Helping a skittish dog learn to trust

Sego loves the hose. And water. And walks. And pretending he’s a lapdog (a very large lapdog). In short, he loves his new home and family — but it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight.

You see, this gorgeous black-and-white pooch with the floofy tail is a discerning fellow who takes time to warm up to people. He just needed some extra patience, affection, and consistency to be his very best self, and that’s what he received at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters across the country to reach no-kill in 2025, and that means giving pets like Sego the time and support they need to be matched with loving new homes.

When Sandy and Richard Garrett visited the Sanctuary for the first time, they weren’t planning on adopting a dog. While they were drawn to Sego because of his handsome visage, they were a bit concerned about his nervous, skittish behavior. He wouldn’t stand still around new people and wasn’t always a fan of being touched.

Realizing that Sego needed a little extra time to warm up, Richard and Sandy decided to try outings with him, just walking around the Sanctuary. When that went well, they invited him over for a cozy sleepover in their hotel room.

“After the first few outings with him and then the sleepover, we saw a great improvement in his behavior already,” says Sandy. “On our second visit, we sat on the floor with him, and he came right over to us and just decompressed and fell into our lap. He even let us brush him.”

[Loving a shy dog: An adopter’s story]

Richard and Sandy volunteered a few more times, taking Sego on outings and sleepovers each time, which further deepened their bond.

“He was usually so excited to see his roommate, Destiny, when we dropped him off at the Sanctuary after a sleepover,” says Richard. “But the last time we dropped him off, he ran to the fence instead and just watched us leave.”

Richard and Sandy bumped down the dusty road out of the Sanctuary and back to their home in Arizona. But they couldn’t stop thinking about Sego (his expressive puppy-dog eyes are hard to resist) and realized they’d fallen head over heels in love with him.

Now there was only one thing left to do: bring Sego home. They journeyed back to the Sanctuary less than a month later to pick up their new fluffy family member. Sego had built up quite a fan base during his time at his home-between-homes in the Sanctuary’s Dogtown, and many of his caregivers gathered around to wish him farewell.

[Adoption update: Shy dog finds confidence in her new home]

“I’m so proud of how far he’s come in terms of learning to trust new people and letting them in to his life,” says caregiver Tom Williams. “I’m so happy to have met Richard and Sandy and to know that Sego has the home now that he so richly deserves.”

Sego now spends his days making new friends, exploring the neighborhood with Richard and Sandy, and just hosing around.

“He has a fascination with the hose and loves to bite the water,” laughs Sandy. “He even likes to bite the water from a sprinkler can. He has so much fun doing that, and it wears him out.”

He’s blossoming in his new home and living the good life every dog deserves. “When we’re sitting on the couch, he will just walk up to us and flop his head right in our lap,” says Sandy. “All dogs deserve a good home, and we’re so happy to be that home for Sego.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.