SPCA · going home with you
Rowan
Mastiff · A-1001
“Ninety pounds, thinks he's a lap dog.”
I'm Rowan. I take a little while to warm up, but once I decide you're fine, I'm all in. Ask Marcus, I sat on his whole lap.
Everything in here came from someone who spent time with her — her vet, her fosters, the volunteers who walked her. Nothing has been invented to fill a gap. Where we did not know something, we left it out.
Page two
Her first night with you
If you read nothing else in this folder, read this page.
The door buzzer flattens me to the floor and I need someone to sit with me until I'm okay again.Settling in — in her own words, from what her fosters wrote down.
I like to sit on laps like I'm not ninety pounds.Comfort and quirks — in her own words, from what her fosters wrote down.
I won't take a kong straight from your hand, but I'll eat it the second you put it down and back off.Food — in her own words, from what her fosters wrote down.
I'm slow to warm up to new people.People — in her own words, from what her fosters wrote down.
Please don't
×Don't come in loud on the buzzer, it flattens him to the floor and he won't get up until someone sits with him.
×Don't hand him food directly, he won't take it from your hand but eats it once you put it down and step back.
×Don't clap or make sudden loud noise near the stairs, it scared him and he ran back up.
She has just lost every routine she had. Most of what looks like a behaviour problem in week one is a dog who does not yet know what happens next. Give her a week of the same thing happening at the same time before you decide who she is.
Page three
What she needs from you
Printed exactly as her medical record holds it. Never reworded, never in her voice.
Nothing outstanding. No medication, restrictions or holds open on the day this was printed.
And the rest of her
In her own words, from what people wrote down.
Settling in
•The door buzzer flattens me to the floor and I need someone to sit with me until I'm okay again.
•I slept against the bedroom door all night when I couldn't hear anyone.
Food
•I won't take a kong straight from your hand, but I'll eat it the second you put it down and back off.
People
•I'm slow to warm up to new people.
•I do best in a quiet home with adults or older kids.
•I'm enormous and I think I'm small, I'll try to sit on your lap, all of me.
Other animals
•I showed no reactivity to other dogs through the fence.
Walks and energy
•I pull a little at the start of a walk but settle once I know where we're going.
•I wait at every curb without being asked, someone taught me well before you.
Comfort and quirks
•I like to sit on laps like I'm not ninety pounds.
Still working on
•I'm scared of the stairs, I used to need carrying, but I did them myself one night.
Page four
The people who knew her first
Real people, and they would rather hear from you early than late.
Dana WhitfieldVolunteer“The door buzzer sets him off every time. Flattens to the floor and won't get up until someone sits with him. Not aggressive, just done.”
Tomas IglesiasVolunteer“walked him around the block twice he pulls at the start then settles. good on leash once he knows where were going”
Nadia FournierVolunteer“He waits at every curb without being asked. Someone taught him that before us.”
Priya RaghavanVolunteer“Would not take the kong from my hand but ate it the second I put it down and stepped back. Takes food gently once he decides you're fine.”
Jordan ReyesStaff“Slow to warm, no reactivity to other dogs through the fence. Recommend a quiet home, adults or older kids.”
Wallace TrentFoster“Weekend cover while Marcus was away. Slept against the bedroom door all night. Did not settle until he could hear someone.”
I'm not fast to trust, but I get there, and once I do I'm your dog, lap and all. Give me a quiet start, a little patience on the stairs, and I'll meet you the rest of the way.
Printed 22 August 2026 from 9 notes left by fosters, volunteers and staff, and 4 records from her medical file. The two systems share no identifier, so records were matched on name and date; anything we could not match confidently was left out rather than guessed. If something in here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it — her record is supposed to outlive our guesses.