I'm looking for a person that's pretty expert with these trees....who knows about grafting....about how to prune these trees etc.

I have a tree (not sure of type)...it was labelled a Green Acer Palmatum Dissectum, but clearly that was wrong....the leaves are normally a pretty light green and in the fall they turn orange. But the leaf shape is not dissectum....I think it's probably just an Acer Palmatum.

Anyway, this tree has been in a large pot for about 3 years. Was doing really well but at one point the top branches took off and became 'freakishly' long, throwing off the shape of the tree. Also, last Summer, my neighbor's hound dog apparently decided it would be fun to attack the tree. He ripped off many branches and scratched up the main trunk. I just left the plant as was over the winter and figured I'd just see what happened.

The tree now appears essentially 'dead'....there is no growth, no buds. However, I AM seeing some 'suckers' I guess you'd call them, appearing at the lower part of the main trunk, BELOW where the dog had scratched up the trunk.

Can this tree be saved? What should be done at this point to harness the energy that is apparently still there and to try and help this tree possibly grow back into an attractive shape? (The freakishly long branches are all still there, albeit with no growth on them....)

Photos in attached link.

Tx!

Here is a link that might be useful: garden