We first met Tina in June of 2018, when our Animal Cruelty Investigations unit brought her into our rescue center from a hoarding situation with 31 other Chihuahuas. Tina stayed hidden under her Kuranda bed and refused to come out, only darting out to eat tiny amounts of food at night when no one was looking. When staff removed the legs on her bed, she just trembled in place on the bed or made herself as small as possible in the corner of her kennel.

Tina was so terrified and distrustful of humans that we used video footage of her for a training video demonstrating dogs exhibiting extremely fearful body language.

In the past, there might not have been much hope for dogs like Tina to overcome their extreme fear of humans. Thanks to the incredible researchers and behaviorists at the ASPCA’s Behavior Rehabilitation Center in Weaverville, North Carolina, there is a proven program that can help fearful dogs learn to trust and love again. The SPCA of Texas is proud to be the ASPCA’s first partner to implement the program outside of the ASPCA.

When the Behavior Rehabilitation Program, started up at the SPCA of Texas, our Behavior team was worried Tina might be too fearful to participate. Thankfully, they decided to take a chance on this trembling, wide-eyed Chihuahua and start her on a journey of trust-building and socialization.

Tina once hated the camera. Today, she has a new-found talent for modeling!

Her first evaluation in the Behavior Rehabilitation Program didn’t go so well. Tina snapped at her handler when they tried to apply a slip lead and displayed several other serious behavior concerns. The first two months were frustrating, as Tina was only making very limited progress. But around the start of the third month in the program, Tina started to show promise. She started to trust the behavior staff enough for them to handle her for brief periods of time.

The seemingly-magical part of the Behavior Rehabilitation Program is that we get to see the dogs’ progress at different paces. We enlisted Flower, another Chihuahua from the same rescue and a fellow BRP dog, to help Tina with her trust issues. Flower’s mentorship gave Tina the breakthrough she needed. Tina began to open up, and continued to improve even after Flower graduated from the program and found her forever home.

Tina gives nose-kisses to her favorite human, Behavior Coordinator Stephanie Lewis

Six months after being rescued, Tina is a different dog. She wags her tail excitedly when she sees her favorite people, or even strangers (provided they have a piece of cheese in their hand). Tina loves the camera – the flash and click don’t bother her one bit! Tina is now herself a “helper” dog for her BRP friends who are still struggling to trust humans.

When she walked through the adoption lobby for the first time, she ran over to the plastic Christmas tree in the center of the room and began investigating the pile of toys and treats under the artificial branches (which were all clearly put there just for her). This sweet, doe-eyed Chihuahua has transformed from a terrified rescue to a confident little ball of sass! It’s clear that Tina is ready to go to a loving, forever home!

It’s hard to believe Tina is the same dog from that video. We’re so proud of her!

Tina is now available for adoption at the Russell H. Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney, Texas. If you’re interested in adopting Tina, come in for a visit or give us a call at 214-742-7722.