My name is Tango!

Tango is not in the Closer to Home Animal Advocates program. We are listing him as a courtesy to his owner. If you are interested in adopting Tango, please send us e-mail to request an application form. A fenced yard will be required to adopt Tango.


What is the dog’s name? Tango

How old is the dog? 2 years

How much does the dog weigh? 75#

Is the dog spayed/neutered? Yes 8/7/2014

Are vaccinations up to date? As of what date? 8/2/2014

What is the date of the last heartworm test? April 2014

Has the dog been kept on monthly heartworm preventative? If yes, what kind. Yes HeartGuard

Does the dog have any health condition(s) which require regular medication, supplements, or testing? no

Please describe the dog’s general personality/demeanor:
Tango is very intelligent and a great companion. He is immediately responsive to training. He has settled in amazingly well, considering the fact that he’s in a city condo and his regular walks are on sidewalks enroute to the park.

His time living outside of a home left him with the evolutionary trait of wanting to hunt prey, and he would chase the rabbits he has seen if not controlled properly.

How does the dog interact with adults? He has been around my family and neighbors, and has been very friendly.

Has the dog been around children? What ages? How does the dog do with children? The family of the couple who had him expressed that when they visited with Tango, he was very good with all of their other kids, ranging in age from 20 down to 3. While we were with them meeting Tango, he stood beside the three year old and patiently waited while having his ears rubbed.

How does the dog react to strangers? He is great with people. He had happy meetings with the Vet, their staff, and other people in the office with dogs. I’ve had him in twice, once to chip and get a shot, and once for neuter and remove rear leg dew claws.

Have you ever seen aggression (or warning signs) toward a person? (This includes nipping, growling, snapping, etc.) Provide details. Never.

What kinds of toys/games does the dog enjoy? Tug of war, fetch (although I use return, then “drop it” as commands), Tango loves chewing the Kong toys with frozen hot dogs and peanut butter inside.

What kind of activities have you shared with your dog? (Trips to the dog park, camping, etc.) Daily walks around the neighborhood, aforementioned play methods, training time, grooming time and car rides when the temperature is ok.

Does the dog live with any other pets now? Please give age/gender/breed/size of each pet: no pets

How does the dog do with other dogs? Any restrictions? (For example, larger dogs, smaller dogs, dominant dogs, dogs of the same sex, etc.) He’s been fine with big dogs. The previous owner had a German Shepherd puppy, so he shared a crate with a puppy. I saw them playing in the yard when I met them, and Tango was very tolerant of the puppy (which was off the wall jumping all over him).

Has the dog been around cats? If so, how does he/she do with cats? This breed is naturally not going to be great with cats unless exposed as a puppy.

Does the dog chase other small animals? He wants to chase small animals. He is great with horses and cattle.

Have you ever seen aggression toward other dogs, or toward cats? Provide details.
No, I’ve never seen this behavior. He hasn’t been allowed near cats however, since the only cats we’ve encountered are loose in the city. Again though, my experience with this breed and similar breeds indicate as a general rule they won’t do well with cats.

Does the dog currently live indoors or outdoors? How many hours per day are spent outside? He lives indoors. We walk 4 times per day and additionally go to the park to walk. I have always had him onleash for safety.

Where does the dog sleep? In a crate in my room.

Is the dog housebroken? Yes, he is housebroken.

Is the dog crate-trained? Tango appears to have been crate trained improperly, as he viewed the crate as a punishment initially. He’s made great strides becoming comfortable in the crate however, I have a blanket for him in there, I feed him his food in the crate and he will often go inside on his own. He does have seperation anxeity, and we are using PetSafe training tools to help him not make noise when the owners aren’t around.

Where does the dog stay when you are at home? I am preparing for this move, so I’m home most of the time and he follows me from room to room, settling wherever I’m working.

Where does the dog stay when you are NOT at home? Inside the condo, usually in the crate when I leave and when I return, with no damage during the time I’m away. He seems to see the crate as a safe space, as long as he can freely leave (the door is open). Since his crate is in my bedroom, I made that room a ‘safe zone’ for when I’m gone, and put a gate to keep him in the room. It’s a step in crate training, the room is essentially a large crate.

Has the dog been destructive in the past? Provide details. Never for me, and we heard no reports of damage from the previous owner.

Has the dog had any training, either formal or informal? Does the dog know any commands? I’ve been working on simple commands, and he responds well. He thrives with praise (“good boy”), will sit, “wait”, and is beginning to walk with me (no pull). He’s a very smart dog, it’s clear Tango had training and positive reinforcement is helping. I’m not sure the previous owners used positive reinforcement training, as I was told they used a choke chain with pinchers on it. I believe in no pull harness training and positive reinforcement training, it’s being very effective!

How does the dog behave on a leash? Typical for his breed, he will pull until it hurts him if you use a choke chain or a collar with him. He needs a no pull harness, I just switched to a PetSafe walk behind model and he is learning very well with it. Owners need to understand he has a natural want to pull, but the tools I’ve used are designed for breeds like his to provide a safe health way of training out of that nature.

How does the dog do in the car? Great! I had a device installed to give him the far back of my Outback so he gets air but can’t possibly jump out.

Does the dog have any known phobias, such as thunderstorms, fireworks, strangers, trips to the vet, etc.? Tango has separation anxiety. He cries when I leave him alone in his crate and leave the condo. He has paced when the really large trucks like cement haulers roll by. There’s a hotel under construction just across the street, so there’s a lot of noise right now.


Please add any additional comments here: Tango is going to be a great dog for a lucky family or individual. He’s smart, a quick learner, and has a great personality. Now that his immediate needs have been met, the next thing he needs is stability and some freedom outdoors; the sooner the better, so that he can settle in and trust! He’s already begun to attach to me, so he needs to be placed into his forever home and provided with that peace of security and permanence.