24-033 Fozzi is a 4-year-old male Golden mix who was found wandering in the desert . Being a stray, there was no background information on Fozzi; one thing for certain was that he was terribly frightened. He would need time to adjust to new surroundings for him to feel secure and safe. Through every step of the process, from intaking a dog to finding a forever home, AGR with its village of passionate and caring people, has provided this for Fozzi. Now in his new home, Fozzi is becoming himself! He is finding joy each day as he knows he has the unconditional love of an adoptive family. Fozzi’s story is one of triumph-over-struggle! Let the adopter be the storyteller of how Fozzi wagged his tale into their hearts! 

Wow! It has been almost a year since we first met our Fozzi Bear! Time has gone by so quickly! From what we know, Fozzi was abandoned at the Salt River and had been on his own for a while. Many people reported him and the H.A.R.T.T. Team finally was able to trap him; they connected Fozzi with Arizona Golden Rescue. Once trapped, Fozzi was transported to AW for evaluation and decompression. Fozzi had a burst eardrum, a damaged eye, was full of foxtails, and was beyond terrified of everyone and everything. When we agreed to foster Fozzi, we knew we had a long road ahead of us. Since he was so scared, we couldn’t get near him, and we worried he would get away from us even though we were being super careful. I decided that the best way to get him more comfortable with us, was to tether him to myself, 24/7! I started with three leashes so he felt a bit safer not having to be too close to me; eventually I removed a leash so he had to be closer and I could touch him. It took about four days, of constantly being tethered, before he allowed more pets, got used to the household noise and activity, and started to be less ready to flee. Notice I didn’t say he got comfortable! He wasn’t! He was just a tad less terrified. Those first few weeks were challenging, and that is when [my husband and son] and I decided that we needed to adopt Fozzi; we felt that he just wouldn’t be able to handle moving from home to home. Now, almost a year later, Fozzi is actually happier and brighter! When we got him, he didn’t play with anything, and would barely take a treat. Now he gets his pile of toys together and takes a nap on them! He loves to pounce and bounce! He is still anxious about many things, like when we open the microwave or put on the kitchen fan, but we feel that he will slowly come to understand that he is truly safe and loved. 

Are you crying tears of joy, because I know I am! Fozzi says: You gave me more than a home...you gave me your heart and unconditional love .