My name is Phoenix!

Hi, I'm Phoenix! I spent over 2 years of my young life wandering, trying hard to find my next meal and staying away from people, other dogs, coyotes and cars. I'm a real-life Frogger character. I've never relied on anyone other than myself. I'm a true survivor. One day, someone put a cage in the forest. There was really good food inside of it. Over the next 4.5 months, I had snacks like McDonalds, Popeyes, femur bones and stew almost every day. It was really good! One time the cage made a noise so I very quickly escaped before it could lock me in. After a few more close calls, I was finally caught with nowhere to escape to. I ended up at this place called Border Tails Rescue. The food was pretty good, and I was always warm and had a dry bed. It was nice not to be out in the freezing cold anymore. At the same time, I found myself with things that I had always tried to avoid, like people. I was stressed and scared - even worse the people that caught me kept coming to bother (visit) me. I would shake and my tail was between my legs. I'll be honest - I was very scared. As time went on and as people called my name, I began to open up. I realized that people are nice and I shouldn't be afraid of them. Then one day, the guy that got me into this whole mess showed up with his family and 2 other dogs. We all went for a walk, and there was *a lot* of butt sniffing. Things were good. I hopped in their car and off we went. I was a very good boy in the car and didn't make a peep. We ended up at this place they called a house. The other 2 dogs went somewhere else while I ran up the stairs and went into a closet i found. It was dark, quiet and definitely safe. I stayed in there for a bit as I tried to figure out what was happening and where I was at. Mom brought up a plate of fresh chicken just for me and wow was it good! Pretty quickly, I felt safe enough to leave the closet and I jumped on this thing called a bed. Oh my goodness, it was exquisite! It's soft, has blankets and this guy I now call dad was waiting for me. He talked to me quietly and gave me nice pets. I liked the pets so much, I decided I wanted my tummy rubbed. I love tummy rubs! I've now been with my foster family for 2 weeks. My mom says I'm 100% very good boy. Here's a little bit more about me: I've had one accident in the house. Just one! Not a big deal.
When I go for potty breaks, I potty right away! I let everyone know when I'm done because I head right back to the house. I'm not crated when everyone leaves and I leave everything just the way they left it.
I love it when people give me attention. I wag my tail thing a lot, but I prefer people to be calm and gentle when they approach because I still scare easily.
When I get scared, I go into the closet. It's my safe space, but rarely ever go in there now because I'm getting so brave. I sing when my dad gets home. He's a pretty ok guy and I really love my mom. I give really good greetings and am learning some commands.
I'm a low energy dog. I prefer to spend my time on the couch or the bed, but mom and dad say I'm still decompressing, so stay tuned! My hooman brother and sister are teenagers and I like them and they like me! I have a fur brother named Moon Man and we spend some time together. He's a very playful and spunky little boy and I'm learning this play thing but so far its going really well. I also have a fur sister named Emma. Emma says she's the queen of the house and mom and dad are keeping us apart for now until she is more comfortable with me being in the house. I promise - it's her, not me. She's not a queen - she's a monster (don't tell her I said that)! I'm continuing to learn more about myself and my foster family and they are learning more about me. I have never showed aggression. I just want to be loved and cared for. In return, I will give you my undivided attention, love and watch your every move with my beautiful brown eyes. So whattaya say? Want to be besties? Hope to hear from you soon! Love, Phoenix