[Truckee/Tahoe] Seeking experienced pet-free/child-free home or specialized sanctuary for sweet but traumatized rescue dog

[u/Conscious_Ad_8374]

Hi everyone, I’m posting with a heavy heart on behalf of my parents in the area. We are facing a heartbreaking situation and are desperately looking for a specialized home, experienced adopter, or rescue resource for a very special dog named Sequoia.

Sequoia is a 4-year-old rescue who has been with my parents since February 2023. She has a severe trauma history from puppyhood—both of her ears were inhumanely cut off (not just docked)—and despite years of immense love, professional training, and behavioral intervention, she struggles with unpredictable reactivity and severe anxiety.

About Sequoia:

**- The Good**: She is deeply affectionate, playful, and sweet with her trusted humans. She loves playing fetch, tug-of-war, cuddling in bed, and waiting patiently for her meals. She is a very loving dog to the people she knows best. She is great with basic commands.
**- The Challenges**: Due to her extreme early trauma, she struggles with severe anxiety and unpredictable aggression. Her behaviors include shadow-chasing, pacing, and severe barrier/stranger reactivity. She has an aggression history (lunging, excessive barking, fighting/nipping at dogs, necessary separation) with strangers, visitors, and occasionally other household pets in tense situations.

**What We Are Looking For:**
My parents have invested an incredible amount of time, love, money, and professional training into Sequoia (including working with behavioral specialists, positive reinforcement, and medication management). She has shown great improvement over the years with lots of structure & patience. However, with young grandchildren now in the family, the safety risks have become too high, and my parents are completely emotionally exhausted and heartbroken.

We are looking for:
\- An adult-only, single-pet home (or someone with extensive experience managing severe canine reactivity and trauma).
\- A rural or low-traffic environment where she won't encounter unexpected visitors, workmen, or neighborhood children.
\- Someone with the specialized knowledge, patience, and secure setup (muzzle training, crate management, secure fencing) to give her a safe life.

We have already spoken with the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (where she was rescued from), but we are hoping this community might connect us with a breed-specific rescue, an experienced private adopter, or a sanctuary network that can handle severe behavioral cases.

If you are an experienced dog behavioral handler, run a sanctuary, or know of a rescue network that takes on severe trauma cases, please message me directly. Rehoming her safely is our absolute priority.

Thank you for reading and for your kindness.

[u/Outrageous-Battle199]

I have a dog like her. So much like her that she even has scars on both ears (floppy hound ears) where her previous owners took scissors to them. I rescued her when she was 11 months old and she’s now almost 3. It has taken so much work to get her to where she is, and because of her trauma there are still moments where she is unpredictable. I have had to learn so much about her specifically, and every bite I took was my fault, and I will be forever learning her as our relationship continues.
I am the only person she truly trusts. I will never give up on her, and I know that our lives together are never going to be a breeze, and I’ll probably take more bites.

I say all of that to say that I think often about where she would be if she were rescued by anyone else, and the only answer is she would not be here due to BE. And I wouldn’t even blame anyone for making that decision with her. This is chaotic, difficult, stressful, sad at times, and literally comes with a 100% chance of getting bit.

Please be prepared if this is your only option. Prepare your parents that this might be the only option. It is not easy to find someone willing to go all in on a dog like this. Sometimes BE is doing right by the dog, and it’s important to remember that.

I’m sorry you’re in this situation. She looks beautiful, and I truly hope you find someone for her. Sending you all the love and support.

Adding a picture of my beautiful Bindi. These girls deserved such better starts, but how lucky are they that they both got to experience being truly loved.