Mouse is an incredibly impressive dog, with a fur that makes him look like he's just come down from the Alps and two expressive wolf-like eyes, as if you've painted them with eyeliner. A dog that should have incredible self-confidence, but the opposite is the case.
He was not socialized as much as he should have been while a puppy, and now he is an adult dog that is slowly geting to know the world from the beginning.
Life with Maus for anyone who adopts him will be a constant, gentle daily routine in the early days. Mouse will go out on his walks, perhaps startle with noises he doesn't know, and avoid people he doesn't recognize. Every day he will make the same route, walk quietly and slowly, until he gets used to the smells and feels familiar with them, then he will return home, eat and sit quietly in a corner.
Over time the perimeter of the walk will increase, it will go to the neighborhood below, and to the following. Day by day and week by week something new will be added to his world, and he will take a small step every time. He will lift his tail, chew a toy, walk with more confidence, come to you for a caress.
Dogs like him don't need much, nor are they as difficult as we think. They need a family that the first thing to do is to make the dog understand that they can meet his basic needs, which are exercise, food, safety. Nothing else.
When Mouse realizes that he will have all that, and gets used to a routine, he will trust, and as soon as he trusts he will love his humans, he will wag his tail, he will wait for them at the door when they return from work, he will become a dog like all dogs, because that's what he is anyway.
He has already made huge progress in the shelter, and in a home, with a much more stable routine, and daily proper contact with people who understand and respect him, he will thrive, always in the context of his character and personality
