Shelter dog who's only lived outside is scared of floors — so he gets a cart
Doug arrived at Tri-County Humane Society in St. Cloud, Minnesota, after his family was no longer able to care for him. Doug was very loved and worked on his family’s farm. He spent all his time outside, so when he ended up indoors at the shelter, the poor pup was very confused.
Doug had never walked on a surface that wasn’t dirt or grass, and when he first discovered floors, he wasn’t a fan.
“Inside life was completely new to Doug, so when he came to our shelter, he did have to be carried in the building,” a representative from Tri-County Humane Society told The Dodo. “For him, the floors very well could have been lava — he didn’t know it was safe to walk on them or know what a leash was or anything really.”
At 85 pounds, Doug was not easy to carry around, but the staff had a feeling getting over his fear of floors might take a little time. Instead, they got creative and started wheeling Doug around in a cart.
“The cart was for post-op canine patients, but it worked just fine to get Doug from here to there,” the representative said.
Wheeling such a huge, fluffy dog around in a cart like that was quite the sight to see. The shelter posted about Doug and his floor phobia on social media, and before long, Doug’s forever family found him.
Doug’s new family also has a farm, so now he’s back in his element. He’s loving every minute of his new life, and his family already can’t imagine their days without him.
“His new humans say Doug is ‘Forever Employee of the Month,’” the representative said.
Doug has even learned to walk on real floors — a skill that the shelter absolutely takes credit for.
“I’m happy to report that Doug DID walk to and from his kennel during his last days here — he apparently was starting to learn that floors are not THAT scary,” the representative said.
