*Due to rescuer being very ill, all her dogs are in desperate need!!!   Rigby is a large male (100lb) mastiff chow mix. Get your tissues ready for this one. “Riggs” was rescued from animal control and his history is unfortunately unknown due to uncooperative staff members at that specific animal control facility. But not to worry! We sure do know a lot about this big handsome boy! Rigby is one of the most intelligent dogs we’ve ever encountered. He deeply enjoys sharpening his “sit, shake, up, and lay down” skills! Rigs has never been introduced to other dogs due to his massive size and a lack of confidence that if something did happen, it would be very difficult to break up that dog altercation. Unfortunately, this means that Riggs can only go to homes with no other dogs. Rigby is a calm collected gentleman that only ever barks at strange noises, and new guests outside of his reach, like most dogs! We suspect that he used to be a junkyard dog because of his calculated, large and in charge temperament. He is still a very loving teddy bear though! Because of the very traumatic life that Riggs has lived, he used to suffer from resource guarding issues. Do to this, we recommend that he only go to homes with absolutely no children. This means that if he is eating or playing with something and you try to take it from him, he can get very defensive and upset. He remembers a life where he had nothing, and it’s very difficult for dogs to understand that now they do not have to fight for their food! We don’t blame him a bit! Rigby has a calm but curious temperament, we predict that he would be best buddies with any cat! The most important thing to take into account when it comes to this big hunk is that he must never be restrained. This means no reaching over his body, no hugging him, and no grabbing and holding his paws or any part of his body for that matter. We suspect that whoever hurt this darling boy, must have been an evil person because of how it has effected Rigby even today. We have found that desensitizing exercises have helped ease his worries that we will not harm him again or try to restrain him. We would let him out of his stall to run while we cleaned his room for him, but before he was able to jet off, we would go through a series of “checks” in which we made a game out of! First, touching and scratching his head and ears, then touching and scratching his sides and underarms (gently) then his butt...since he loves butt scratches so much! This game has turned his body desensitization routine into a fun game that he is now excited to play with us! Riggs is not afraid of strangers or men and LOVES to be talked to! There are quite a few dogs out there that have been THROUGH IT but this handsome gentlemen has too and has been patiently waiting for his forever home *Guest Posting   If you would like to meet your new best friend, contact the Adoption Coordinator at info@almosthometn.org or 865-236-0830. To fill out an application, go to www.almosthometn.org. If you can't get it to work, tell us and we will email it to you. Adoption fee $150