Jep is an adorable little dog who although he takes time to warm up to new people, bonds very strongly with his family. He is great with other pets and is very happy when he pleases you. He loves attention and affection and is a true little lap dog. He will be a wonderful companion for whoever opens their heart to him. He is a young adult dog and weighs 10 lbs.
Here is what his foster family had to say:
Jep looks very healthy and full of life. It's a joy to see him running around so happy. Jep's age is unknown, but in my opinion I would say Jep is somewhere around 1-2 yrs old. His energy level and perkiness makes him seem quite young.
Jep takes some time to warm up to new people but once he does, he is a darling, affectionate little guy. It may take a day or so for him to open up enough to approach a new person. We have noticed that Jep is most shy around men. He will run and hide under a table while we have any men visiting our house and usually doesn't come out until they leave. He does eventually come around though and he has been wonderful with my two sons and my husband after the first day with us. There hasn't been any incidences of Jep showing aggression towards people. His reaction of a new person he isn't sure of is hide under a table and bark at them every so often. If held in my arms while an unfamiliar man tries to put their hand out for him to sniff he backs away as much as he can and won't give in at any point during their visit.
Jep immediately joined into the pack with the 4 dogs we own. There actually hasn't been any dominance or aggression issues with them at all since he has arrived here. We haven't had him around cats but I don't see it as a problem as he does not appear to have any prey drive.
When I leave the room Jep usually follows along to see where I'm going. When I leave the house I put Jep in his crate which he doesn't object to once he's in there. He doesn't voluntarily go into his crate unless it's meal time but when I place him in the crate as I leave the house he simply curls up and goes to sleep in it.
Jep loves going out for a walk. He LOVES running around the backyard playing in the fallen leaves and he absolutely loves being pet/scratched and fussed over. Jep is a barker when someone comes to the door. If our other dogs bark at something outside he will participate as well but overall I would not say he is a big barker. Jep appears to be very upset even by a gentle command which leads me to believe he may have been punished quite harshly at his former home which is pretty upsetting. It breaks my heart to think Jep may have been dealt with physically during his life as a puppy.
Jep is aware of what "come" means, however; he doesn't completely follow through with his actions on this command. He will begin to come towards you when given this command and then he quickly retreats when you kneel down to him. Again this makes me feel he may have been given some harsh punishments in his past. Jep is fully house trained. His only accidents happened within his first 2 days here and I don't consider those real accidents. Jep is crate trained. I'd say Jep is nearly leash trained. He is still going off in his own direction sometimes and pulling sometimes but he is doing well when corrected. Jep is fantastic in the car. He mainly curls up and sleeps. At some points he goes to the window to sniff outside but not a trouble in the car.
Jep is a unique little man. He came to us in a very scared state. He didn't want to be held or touched and was afraid to even open up enough to sniff our hand. His fear was intense and it pulled at our heart strings more than words could describe. After just one day, Jep was a completely different dog. He wanted to sniff us, he welcomed our gentle scratching on his back and he even gave a few kisses on our hands. After a few days he was accepted into the pack with our own dogs and he would actually jump onto our lap when we watched t.v. at night. Now Jep will lay in just about any position possible as long as your hand keeps petting him. If we didn't already own 4 dogs, Jep would be a part of our family forever. The impact he has made on my family and I is something we will treasure forever. The place he has earned in our hearts while we have watched him bloom into a dog that is learning to trust and love brings tears to our eyes. He is simply amazing!!!
Jep has so much ahead of him and so much love to give along the way. He is a dog that wants to get praised for his good-doings and he gives us so much joy to see how he lights up when he knows he has done well. Jep's forever home will need to be prepared to be patient with him in the beginning as he is likely to be afraid but once you earn his trust and love, it's an amazing bond that is sure to make you feel like a better person as it has done to us. Having said all that about Jep, he's also incredibly adorable!!! Who couldn't fall in love with a his sweet little face, and his big brown patch over his left eye and ear!!!
If you would like to make this little guy part of your family, please submit an application for consideration.
