I'm ready for my new family!

Hello, I’m Winston.

I’m one of the Mission RISE dogs. When the team found me, I was hiding in the corner of a room with my buddy Milo. Milo was my protector, and honestly? I was perfectly happy letting him handle all communication with the outside world.

People? Absolutely not. New things? No thank you. Existing in the general vicinity of everyone? I’d rather not.

When we got to the shelter, Milo and I had to move into separate kennels. It was time for me to start figuring out who Winston was without always depending on Milo to make me feel safe. I was VERY committed to taking my time with that assignment. :)

For the first few weeks I was the sad guy in the back of the kennel. The guy who wouldn't eat, even when a vegetarian volunteer hand-pulled a rotisserie chicken for me!  I might sneak a little food when the building was quiet, but if people were around, I stayed pressed against the very back of my kennel looking like the saddest gentleman on Earth. I was never aggressive... I was just terrified.

The humans started doing something kind of weird.  They sat with me. Every. Single. Day. Different volunteers would climb into my kennel and just… exist with me. They talked to me. They gently pet me. They didn’t demand anything. Nobody rushed me.

And slowly—VERY slowly—I started believing them.

I sat a little closer to the kennel door. I stopped pulling away quite as much when someone touched me. I started watching instead of hiding.

But actually LEAVING my kennel? Absolutely not. For 3 weeks, if someone opened that door, I froze.

Then one day, a volunteer noticed me standing right at the front of my kennel. “Winston is at the door. Can we try taking him outside?” YES!

Well... Attempt number one was a flop. The route outside meant walking past a bunch of kennels full of dogs, and that was entirely too much happening for one Winston.

But nobody gave up. Later that day, they clipped on my leash and tried a different door—the one much closer to my kennel.

And that’s when everybody finally met me. I walked outside… AND BECAME A DIFFERENT DOG.

I ran. I smiled. I explored. I walked around like, “WHY DID NONE OF YOU MENTION THERE WAS AN OUTSIDE?!”

Outside? Outside is Winston Land. And from then on, walks became part of my routine every single day.

After about four weeks at the shelter, one of DDS's wonderful fosters brought me home so I could keep learning about normal life somewhere quieter, and I’m becoming quite the house dog now. Well... Sort of.   ...I said becoming.

I’ve learned that fluffy dog beds are excellent inventions. I’ve learned that playing with my foster dog sibling is actually pretty fun, even if it took me a little while to figure that out. And I’ve confirmed that outside remains vastly superior to inside.

Walks? YES. Sprinklers? Love them. Sitting outside quietly judging what the neighbors are doing? I could medal in it.

Coming back inside afterward? …I would like to discuss the terms.

I’m still getting used to indoor life. I don’t wander around exploring the whole house yet, and couches and human beds remain mysterious pieces of furniture whose purpose I have not fully investigated.

But maybe I’m saving some things for my forever family.

My first big house exploration. My first couch nap. Maybe even my first night deciding your bed is actually OUR bed.

I’ve already done so many brave things. Seems fair to leave a few milestones for the people who get to keep me forever, right?

Personality-wise, I’m a calm, peaceful guy. I’m not a wild, bouncing-off-the-walls kind of Dane. I’m a gentleman. I’m sweet, quiet, and happiest when life isn’t moving a million miles an hour.

I’m dog friendly, but cats are unknown. I’m not exactly a speedy, high-octane dude, but we haven’t officially tested that relationship, so no promises to the feline community.

Kids are also unknown. Because I’m still building confidence, we think a calmer home would probably suit me best. Chaos just isn’t really my thing.

What I need most is someone who understands that progress doesn’t always happen all at once. Sometimes it looks like standing two feet closer to the door. Sometimes it takes weeks. And sometimes somebody opens the right door and suddenly you’re running through the grass with the biggest smile anyone has ever seen.

I’ve already come such a long way. Now I’m ready to do the rest with my family.  (Momma Chrissy and the DDS team will be there to support my family with training as I keep learning, too!)

Because I think the very best version of Winston? We haven’t even met him yet.

Winston is part of Mission RISE and is currently looking for a foster-to-adopt home while legal proceedings continue. If the court ultimately allows these dogs to be adopted, his foster family will have the opportunity to finalize his adoption. ***DDS is not able to remove the "Apply to Adopt" button at the bottom of this page. Please use this link to apply to Foster-to-Adopt instead: Apply to Foster Me!