In April 2020, Smokey was pulled by another rescue, saving him from likely euthanasia at a large municipal shelter in North Texas. Unfortunately, Smokey bit one of the rescue's kennel staff. We don't know the circumstances, but with a bite history, most rescues won't place a dog up for adoption, so the rescue scheduled him for euthanasia. A volunteer for that rescue advocated for him, asked if we would consider testing him as an LGD. So we did, and in October of 2020. he moved to Windsong Ranch. Smokey gets along just fine with our livestock and he's generally good with other dogs.

Though Smokey behaves well here at Windsong, he does NOT behave as well when he goes to the vet. So each appointment involves a mild sedation and a muzzle. But who among us isn't a bit crabby at times? It didn't seem fair for Smokey to get the death penalty simply because he is grumpy under stress. We manage him so that he poses no threat to others, and he has never posed a threat to us. We understand that he COULD bite again, but we also know that many people simply don't handle dogs properly and don't read their signals well. Many times, the human is at least as much at fault in a dog bite case as the dog is. So we try to be smart (as well as kind) in our interactions with Smokey.

Taking care of dogs like Smokey is a labor of love, and of course it's expensive. If you would like to sponsor Smokey to help cover the costs of his care, please click on the link "Sponsor This Pet" and follow the instructions.