Neglected litter overcome fears

Terrified, and with their ribs and spines protruding, it was clear that Ross, Chandler and Joey had suffered neglect.

The cane corsos – named after characters from the iconic TV show Friends – arrived at our Bromsgrove centre in September, aged around six months old.

They were brought in by a member of the public who found them alone and scared in a park.

Caroline Oram, Adoptions Coordinator, says: “They were very undernourished and covered in filth. And all three were so worried by us. Joey was the only one that would come over; Chandler and Ross were too scared.”

It was obvious that the siblings had experienced very little of the world, given how shutdown they were and the fear they displayed when encountering many everyday sights and sounds.

Spooked

“When we took them to the puppy run outside, they even got spooked by the wind,” explains Caroline.

So, as well as building their physical strength, the team had to start training and socialisation from scratch.

But, within two weeks, the brothers were coming out of their shells and learning to trust.  

This was largely thanks to the team creating a sense of routine for the bewildered boys.

“This massively helped them,” says Caroline. “We fed them little but every two hours. And, once they started to feel a bit better, thanks to them now getting vital nutrition and food, they were more confident.

“Then myself, or whoever was on duty in the evenings, went over and spent more time with them so they got used to increasing amounts of human company. I’d just sit and spend time with them. It was amazing when I first saw them play for the first time.

“When they arrived, they would bark and growl when we went into their kennel. And then a few weeks later, they do these little stretches and wag their tails when we went in.”

Confidence

Once they were confident with human interaction, the Bromsgrove team could start to introduce them to experiences such as having a collar put on, progressing eventually to walking on lead for the first time.

Caroline says: “The Bromsgrove team have done amazingly well at building their trust and it was wonderful for us all to see them be puppies who are happy.”

“They were so scared at first, but now they’re acing it. My heart is bursting seeing them do so well,” Caroline adds.

Once they were confident enough and back to full health - which included cherry eye surgery for Joey - we found loving families for all three youngsters. 

They are now enjoying life as much-loved pets, a joy they should have known from the very start.