When you are a pup who has been locked up in a kennel for a long time, things can get really stressful in a very short period of time.
Because of this stress, many doggos tend to shut down, avoid everybody, and even stop eating.
On top of all of this, Romeo, a beautiful German Shepherd with the kindest eyes, started doing something that made everybody around him extremely worried – he started spinning uncontrollably.
Help Is Here
When Romeo first came to the Los Angeles-based shelter, he was very calm and would usually keep to himself. However, over time, Romeo started to spin in circles in his kennel, refusing to stop no matter what.
@kelsmcdonough if there any rescues, fosters, or potential adopters for this boy please please message me. southern california rescues are so overwhelmed that almost none are taking new dogs in 😔 to see how much he has changed by being in his kennel kills me. he was the calmest best boy when he first came in as a stray. lets get this boy free. 🙏🏼😔💗#adopt #adoption #rescue #rescuedog #rescuedogs #dog #dogs #adoptadog #shelter #dogshelter #animalshelter #germanshepherd #germanshepherdrescue #rescue #rescuedog #help ♬ Ambient-style emotional piano – MoppySound
“He was about to be euthanized because he had stopped eating. I just did a plea for help on my TikTok and a woman named Jessica commented on it and said ‘We want him’,” Kelsey told The Dodo.
As soon as Kelsey saw that somebody wanted to take Romeo in, she went to the Los Angeles shelter as soon as possible, picked up the pup, and was on her way to his new home.
Even though Romeo was a bit nervous the entire car ride, he did something incredible – he ate!
“I had a handful of food and he ate it right out of my hand. He was starving,” said Kelsey.
The yummy meal sure did help Romeo retrieve some of that energy he was missing, allowing him to show his new mom just how excited he was to start his new life.
Back To Old Ways
For the first twenty minutes he spent at his new home, Romeo was a brand-new pup. But suddenly, he started to spin again.
“I let him outside, and he started spinning. Like, uncontrollably. I got on the phone with the vet, they thought it was just a lot of stress that he had bone through in the shelter,” Jessica stated.
They then decided to go out with him and have a little playdate, hoping that it would distract him.
@momsrawlife #rescuedog #Romeo ♬ original sound – MomLife
Unfortunately, it didn’t really work.
But then Jessica came up with the idea that maybe he would stop if they started playing with a ball. And as soon as he saw a ball rolling in front of him, all he could think about was chasing after it and catching it in his mouth.
“We were like ‘Oh, wow, okay!’ There is something that can help him, distract him,” she said.
Since they couldn’t play with the ball inside of the house, Jessica had to come up with a different distraction that would work as well as the ball.
Luckily, Romeo was a very smart boy who listened to everything his hoomans told him. So, when he would start spinning inside of the house, Jessica would tell him to lie down, and he would do exactly that.
Romeo was finally able to start enjoying his life without having to constantly spin in circles, making himself very, very dizzy.
“Romeo is definitely a part of my family. He’s actually amazing. He’s so well-trained at this point that it’s not an issue anymore,” Jessica concluded.
Final Word
Living in a confined space in a loud shelter really isn’t easy. Many pups start behaving differently, dreaming of the day when a loving hooman would walk by, notice their struggles, and offer them a warm, loving home.
Romeo was one of the lucky ones, but there are still countless animals who are currently in the state in which he once was.
Please open up your arms and your homes and adopt this sweet, furry baby. They deserve it!