Because they were not raised with livestock ( and do show a prey drive towards cats) they would not be a good choice for someone looking to have them guard animals on a farm, and because they were not raised in a home, they do not understand commands etc, but they do prefer to go potty outside and are loving sleeping on cozy beds.
They will follow direction when a routine is established and will go inside or out as a group when asked.
They do love each other and will bound around and play, but we do not know how they would do with other dogs given that Pyrenees imprint with the animals that they are raised with and these guys can get worked up as a group when there is a dog unknown to them outside the fence, for this reason if there is another dog in the home their interactions would have to be closely monitored in order to make sure that they are a safe fit together.
From what we have seen, they are open and excepting of puppies even if outside the family group, but again supervision would be key! If you are willing and able to help one of these gorgeous dogs, please send applications to foster or adopt to Thank you for considering adoption of a Milo Foundation Sanctuary dog.
Our Sanctuary is where our rescued dogs who have had difficulty in a home in the past, have behavioural issues, or too much energy, or for some, aggression issues with other dogs, or intense stranger danger that make them more difficult to safely and happily live in urban environments.
These are not beginner dogs or for the most part nor are they for families with children.
IF you are looking for an easy dog to add to your family, we suggest looking at the dogs at our Adoption Center, Milo Pt Richmond.
BUT, if you can offer a safe and nurturing home to a dog with some behavioral "quirks" please do send an application today.
Thank you.
Adoption fee is sponsored by a generous young woman to go to the right home!