rescue confessions: Yuki

You all lovingly know him as yukiyoohoo on Instagram, but we call him baby boy… Yukes, Yuki san, our cutie trash dog with a Porg face. Yuki is ~2 years old and what we believe is part Shar Pei/Pittie/very concerned/awkward derp. The medical team that performed reconstructive surgery on him named him Yuki (more on this later) and we just kept it.

Late one summer night, my co-worker randomly called me up to let me know that she and her boyfriend found a pup (YUKI!) running in and out of traffic by the United Center while they were walking their own dog. They managed to chase him down and with a help of a bicyclist, grabbed him and brought him to safety. They called me up knowing that I have the know-how of what to do with a lost pup. To their surprise, the pup was severely injured with lacerations to the nose/snout, a large infected open wound to the cheek, and later to be discovered a fractured tooth. That night, we ventured out to the emergency vet to have his injuries and health status accessed. While we waited at the emergency vet, I sat there posting on Lost Dogs Illinois and texting One Tail at a Time’s founder Heather for more advice.

He had to have belonged to somebody since he was found with a collar on. When he was scanned for a microchip, there was none to be found. The poor boy was very scared, but seemingly sweet and trusted us… but neither my friend or I were able to hold him for the night. I especially didn’t think my boyfriend and I could because we had two free-roaming bunnies of our own. The emergency vet was not able to hold onto him overnight either, but they tipped us off that bringing him to the 16th Police District could be a temporary solution. Little did we know was that Lt. John Garrido of the 16th District runs a stray rescue. Through Garrido’s Stray Rescue, Yuki was able to stay off of the streets over a course of a month and get the medical attention that he needed – including reconstructive surgery to reattach his nose/lip, close off the open wound on his cheek, and extract his fractured tooth. I followed the updates on his progress very closely and never stopped thinking about this little “trash” dog with the very concerned face.

There was no way in hell would we ever NOT adopt. I volunteer at One Tail at a Time and currently handle the adoption events there. Being a part of the rescue community, I get the incredible opportunity to see so many amazing dogs go from rescue to their forever home. There isn’t anything much better than that!

My boyfriend and I kept thinking about Yuki and how much his wrinkly, very concerned face was already forever etched in our minds. Even with having two free roaming bunnies, we felt like we were capable enough owners to be able to handle introducing a pup into our home. We have always wanted to adopt a dog (because there’s no way in hell would we NOT adopt) and we felt like Yuki was meant for us and only us. To have been part of the rescue effort for Yuki was not enough until we knew he had a home and that home was ours!

So back to that door bit…. When we first adopted Yuki, we gave him a period of time to decompress and get used to us and his new home. It was very clear to us that he was a very anxious and fearful pup with severe separation anxiety. The first night home, he paced back and forth so much that I don’t think any of us slept! The first day that we had to really leave him at home by himself, we let him stay in the bedroom with the door closed. Big mistake. I came home to the bedroom door ripped up!

We are still working on Yuki’s separation anxiety and his overall confidence, but boy has he grown so much in the last 10 months! I am so thankful for the amazing dog community Chicago has to offer. From incredible training facilities that believe in positive reinforcement, to understanding doggy daycare attendants, and the best of all… the amazing Instagram community (s/o Real Dog Moms of Chicago!). I feel like an even better dog mom knowing that there are so many pet-loving people who are equally as obsessed with their fur babies as I am!

Yuki’s Turn:

Favorite toy: 

My squeaky teddy!

Most impressive trick: 

I will come & cuddle on command! Just yell out “cuddles” and I come running!

Least impressive trick: 

Broke down a door… ‘cos I’m an aspiring interior decorator.

I will do anything for:

Cheeeeeeeseee & french fries

Tennis balls or squirrels:

Depends on my mood. I’m very in tune with my feelings

My favorite place:

Sleeping in my cozy red chair or snuggled up on mom’s side of the bed after she gets up

It drives my mother the craziest when…

Nothing drives them crazy because I’m absolutely perfect and work my magic by giving them my always concerned, derp face.

Likes to dress up? (Prove it!)

No…………..?! (excuse my mawm tho. she dresses me.)

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Ummm, Yuki’s face tho… how cute is this man? Well, happy Friday and enjoy your weekend! I’m puppy sitting and taking the weekend to hang and chill. Cheers to that!

xoxo,

Christine