Maui

I adopted Maui after he was sent over from Hawaii to a training kennel specializing in behavior modification and aggression rehab, where I worked as a trainer/kennel supervisor. He was 9 months old when he arrived and was in a shelter in Hawaii, where he was deemed “aggressive” by the staff because he would growl when they entered his kennel and would’ve been euthanized if he was not selected to be sent to the training facility where I was working in Rhode Island. When Maui arrived, he was nothing more than a sweet, submissive, back of the pack, nervous and unsocialized puppy. There is not an aggressive bone in his body and yes, he absolutely did growl if someone entered his kennel or approached him in a way that was uncomfortable for him. But that’s the only reason he would ever growl and trust me, there was never anything behind his growls. He has never even attempted to bite anyone and I’ve had him for 8 years now. His growling was just due to the human inability to understand how to interact with him properly. Patience was key with him and to this very day he is still my nervous guy, but I have been able to train him that instead of growling, he can simply move away from the situation that’s making him feel uncomfortable when possible and that alone has made him so much more confident! It breaks my heart to this day to know that due to lack of human knowledge, my dog could’ve actually ended up being euthanized, and I wouldn’t have ever had the opportunity to have such a sweet loving companion in my life. He has brought me so much happiness and I’m grateful I was given the opportunity to adopt him and give him a better life.