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continued from p.1 But before long, it was clear, Ray had adopted Colin. "I had him off-leash in the pen and I was just squatting on the ground watching him and he came over to me and bashed me with his nose," he said. "That didn't mean anything to me and so I asked the staff what that means in doggy language and they said `Oh that's so sweet. He wants you to be his friend.' So that was it. He picked us." Before the adoption, the Chappells were warned that Ray appeared to have a troubled past. Humane society officers had discovered Ray running loose in the area of Upper Middle Road and Ninth Line. Colin said staff at the humane society suspected the canine had been abused as he reacted with fear towards most people. "We had an incident where my wife picked up a stick to throw it for him and he just panicked," said Colin. "We think someone used to hit him with something." Upon Ray's arrival at his new home, Colin and Carol soon learned their dog appeared to have very little experience being in a house as he seemed uncertain how to climb stairs and paced frantically back and forth as the family sat down to dinner. Colin said there has been a lot for their pet to learn, but he has been catching on. Ray, as it turns out, is highly motivated by food and eager to please, making most training a breeze. Do you know how your Pet owners seek consideration from others solved simply by crossing the street so that Ray has lots of space, however, offleash dogs that charge up to make friends with him do not give Ray that option. "A dog's perspective on the world is highly driven by smell, and impacted by body language. If for any reason one or the other makes a dog uncomfortable and/or unsure, it has two options generally known as `fight' or `flight.' This is fine for an off-leash dog, however, a dog that is leashed does not have the `flight' option and knows it. It should not be a surprise, therefore, to understand if our dog (leashed) meets your dog (off-leash), our dog could become very aggressive. This is not fair to either dog, " said Colin. "When there is a dog coming towards us off-leash, we try to get Ray out of the way as fast as we can because we don't want a confrontation between the two dogs." While Ray wears a muzzle when on walks and cannot injure another dog, Colin worries about the impact the stress has on his canine. Colin said Ray has been on anti-anxiety medication since he arrived at the shelter. Additionally, he is being treated for heartworm that requires his heart rate be kept low. Colin also pointed out that while a dog may be friendly a person who has had a bad experience with dogs may be greatly disturbed to see an off-leash dog running toward them. For these reasons, and because it's the law, Colin hopes to remind residents that while they enjoy their dogs to the fullest, they be considerate of other dogs and people who may have gone through some traumatic experiences and do not wish to play. 19 | Thursday, October 10, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Ray doing some homework before he begins volunteer work as a demo dog at the Oakville & Milton Humane Society. | photo by Colin Chappell -- special to the Beaver Super HALTON LEARNING FOUNDATION Colin said Ray's face is much more expressive these days and he plays, something he did not do when they first met him at the humane society. In fact, Ray has even put in an appearance as a demo dog during an obedience training session at the OMHS. Despite his progress, the canine still is anxious when going for walks, especially when approached by children or other dogs. 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