J.D. 05-249

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8/28/05: JD arrived at our house on Friday. He is about as sweet as they come. He is believed to be about 4-5 years old, is neutered, and up to date on his rabies.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of background information to pass along at this time, and am hoping to get a bit more in the next couple days to share. I will also be making a vet appointment for JD tomorrow, so will update with the news of his checkup as well.

What we do know so far is that JD is quite smart, knows all the basic obedience commands, completely house trained.. gets along famously with our resident Golden and our 4 cats. So far, he has been a complete Velcro dog, just wanting to be where you are at all times, LOVES to go outside and walks great on the leash. We were told he was not getting nearly enough exercise, and that seems to be the case, because he has been panting and getting worn out by the activity level at our house, but his spirit is not dampened and he just keeps hanging in there for whatever is going on - doesn't want to miss out on anything good :)

He is a darker red, not very tall, but compact. I'm guessing about 65 lbs., probably could stand to drop a couple of those, and his coat is not in the best shape, but I think a change to his diet may help that.

He is the sweetest, gentlest soul, and unfortunately, seems he may have suffered some abuse at some point in his life. He is timid and shy when meeting new people (unless they are children, goes right up to them tail a wagging) but warms up to you very quickly if you approach slow and let him come to you. He is very fearful of men, runs and hides behind me when he feels a man is approaching, or hits the floor and averts his face. So far he is slowly beginning to trust our resident Man, but he has to be sitting down, or have been in the room with JD for a while until JD wants to sit next to him and be petted, but doesn't make eye contact, (has even started wagging his tail a tiny bit when Justin talks to him real quiet and calls him over). He will flinch with sudden movements or if people walk with objects in hand, but we have already seen improvements with this in the two days he has been here. Once he has learned he can trust you though, he is all about getting lots of love and attention. He wants nothing more than to be loved, and to love you back, and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Just forgives us all for whatever may have been done to him in the past.

He did not live with another dog at his previous home, but it has really helped him to feel safe here watching our own dog interact with us, and he does seem to really enjoy the canine companionship. I will be sure to update with more as I get the information.

J.D.J.D.

At a Glance #05-249

Breed not specified Born: September 2002
Male Weight not specified

Status: Adopted

Profile

8/28/05: JD arrived at our house on Friday. He is about as sweet as they come. He is believed to be about 4-5 years old, is neutered, and up to date on his rabies.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of background information to pass along at this time, and am hoping to get a bit more in the next couple days to share. I will also be making a vet appointment for JD tomorrow, so will update with the news of his checkup as well.

What we do know so far is that JD is quite smart, knows all the basic obedience commands, completely house trained.. gets along famously with our resident Golden and our 4 cats. So far, he has been a complete Velcro dog, just wanting to be where you are at all times, LOVES to go outside and walks great on the leash. We were told he was not getting nearly enough exercise, and that seems to be the case, because he has been panting and getting worn out by the activity level at our house, but his spirit is not dampened and he just keeps hanging in there for whatever is going on - doesn't want to miss out on anything good :)

He is a darker red, not very tall, but compact. I'm guessing about 65 lbs., probably could stand to drop a couple of those, and his coat is not in the best shape, but I think a change to his diet may help that.

He is the sweetest, gentlest soul, and unfortunately, seems he may have suffered some abuse at some point in his life. He is timid and shy when meeting new people (unless they are children, goes right up to them tail a wagging) but warms up to you very quickly if you approach slow and let him come to you. He is very fearful of men, runs and hides behind me when he feels a man is approaching, or hits the floor and averts his face. So far he is slowly beginning to trust our resident Man, but he has to be sitting down, or have been in the room with JD for a while until JD wants to sit next to him and be petted, but doesn't make eye contact, (has even started wagging his tail a tiny bit when Justin talks to him real quiet and calls him over). He will flinch with sudden movements or if people walk with objects in hand, but we have already seen improvements with this in the two days he has been here. Once he has learned he can trust you though, he is all about getting lots of love and attention. He wants nothing more than to be loved, and to love you back, and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Just forgives us all for whatever may have been done to him in the past.

He did not live with another dog at his previous home, but it has really helped him to feel safe here watching our own dog interact with us, and he does seem to really enjoy the canine companionship. I will be sure to update with more as I get the information.

J.D.J.D.

Updates

Monday, September 19, 2005

JD is doing great. He has really settled into the routine around here, and is about the most easy going dog you could meet. He has made huge improvements with his fear of men...treats offered by said men have gone a long way to help build trust :) We have friends that come over at least once a week, and this past weekend they were here and said JD is like a completely different dog...much more confident and willing to accept offers of attention from men, not nearly as skittish with fast movements or loud noises. If I get stern with our dog, or the other foster dog here, he will quietly go sit at the edge of the room and observe, making sure he has nothing to do with whatever mischief is being sorted out, but he isn't cowering or hiding nearly as much, and only if he is really overwhelmed with a flurry of activity that includes a man standing or making to much noise. I'd say we've made leaps and bounds in the progress department.

He is very affectionate, likes to come up to you when you are sitting down and just rest his head on your lap. He has the sweetest puppy dog eyes that look up at you. He lets you know he has to go outside to potty by doing a little dance with his front feet, and absolutely loves going out for walks. It is like he is discovering the world for the first time. He walks great on the leash as well. It is really hard for me to believe that there has not been much interest in this sweet boy - we all keep saying how lucky any family would be to get him.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

JD is doing quite well. He went to the vet for a check-up and everything looks good. He was a perfect gentleman for his exam, just needed some coaxing with treats from the vet to come out from behind my legs. JD is a mix, the vet guessed maybe some Setter or possibly Spaniel.. but he really looks mostly Golden and definitely acts all Golden.

He is UTD on all shots, was micro-chipped, and tested negative for heartworm, so has started on a monthly preventative. He weighed in a bit higher than I had guessed - 73 lbs. - and the vet said he could definitely lose at least 10 of those and his ideal weight would be closer to 60 lbs. So we are watching his diet, feeding 1 cup twice a day, and working on getting him accustomed to daily exercise. He is quite out of shape, but loves any activity. He is not very interested in toys, but we've been close to getting him to play with a tennis ball a couple times. He really enjoys playing with our dog, and does bark pretty continuously while playing.

We have seen no signs of food or resource guarding. He has been left alone with our dog with free roam of the house without any issues. However, on Saturday we went to the State Fair and were gone for just under 9 hours - unfortunately it stormed quite severely while we were gone, and JD did chew a shoe, ate some of it, and had an accident in the house. I am assuming it was due to the storm, so he may have some issues with severe storms, however it was stormy last night, we were all home and he was completely fine.

Up to this point, he is still quite frightened of his crate and we have not been able to coax him into it. He did go into our dog Luca's for a brief moment, but will not go near his, so feel there may be some negative issues there. I don't think I would recommend forcing him into a crate at this point because he really has to build up trust with people and I would worry that could slow the process. He respects baby gates, and does fine being gated to one room, and other than being alone all day during a storm, he has been just fine in the house alone for a few hours at a time. He has made great improvements with overcoming his fears (mainly men) and is not flinching or cowering with sudden movements or objects in peoples' hands. He will warm up to men, but it needs to be on his terms and with a lot of gentle coaxing. He still runs for cover as soon as Justin comes in from work, but will come out to greet him when Justin sits down and calls JD quietly. He wants to trust so badly and he is making great progress, but will need someone to continue to take the time with him to show him things will be ok, and no one will hurt him.

He is such a curious and happy guy, always wanting to see what everyone is up to, and prances back and forth when he gets excited. He will jump up but not on you when he really gets excited, like when we have been gone and come home, and we are working on gently telling him down. But he really has quite good manners and has definitely had some basic obedience in the past. He knows sit, down, shake, speak, and sits to have his leash put on for walks and when you come in the door to take the leash off. He has been wonderful with all the neighborhood kids and dogs and is great with our 4 cats. I really think the family that takes him home will be very lucky. He is a wonderful dog, who just needs a bit of extra attention and time to learn to trust, and realize he won't be hurt by anyone.