To call it a rescue doesn’t begin to do it justice. To say they saved his life seems woefully inadequate. What Talbot Humane’s volunteers, caretakers and Keno’s adoptive family did was save that dog’s soul.

Keno was surrendered to Talbot Humane on Dec. 22, 2010, a terrified, unsocialized, one-year-old brindle Pit Bull. He spent his first year as a puppy in an outside kennel with little attention from his owners, which left him fearful of people and just about everything else.  When he arrived at Talbot Humane, he cowered in a corner of his kennel and shook with fear. He soon learned that if he barked at people who walked by his kennel, they would go away.  This is how Keno saw the world.

It wasn’t long before Keno developed severe kennel stress, according to Dayniese Hurley, Talbot Humane’s Animal Care Supervisor. In his kennel, he was aggressive to anyone who tried to work with him, making it impossible for Hurley to place him in the shelter’s adoption program.  “I knew we needed a change,” said Hurley. “We met with the dog walkers to try to figure out how we could help Keno.”

Hurley called in a professional dog trainer, who determined that Keno probably would never be an adoptable dog. But the pack of volunteer dog walkers at Talbot Humane wouldn’t take that for an answer.  Susan Kanicki and Kay Klein, veteran dog walkers and trainers at the shelter, are two of the volunteers who really fought for Keno.  “We put our hearts and souls into him,” Susan said.

“Those of us who were there knew that Keno was not so tough,” she recalled. “He was just a very, very fearful dog. But also very smart and sensitive.” Kanicki and other committed volunteers worked together to develop a plan for Keno. Progress was slow. Keno was very cautious, but gradually the volunteers earned his trust, and those who  came to work with him on a very regular earned his loyalty.

 “We challenged him most every day,” said Susan. For months, volunteers came consistently and took Keno for long walks, until he felt confident and well-supported by his walkers. He learned not to be so fearful of loud noises and new people.  One day they decided to put him in a car. “I got on one side and pulled and Kay got on the other side and pushed until we got him in the back seat,” Susan said. “He just sat there and drooled all over me.”

Sometimes Kay would take Keno off-site for a car ride or a visit to her house so he could have some quiet time away from the shelter. Susan cooked chicken for Keno regularly and used it to train the dog to walk by people he didn’t know without fear. “The day I knew he was saved,” said Susan, “was the day I saw he was no longer fearful, but curious about the world around him.”

Eventually, Hurley felt like Keno had progressed enough to be placed in the adoption program. “He was one of the lucky ones who got the time and attention he needed. Keno owes his life to the dog walkers,” Hurley said. “They worked really hard on him.”

Once Keno was up for adoption, it was still months before he found a home. He was still a challenging dog, and very fearful of men. Kay, Susan and other volunteers kept their fingers crossed that someday someone would walk into the shelter and see what they saw in Keno—a beautiful, magnificent, smart dog.

Then, one day in August, in walked Monica Gault. Keno’s life was about to take the best turn ever.

Monica came to Talbot Humane looking for a dog. “I passed his cage by a couple of times because it said Pit Bull, and you know, you hear the horror stories,” explained Monica. “But the third time I walked by he brought me a toy, and that really got me.” Monica visited Keno frequently for a week, to take him for walks and get acquainted. He was never fearful of her. They had a strong connection from the start.

Kay and Susan were cautiously hopeful that Monica would adopt Keno. Kay drove Keno to Monica’s house for a visit, and the two volunteers shared everything they knew about Keno. They wanted to make sure Monica understood Keno’s history and knew how to help him. It wasn’t long before Monica knew that Keno was her dog.

Following his adoption from Talbot Humane, Keno went to basic obedience training, was housetrained quickly, and doesn’t chew on anything.  “Little by little, he has come out of his shell,” said Monica. “The more comfortable I get with Keno, you can really see a metamorphosis.”

Today, Kay and Susan still visit Keno, and he is excited to see them. He walks confidently with Monica through Easton’s downtown area, without being fearful of men. And Keno stares adoringly at Monica as they snuggle up together on the sofa in his new home. “He’s just all mine!” Monica said.  “A smart, lovable, playful dog.”

And a lucky dog.

Guest writer Susan Langfitt is Talbot Humane’s Volunteer & Community Events Coordinator