Caliber, one of ARTBAR’s permanent residents, has passed away. Caliber came here as an adult in the summer of 2014 (I believe) from the Logan County Dog Pound while I was with another rescue.

He rode home shot gun from the pound with me happy and untethered. However not long after being here, Caliber who was easily 90+ lbs, began having aggression issues with me and other dogs.

Wes became Calibers regular handler and they did well together. Vet trips were scary as he was extremely aggressive during those.

Generally though Caliber just couldn’t be trusted. Sometimes he was great. Sometimes he happily would have eaten my hand.

Dogs like Caliber cannot be placed. They cannot be rehomed. They cannot he sent to rescue. We considered training; however, there were no qualified trainers who could show me proof that their methods changed the dog. We committed to Caliber though and he was ours to see through to the end and that’s what we did.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel some sort of relief. He is free of his own mind. I could not safely give Caliber the life he deserved with a family of his own, but he was never hungry, never cold, and enjoyed the company of Wes. He had blankets and beds and toys if he chose to play with them, but he didn’t.

He was a very handsome dog (English Lab sort of looks), with a very shady look in his eye LOL. He enjoyed walks, attention from Wes, and he was ok with me speaking to him. Sometimes I would pet him through his run.

He had a very large space to call his own but seemed to enjoy being in our other runs at times which are smaller. I think he felt more secure there. He passed in his sleep without illness.

Rest in peace, Caliper. Run free and be happier than you ever were in this life.