Stan Van Gundy's special-needs dog Eastwood treated for behavior issue

Vince Ellis | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Stan Van Gundy adopts special-needs Lab mix Eastwood was the only dog without a home following the 'Empty the Shelters' event Saturday.

Stan Van Gundy’s family has fully accepted Eastwood, the Labrador retriever mix that brought a burst of attention to the Detroit Pistons coach.

But since he was adopted in early May, Van Gundy told the Free Press this week on the "Preachin' Pistons" podcast that some behavioral issues have cropped up that has the family seeking treatment.

Van Gundy said they were taking Eastwood to see a renowned Michigan State animal behaviorist this weekend to address issues of aggressiveness.

“We’re going out of our way to try to get things right because Eastwood’s a great dog,” Van Gundy said. “Fun to be around, but once or twice a day something will come up that sort of arouses him, excites him and he can behave inappropriately and aggressively, but that’s not his basic nature.”

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Van Gundy’s family adopted Eastwood when he was the only animal not to find a home during a statewide adoption event held by a Grand Rapids based non-profit helping to find homes for shelter pets.

Eastwood faces expensive treatment for a genetic defect in one of his hind legs, and he also has an issue with an eye.

Van Gundy’s wife, Kim, and their youngest daughter, Kelly, intervened.

The story quickly spread. TV stations and news organizations picked up the story and the Van Gundy’s trip across the state to pick up Eastwood was well-chronicled. A parody Twitter account called EastwoodVG was set up by someone not in the family and, as of Saturday morning, is approaching 2,000 followers.

When you play too much all weekend. pic.twitter.com/u0lDwvOOKh — Eastwood Van Gundy (@EastwoodVG) May 22, 2017

Stan's back from the ping pong party & brought me treats! I got so excited that I brought him a treat as well: one of his shoes. — Eastwood Van Gundy (@EastwoodVG) May 17, 2017

He has a regular trainer and Van Gundy’s wife is giving a lot of attention to the dog.

“We have a very, very good dog trainer that’s coming a couple days a week,” Van Gundy said. “My wife has basically dedicated 24 hours, seven days a week to try and work through this situation.

“There’s some good resources around. We’re just going to keep working at it until we get it right.”

Preachin' Pistons podcast: June 16, 2017 In this June 16, 2017 episode of Preachin' Pistons, Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy joins Vince Ellis to chat about how to catch the Warriors and Cavs, the upcoming NBA draft, the Pistons' future and his special-needs dog Eastwood.

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.

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