Boo Boo (formerly Apollo) is a wonderful pup who like far too many had a rough start to life. He came to us from Virginia where he was neglected by his owner. Left outside, he was fed only dried corn feed and did not receive any vetting. This poor guy was a mess when he came to the shelter. He had lots of parasites and worst of all came up heartworm positive. We treated him for his heartworm in the spring and he's now ready to be adopted.
Boo Boo is about 1 1/2 years old and is a cocker mix. He is mostly black with a little white on his toes and chest. He has those big floppy cocker ears, but his fur is medium length and his features just aren't 100% cocker although what he is mixed with is anyone's guess. He is approximately 35lbs but could stand to lose a few pounds as well.
Boo Boo is just about the smartest dog you'll ever meet. Despite the fact that he only lived outdoors before coming to us he learned house manners very quickly. He does try to chase the cats occasionally, but if he gets them cornered he leaves them be and he always responds to the command "leave it" in regards to the cats or any other household item that is off limits to him. He really wants the cats to play and gets bummed out that they just aren't interested.
He has a great combo of intelligence and obedience. The commands he knows now are "sit" "lie down" "down" "beg" "paw" "come" and "stay". Instead of telling him no, his foster mom uses an "eh, eh" sound that he responds to extremely well. He also knows the words for eat, cookie, peanut butter, and outside, as well as recognizing the different names of his stuffed animals (puppy, camel, pinky, etc.) He learns quickly what items are off limits to him in the house.
Apollo is perfectly crate trained and mostly housebroken. He gets that he is supposed to go outside, but if he doesn't get my attention when he needs to go he might on a rare occasion have an accident. He loves his walks, but could use more socialization with other dogs. He seems to fear them a bit and can react aggressively. We are working on this though.
Boo's only quirk seems to be that he needs some more socialization. He wants to love everyone, but some new people (more men than women) make him nervous. He will sometimes growl or snap when he gets insecure (mostly at guys as well). Considering his background and that we know his owner who neglected him was a man we think it's something he just needs some time and exposure to more friendly people. He has done fine at grooming appointments and vet appointments and has always warmed up when given enough time. But because he has snapped at someone we won't place him in a home with children.
Please click here to fill out an adoption application for Boo Boo.
