10/22/2026
BANDIT UPDATE: LOOK WHO IS ACCEPTING PETS!
For those of you who have been following Bandit’s journey, you know just how big of a deal these pictures are!
When Bandit first arrived at River Run Dog Training, it took two people, two leashes, and a fake hand just to safely get a leash on him. He was extremely defensive, growling, lunging, and attempting to bite whenever someone entered his personal space.
And today? Bandit is allowing physical affection!
Something as simple as petting a dog might not seem like much to most people. But for a dog like Bandit, who has spent so much time viewing human interaction as a threat, this is a significant milestone.
We’ve spent the last several days allowing Bandit to observe his surroundings, respecting his boundaries, and gradually building positive associations with human interaction.
We haven’t forced affection. We haven’t punished his growling. And we certainly haven’t expected him to trust us overnight.
Instead, we’ve allowed him to learn that people can be predictable and that every interaction doesn’t have to turn into a confrontation.
Accepting touch doesn’t automatically mean he’s comfortable with every interaction, and we still have a significant amount of work ahead of us. We’ll continue watching his body language carefully and allowing him to progress at his own pace.
But compare these pictures to where we started.
From needing a fake hand just to get a leash on him to allowing someone to pet his back. That’s progress worth celebrating!
Bandit is beginning to show us that change is possible.
