‘They said she was the perfect couch potato—but they lied’: Couple disappointed after NYC rescue conceals dog’s severe anxiety, prey drive, and behavioral red flags, leaving them torn between training and returning her

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 4, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Dog shelters take on a lot of responsibility. Whether it is in-taking doggos and making sure they do not have diseases or behavioral issues that could impact their resident population. Or it is the care they must take to make sure that each and every doggo gets the best chance of being adopted. Or it is correctly informing potential adopting pawrents about the canine cuties that they want to adopt.

The onus is on the shelter to do the work. And while they usually seem to do what they need to, there are times when it all falls through the cracks. And that is what happened to the poor couple protagonists of this story, who were sold a lie that their newly adopted American Bully was nothing like her namesake and much closer in character to a couch potato. Leading to quite the internal conflict for the couple who could not decide whether they would be able to handle training or would have to return the unruly canine.
 

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  • 01
    Sorry, this is going to be long post. My fiancé (M28) and myself (F28) recently adopted a sweet girl from a well known rescue in NYC. I believe she is an American bully mix and the profile that the rescue had for her was perfect for both of us.
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 02
    She was described as a couch potato with low energy. Also she listed as great around children and small animals which is perfect because I let the adoption agency know way in advance I have 4 cocktails; I needed to be matched with a dog that
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 03
    had a relatively low prey drive. Before we were able to have the meeting with her, she had a surgery due to a respiratory issue that she has and I believe she was also spayed at the same time; they suggested that we wait until she is healed
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 04
    and off medication until we meet her. But not too long after, they reached out to us to meet with her which I found odd because she had barely been out of surgery for a week. Fast forward to the meeting, she was a wonderful dog and very
    via ChicknNuggles

  • Well, this all sounds rather dreamy. No less to be told that you are about to meet an American Bully who is soft natured, great around kids and will not try to monch on the birds you have taken loving care of for however many years. Shame it has to get ruined…

  • 05
    sweet. We decided to take her in, she had to be taken with us on the same day. We were given her medication from the surgery to give her as well as sedatives which they claimed would "help" with her decompression period. She was great for
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 06
    the first 4 days we had her, we left her gated off in out living room because she loves being on our couch. We did not feel comfortable crating her because she has severe crate anxiety. But on the 5th day, she chewed on wires and
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 07
    dog braking aggressively in a field
    via The Len via Adobe Stock

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 08
    everything she could get access to. We were surprised because she had done so well for the first part of the week. I decided to buy a large crate and a fence so she has access to walk in and out of the crate so she didn't feel 100% confined.
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 09
    She would not stop barking for hours straight, even if she knows that we are home. She barked so much she threw up and it's concerning because we were never told that she has such severe separation anxiety. On
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 10
    top of that, she has went into prey mode when I tried to introduce my cockatiels to her. She also has developed new behaviors such as barking at children walking past our apartment door and other dogs; she will stand
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 11
    at the door stiff and continue to bark until we physically move her. One other thing is that she bit (not super hard) my fiancé and I, but I am not sure if she meant to in the instances she did. One other thing that I forgot to mention is that she was
    via ChicknNuggles

  • Woah, woah, woah, hold up a second before you go adding yet another thing to this list of behaviors that do not line up with the description you were given even a little bit. What is this unhinged lunacy? How on earth were these people at the rescue so willing to lie about something that they knew would come to light almost instantly…

  • 12
    level 3 on their behavior scale which is a step below the worst level. This was mentioned as we were signing her adoption paperwork and after we paid for her, I tried to press for more information about it and they claimed it was
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 13
    because of the condition she was found in. I decided to do digging and I managed to get information from ACC about her. They told me that she was rated a level 4 on their behavioral scale and she was NOT to be around small children,
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 14
    small animals and needs adult supervision at all times. I also described the behaviors that we are currently experiencing with her and it matched up 100% to the information they gave us. I am distraught because I feel like the adoption
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 15
    agency lied to us because she is not anything like what they described. I do not know if she will ever get along with my birds or will ever become dangerous with children. She is a sweet dog and she is okay when me and my fiancé are both home.
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 16
    but it is impossible because we both work. We are very torn on what to do because she is not what was advertised and someone lied to us during the process. We love her so much and she's not a bad dog, but we have extreme
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 17
    concerns. We are currently in the process of speaking to her foster mom and she suggests that we return her. I'm torn because I want to keep her but the adoption agency lied to us but at the same time there are so many cons
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 18
    that come along with keeping her. We are willing to invest and get her training but we were told that it may not work. We are conflicted and have no idea what to do)
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 19
    7Dragoncats I would follow the advice of the foster parent. This dog was not and does not match your lifestyle, and the adoption agency screwed up big time. They
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 20
    deliberately misled you to get you to adopt her and take her home because they hoped for this exact scenario - for you to get attached. There's absolutely a reason they sent her home with sedatives
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 21
    Dog running and snarling through a field
    via Great Brut Here via Adobe Stock

    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 22
    and didn't mention the behaviour issues before you paid. That's sketchy as h I. I'd personally raise hell at the adoption agency and leave some strongly
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 23
    worded reviews about exactly how dangerous and unprofessional this is. If they're lying about her issues, who knows who else has gotten sent home with a "misunderstood"
    via ChicknNuggles
  • 24
    reactive dog? She b: both you and your fiance?!? A warning be sure, but what about when you have to pull her back from chasing a squirrel? Will it still be a warning be? A be is a be.
    via ChicknNuggles

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Tags

disappointed behavior dogs nyc dog training lies perfect prey torn red flag couch potato return anxiety couple rescue
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