Jerry needs a stable home. He has been moved one too many times in the 2 short years of his life and needs a forever home to allow him to come into his own and flourish. He has a lot of love to give and boundless energy to share with someone who will welcome him into their home. A loving home (individual or family with older children) would be best for Jerry. An experienced dog owner(s), who is willing to commit to socializing and obedience lessons is best suited for Jerry. Jerry is just under 2 years old and currently weighs 68 lbs.
Here is what his foster family had to say:
Jerry is a playful young pup with a hint of a wild untamed spirit within. He acts like he's too cool for school, but loves the attention and loving when showered upon him, and he gives affection freely. Jerry needs a loving, yet experienced person or family committed to him for his life. He needs discipline to remind him of boundaries, yet lots of hugs, and outdoor walks/exercise to release the puppy energy. He is affectionate and playful but needs a stable home and lifestyle to allow him to flourish. His energy level is moderate - he can be quite relaxed indoors but does like interactive play with toys sometimes. He enjoys his walks and outdoor play time. He would make a great running partner for someone!
He is friendly with adults and children. He can get a little over exuberant when children run around as he wants to join in on the action, so discipline and ground rules must be enforced. He is however amazing and just loves everyone no matter what age or gender. He has shown curiosity towards cats (at a distance), and is playful with other dogs he meets on his walks, but random dogs trigger an aggressive response in him and he gets very upset. I haven't yet identified a pattern or trend to this. He's played with a 3 month old Rottweiler puppy and a 4 year old chocolate lab but reacted to a golden retriever and other smaller mutts. It puzzles me. I have no other pets in my home. I continue to attempt to socialize him with other dogs on our walks.
Jerry is comfortable with all the sounds of the city. The first time I disciplined him about his behaviour (me speaking loudly) he showed fear and hid under the dining table so I immediately changed my tone and coaxed him out and changed my tone to firm but lower volume. This helped immediately and I have maintained that when disciplining him for any misbehaviour. His response to the raised voice led me to believe he may have been physically harmed in the past so I have worked on this to make him understand that being disciplined does not translate to physical harm. Jerry is very relaxed in his crate when I leave home - he does not follow me around or charge the front door. He loves to be outdoors - sits on my balcony and watches the world go by for hours if he can. He enjoys his walks and playing fetch with tennis balls. He loves squeaky toys indoors, and playing tug-of-war with his rope toy. Jerry is very quiet in the home but will 'talk' when he needs to go out and will go to the door. Occasionally he does the Husky 'talk' when he wants your attention (in a very endearing way). :)
Jerry is not motivated by food at all, although he does show interest in human food more than dog food. He will counter surf out of sheer curiosity when I am not home, but not to steal food. Jerry is very well trained in all the basic commands - sit, down, stay, give paw, and even does stop/sit at intersections and is obedient most of the time. He is still learning off and drop it commands as he only obeys them occasionally. He is fully house trained and appears to be accustomed to being left alone for long periods of time. He has had no accidents indoors. He will make little noises and pace to the front door signalling he has to go out to do his business. He appears to have been crate trained and is comfortable using the crate during the day if it is left open, but he will break out of it if he is locked in it. I lock the bedrooms and bathroom doors instead. This works.
Jerry walks very well on a leash with a gentle leader. He occasionally tugs to 'mark' his territory on various trees and shrubs etc., but overall is obedient, and a pleasure to walk on the gentle leader. He is very curious and inquisitive and must sniff out everything indoors and outdoors. :) He rides very nicely in the car and will listen when told to sit down.
Jerry would do well in an apartment or a home with a lovely big yard in which to run laps. He is adaptable but needs time to adapt. He is playful with a hint of wildness so a firm, experienced companion would be best suited for him. A family with older children would be a better fit than young children as he can play a bit rough when children get boisterous, so he needs to be reminded to be gentle.
If you think Jerry would be a good fit for your situation, please submit an application for consideration.
