Faces of No-Kill: A dog’s security blanket

There’s nothing cozier than snuggling up in the recliner with a fluffy blanket on a chilly morning — or at least that’s Mai Tai’s idea of a great start to the day. The big, white, blocky-headed pup simply cannot say no to the offer of a blanket and a snuggle session with his favorite people. But it took some time for him to become the snuggle bug under the great blanket hoard.

Mai Tai came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, from a shelter. He was unsure of his new surroundings and wary of new people, especially if they came into his space. So the team put together a plan to help him become more comfortable and make friends.

Bridgette Tamburello, supervisor at the Sanctuary’s Dogtown (where the dogs stay), was pulled in initially by Mai Tai’s “resting sad face” as she calls his perpetual pout. She and Mai Tai worked together to bring out his social side.

[The lovebug pup with a legendary pout]

It didn’t take long to figure out that one key to Mai Tai’s heart is taking a ride around the Sanctuary on a golf cart. He also can’t resist someone tossing a few treats his way. His absolute weakness though? Baby talk. One volunteer discovered this when she spoke to him using a cartoony voice, and his tail couldn’t have wagged any faster. Now, anytime someone’s voice rises a few octaves, he can’t resist soliciting kisses and showing off that full body wag.

It turns out Mai Tai is a slow-burn friendship kind of dog, needing time and patience to build love and trust. And once he decides you’re besties, he’s ready to share his blankets and snuggle.

Mai Tai didn’t always have his hoard of blankets. “He couldn’t have anything soft because he had a history of ingesting them,” Bridgette says. But they decided to try giving him a blanket under careful supervision.

Bridgette watched, waiting to make sure he wouldn’t try chewing the blanket. Instead, he did just the opposite, treating the blanket with the utmost care. “He carried it everywhere, even taking it outside to lie on while sunning himself,” Bridgette says.

But Mai Tai couldn’t leave his new blanket outside, so he brought it back inside, settling it onto his favorite nap spot — his world becoming that much more comfortable.

With patience, consistency, and more than a few blankets, Mai Tai’s world — and his circle of friends — continued to grow. Golf cart rides became excuses for snuggles and a way to ask for kisses. Each positive interaction with a person built on the last, and Mai Tai was able to settle into himself, showing who he truly is.

He continues to wrap caregivers around his paws. After a recent visit to the vet, Bridgette says Mai Tai was “extra pouty.” “He would snuggle up with me and refuse to eat unless I hand-fed him,” she says. But after those snuggles, he was ready to hop back on the golf cart for a ride.

[Helping an anxious dog is all fun and games]

After a morning of golf cart rides or an afternoon sunning himself, Mai Tai can be found arranging his blankets just so, especially all the extras Bridgette can’t help but save just for him. He curls up, safe and warm. For a dog who was once so wary of his surroundings and needed space above all else, the quiet, cozy moments say everything about how far he’s come.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.