Casita had the great pleasure of working with the Brown family of Citrus County again. Back in 2012, we helped to place Scout (a 3 time shelter dog) with Maryellen & Ken Brown with great success thanks to the perseverance of this wonderful couple. Last week, the Brown's son and daughter-in-law reached out to us in distress at the prospect of behavior issues they were experiencing with one of their two dogs, Layla. The couple is expecting their 2nd child and felt uneasy about the situation with Layla. Once again, the Brown family demonstrated their commitment and loyalty to their beloved pets and after a day of Rafael working with the whole family (all dogs included) - everyone has an understanding and appreciation for what it will take to keep the family happy and together.


Here is a message we just received from Amy Brown:

I honestly cannot begin to express my gratitude for Rafael and Casita Big Dog Rescue. With a new baby on the way and an aggressive dog, unfortunately my family was at the point of looking into rehoming our Belgian Malanois-mix, Layla. The constant barking, jumping, scratching and most importantly fear and aggression toward anyone who entered our home was becoming unbearable. We called Rafael, really to see if he had advice on finding her a new home. He asked if we had time to meet and he came to the rescue the next day. Her reaction to him walking in made me think, “This is it, she’s got to go…”. The two of them went on a walk, and I swear when she came back she was already on her way to becoming a different dog. Rafael spent the next six hours with us teaching us how to be better parents. We know we have a commitment ahead of us to maintain Layla’s new level of awesomeness, but now we have the tools to ensure that we are all getting what we’ve always needed. In less than a week, Layla now sits and stays before entering a door, walks like an angel on her leash, leaves my son’s food alone even when it is being shoved in her face, leaves other animals alone while we’re walking, and most importantly is a much happier, more confident dog. I know it sounds silly, but Rafael honestly changed our lives. The stress of a dog that we loved, but that we knew wasn’t working was overwhelming. Our daily walks are now some of the highlights of our day, whether we do them alone (love that quiet bonding time!) or as a family (love that loud bonding time!). We are really enjoying working together to accomplish this goal, and being able to walk into our home without being pounced on. Thank you so much Rafael, you really are a life changer, and Layla is pretty appreciative too!

Casita would like to thank the Browns for giving us the opportunity to work with them and get to know their amazing family. Its an honor to help people who show such commitment to family - which include the precious creatures they adopt. We will always be there for you!

Here is a picture of Maryellen & Ken - at Scout's favorite watering hole ;)

"Bruno the Old English Mastiff came close to never leaving the animal shelter, when staff and volunteers became leery of his behavior. Thanks to the efforts of Rafael and his friend Animal Control Office Terry Funderburk, they were able to make a true assessment of his temperament and place him in the capable hands of Jan Stephenson of Mastiff Rescue of Florida, Inc. Jan went straight to her veterinarian after leaving the shelter...alas Bruno needed TWO teeth pulled. This could certainly explain some of his behavior concerns when in his kennel. Thank you to Susan Warner, Lieutenant Lora Pecham & ACO Terry Funderburk of Citrus County Sheriff's Office for advocating for this great dog."

Casita Big Dog Rescue's, Leader of the Pack, Rafael Cabrera provides Bully Sticks to his dogs as a healthy and satisfying chew treat. Great for their teeth and to satisfy their need to chew!

Rafael Cabrera and his rescued American Bulldog, Big Lug, thank their sponsor ValuePetSupplies.com for helping them to save dogs from their local shelter. Every day perfectly good dogs are destroyed - Rafael knows because that used to be part of his job as a public shelter technician.