Meet "Zephan" :)

[MysticExotics]

Zephan is a Belgian Malinois that was picked up as a stray in NM. He later pulled from shelter by a group called "Rescue Me" that pull dogs from kill shelters, and transport them to no kill shelters. They transported him to a shelter in OR, south of Portland.

The shelter contacted a volunteer who has experience with Mal's to find a foster home for him as Mal's do not do well in shelters.
Someone else helped her out by posted him on a Malinois FB page, and I offered to foster him.
His temp foster mom pulled him from the shelter for me, and took him in to get neutered on Tuesday.
I will drive down to Vancouver, WA on Sunday to meet up with her to pick him up.
On my way back home, I will meet up with the gal who got me in touch with the temp foster mom who will be giving me a care package for Zephan, to help get him back to a healthy state.

The vet said that aside from being very malnourished, he is otherwise healthy.

The shelter originally listed him as 2-3 years old, but the gal who puled him for me thinks he's about 4 years old.

I am so excited to bring him home!

 

[hypnoctopus]

Aw, he's so skinny. Poor guy. You'll have to post updated pictures as he progresses in your care.

 

[Nanci]

I can't wait to see how he looks in a few weeks!!

 

[Zeina]

He's beautiful.

 

[MysticExotics]

Aw, he's so skinny. Poor guy. You'll have to post updated pictures as he progresses in your care.

I know
I will definitely post his progression pics.
In a couple months, he will look like a whole new dog!

I can't wait to see how he looks in a few weeks!!

Me too!
He's going to be so handsome when he starts to fill out! (Not that he isn't now.)

He's beautiful.

Thank you! I agree!

 

[Pogie]

Beautiful dog!!! So glad your going to get him back to health. I love that breed. So regal looking.

 

[MysticExotics]

Beautiful dog!!! So glad your going to get him back to health. I love that breed. So regal looking.

Thank you! Ten years ago, you very rarely saw this breed. Now, they are all over in shelters, because people get them, thinking they will be a good house pet, and most of them are not.
They are jokingly referred to as German Shepherds on crack, and it is very fitting!
They have tremendous energy, and can be very hard to manage if they do not get their physical and mental needs met.

The German Shepherd has been my #1 breed my entire life. I was raised around them. My grandparents had one when I was a kid, and my dad has always had one, since I was a kid.
The Malinois is the first breed to ever challenge the GS as my #1 breed.

My current Mal/GS female is not a high drive dog, as far as Mal's go, but she is still a lot more work than any GS I have ever had.
She definitely keeps me active though.

I feel like a kid at Christmas time, anxiously waiting for Sunday, so I can go get him!

This is my girl, Alexa.

 

[Joba]

Lucky guy!

 

[MysticExotics]

Thank you!! I am so excited to get him tomorrow!

 

[Nanci]

Waiting for pics!!!

 

[MysticExotics]

Sorry I haven't posted any pics yet.

Here he is when I met up with his temp foster mom, then in the truck getting ready to head back north.
It was a long day for him, he traveled almost 6 hours to get here.

I found out a little more about him.
He was picked up as a stray in NM, but he was picked up June 30th, and spent four months in that shelter.
He was transported by an organization called Start Rescue to OR from NM.
I had contacted the NM shelter to verify dates on vaccines, to make sure I had correct info on him. They told me they didn't have an intake weight on him, but that he weighed 56lbs when he left for OR. (I kinda think maybe he lost a lot of weight diring the 4 months there, and they didn't want to tell me.)
He weighed 54lbs on intake at the OR shelter.
I do not have a current weight on him, I will get one on the 23rd, when I take him to the vet for an exam.
The good news, is he should be up to date on vaccs.

 

[MysticExotics]

His coat was like straw when I picked him up.
Thanks to another Malinois friend, who gave me a care package with supplements to help get him back to a healthy state, he is putting on weight, and his coat is feeling more soft.

He is adjusting to being in yet another strange place.
The first night initially was loud. LOL
I left him in the truck for a minute while I put the girls out in the back yard. I let him pee in the front yard, then took him inside and put him in the kennel.
When I let the girls in, they knew immediately that something was up. They ran into the livingroom and it was a barkfest.
I had to cover his kennel, and it eventually quieted down.

It is day 5, and I can leave the blankets off of the front of the kennel (I was able to on the first day). I do periodically cover it, if he gets really worked up, so he will calm down.

Both he and the girls are getting used to each other's existence.
I hope by the end of the 2-week shut down, they will be used to each other, and I can do slow intros, one at a time.
I expect things to go well with Rory, but Alexa is the fun police, and it may take some time for those two to get used to each other.

I adore this boy, and I hope that he and the girls get along well, because I would really like to make him a permanent resident!

 

[Zeina]

He's so damn cute! I love his eyes <3 Good luck with him, I hope it works out!

 

[Pogie]

I love this dog!!!!

 

[MysticExotics]

Day 6: He is becoming more comfortable, and last night, started to show a little playfulness.
I do some one on one time with him, while the girls are kenneled. I won't start intros with the girls for at least 9-10 days.

 

[MysticExotics]

He's so damn cute! I love his eyes <3 Good luck with him, I hope it works out!

I love this dog!!!!

Thank you! I do too

He hasn't shown his true self yet, I expect in another week or so I will start to see his true personality.
I know he will have a lot of energy, and this mellow side will probably not be as mellow. LOL

I know I'm crazy for bringing in a second Malinois, but I'm up for the challenge!
I look forward to seeing what his potential is in training.

 

[maxfox426]

Bless you for taking him in. His eyes look so sad in the pics while he's in the car... you can just see he's been through so much.

The last photo is just priceless. <3

 

[Nanci]

I can't believe he was so thin after being in a shelter for four months, where he was supposed to have been being helped...I bet the girls will love him. He's a boy, after all.

 

[MysticExotics]

Bless you for taking him in. His eyes look so sad in the pics while he's in the car... you can just see he's been through so much.

The last photo is just priceless. <3

I know, it broke my heart seeing him like that. To see a Malinois so lost, you know he has to have been through a lot.
I still see how he feels unsure, but he seems more content each day.
I guarantee I will cry the day I finally see the "Maligator smile".
Seeing those ears up will be a big step to, in his progress.

I can't believe he was so thin after being in a shelter for four months, where he was supposed to have been being helped...I bet the girls will love him. He's a boy, after all.

Mal's have an incredibly hard time in shelters. Most dogs do, but shelters are especially hard for Mal's.
When I found out that he had been in the NM shelter for 4 months, to me, it kinda explained his weight loss. I'm not ruling out parasites, I know those are still a possibility, which I am treating for, but I would guess that much of his weight loss was due to being in the shelter so long.
I think the shelter realized he wasn't going to get any better, and decided to ship him off to someone else.
I didn't believe the staff member that they didn't have an intake weight on him. I think they didn't want to acknowledge how much weight he had lost in their care.
That is all speculation on my part, of course.

He will never have to worry about being in a shelter again.

 

[MysticExotics]

Day 7: He looks a bit more filled in than he actually is, but he is noticeably putting on weight.
I could feel his prominent spine when I first brought him home, now I don't feel it so much when I pet him.

The first pic was last night. He fell asleep while I pet him.

The other two are this morning, as I was getting his breakfast ready.

I can sense potential for high energy in him, and he's a strong boy. He's going to be fun to work with when he is healthy again.