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Wilbur was a friendly young dog who was found wandering around Surrey before being picked up by animal control officers and brought to the BC SPCA Surrey Branch in October 2011. He was an interesting dog when it came to both looks and behaviour.
Wilbur was such a friendly guy with dogs large and small, he knew several tricks already, and was always very active. It seemed a shame nobody came looking for him, but with no identification Surrey staff was unable to locate his previous home.
Soon Wilbur was brought to the BC SPCA Burnaby Branch with hopes there would be someone there that would happily welcome Wilbur into their home. He was neutered and tattooed shortly after arriving at the Burnaby location; this way if he ever found himself lost again he could be reunited with his family.
Staff had learned a lot about him already even though he had only been at the shelter for a couple weeks; he would require a home that would be willing to supply a fair amount of exercise for him daily.
 Wilbur was featured as a Pet on the Net for Burnaby and not too long after he found the home he was waiting for. We have received a great letter and some pictures from Wilbur’s new family letting us know how everyone is settling in.
Wilbur was found as a stray in Surrey on October 14th, 2011. He stayed in the Surrey shelter for some time and was then moved to the Burnaby shelter.
Not knowing his history, we had to be very cautious about introducing him to new situations to make sure that he didn't feel pressured or stressed. He knew some tricks (high-five, paw, lay down), so we figured he must have had caring owners at some point.
 He had some treat-aggression issues and was quite timid around other people and dogs, but those issues have subsided since he's settled in. He is still somewhat afraid of men in hats for whatever reason.
Wilbur has really come out of his shell and is usually the initiator of PLAY when we go to an off-leash area or dog park. He is always using his nose and loves to chase birds and squirrels. Since he is so tall it's fun to watch him bound through tall grasses and over logs. He looks like a graceful show-dog when he jumps.
Everyone that meets Wilbur comments on how handsome and well-natured he is. He's on a raw food diet of meat, vegetables, oatmeal and bran which makes his coat very shiny. We've learned that his favourite snacks are ice cubes, cucumbers, carrots and broccoli stalks. He's much better at eating healthy then his owners are. :)
 When we go off-leash on trails and in parks with Wilbur, he is very good at staying within 30 feet of us. Wilbur is also very patient when being groomed and when he's at the vet. He is still a little cautious of the water at the beach, but we'll probably get him swimming this summer.
Wilbur has really given us a sense of responsibility and purpose and has been such a happy addition to the family. Whether we leave the house for 2 hours or for 5 minutes... he always gives us the same excited greeting to let us know that he's happy and that we are doing a good job.
Wilbur’s new life really sounds fantastic; good food, lots of friends to play with, a family that loves him; he’s really living the high life now! Thank you so much to his gracious new family for making adoption your first option.
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