“Staff would hear the ball loudly bouncing off the metal walls at all hours.”
Casper arrived at Ventura County Animal Services in July as a stray. He was missing a lot of his fur and seemed so defeated. Despite having a microchip, his owner never came for him, so he was put up for adoption and began waiting for his forever family to find him.
“When he first arrived, Casper was very shy,” Jules Hooper, marketing specialist at Ventura County Animal Services, told The Dodo. “But within a few days, he started taking treats from staff and volunteers, who found that he walked well on leash and was very sweet. Our veterinary team monitored his skin closely and prescribed medicated baths, which he sits so nicely for, and slowly, his skin has been getting much better.”
Unfortunately, as sweet as Casper was, the shelter life was clearly not for him. About a week after he arrived, the staff noticed that he seemed very stressed. He was barking a lot and displaying repetitive behaviors, including chasing his ball back and forth across his kennel nonstop.
“Staff would hear the ball loudly bouncing off the metal walls at all hours,” Hooper said. “Though at first this behavior looked like a cute way for Casper to entertain himself, it became apparent as time went on that this obsession with his ball was a result of stress from being kenneled.”
It was clear that Casper needed a yard and a family to play ball with and who could help alleviate his stress — and for a brief moment in time, he found that.
Casper was temporarily placed in a foster home, and while he was there, he got to chase his ball outside with his foster family to his heart’s content. It was no longer a sign of stress; it was a sign of freedom.
“They LOVED Casper, and even had matching T-shirts made for him,” Hooper said. “Casper especially enjoyed playing basketball with his human foster siblings. He would even sometimes play ball with the large dog in his foster home.”
Unfortunately, Casper and the family’s smaller dog were not a great match, so Casper is now back at the shelter, waiting for his next chance to play ball outside with people who love him.
“Casper remains incredibly sweet with people, easy to walk and an absolute gentleman for his baths,” Hooper said. “We think a home without small animals, or possibly as the only dog, would be ideal for our friendly ghost.”
Casper will be the best family member and ball player for a very lucky family, and hopefully he won’t have to wait much longer to find them.