Who is Brady?

In January of 2020, I found myself at The Lawrence Humane Society looking for a new friend. One face stood out. A 3 year old black and tan coonhound who had a look of sadness that comes with being returned to the Humane Society. As we sat in the visiting room, I learned that Brady had been returned twice. One family tried to have him in an apartment and if you know anything about hounds, then you know that barking would be loud and often. Another young family tried to adopt Brady, but the two young children were a bit too unpredictable for Brady. So he made his way back. Brady was showing signs of stress. He had lost weight. I brought my family to meet him and we brought him home during a snow storm.

At our first vet visit, it was determined that at some point in his life, both of Brady’s back legs were broken. There is no way to know what caused the breaks. One leg developed a lot of scar tissue, making it bigger than the other leg. When Brady sits, one leg kind of sticks out. We call it his kickstand 😊. So on top of shelter stress, we learned Brady had a background that involved physical pain.

They say it takes shelter pets 3 days to realize that they’re not in the shelter, 3 weeks to learn their new routine and 3 months to feel a part of the family. It took Brady much longer. To put it kindly, Brady is pretty overwhelmed by his senses. He is an on demand barker. He loves to tree squirrels and chase things that move. He is fence reactive and leash reactive. When Brady locks on to something, he is very difficult to redirect. But he is so smart. We went through 3 different types of trainers and the biggest lesson I learned is the power of a high value treat.

Brady and I have found our way and he has become a beloved member of our family. Roasted chicken was my first go to for a high value treat. I carried chicken on walks, to the vet and in any other situation where I would need Brady’s attention. After recently dealing with some personal medical issues that kept me resting for several months, I began looking at various recipes for dog treats. I found a recipe and tweaked it. Brady literally drools over these (he’s the only dog I have had who has his own set of towels). I shared the treats with friends and neighbors and their dogs (and even a cat!) loved them. Even the pickiest of pets have gobbled them up. Now that I’m back on my feet, I thought it would be fun to share our success with you!

Brady may never be the best trained dog, but he knows he’s loved and will come when called as long as a Brady ‘Bite’ is there!