My name is Bert!

Bert and his sister, Bella, came into rescue when their elderly mom was unable to care for them (or herself)any longer and went into a nursing home. The siblings had lived the majority (if not all) of their lives with their mom and she had taken very good care of them up until she started forgetting things and started to decline rapidly with her health. Because they had lived with her their whole lives, they had been pretty sheltered and not exposed to other dogs, children or cats. They do not seem to care for other dogs much, especially larger dogs (especially Bert) and we don't recommend them for children as they can be a bit nippy(especially Bella) initially. We don't know how they would be with cats as we do not believe that they have ever been around any but they would probably be fine, after proper introductions and socialization to them. They seem to prefer a quiet, calm environment. Bert does warm up pretty quickly to people and is really a nice, active boy once he does. We think he would be great companionship for a quiet, calm home. Bert can be a barker, though, if he feels threatened or feels that he needs to assert himself. He barked a lot here at the big dogs and other males. He seems to suffer from "little dog syndrome" where he believes he is much bigger and has much more power than he actually has. Although they have been together their whole lives, we actually believe that they may do better separated. Bert seems to direct his frustrations and negative energy (he has that little dog syndrome and likes to be the "top" dog) onto Bella at times, which is not fair to Bella. This is also why we don't believe he would be a good fit for children. Otherwise, he's very friendly and loves attention. We just think he would do better as an only dog. Bella and Bert have utilized pee pads here overnight and have pottied outside during the day. We were told that they were crated at their former home but we have not tried crate training here yet, other than for transport and they did fine in the crate during that time. We feel that Bert will make a wonderful companion in a quiet, calm home where he can be babied and relax. We think he would really enjoy that and it should help ease his barking. We have noticed that he is quiet when he has nothing to bark at and his defenses aren't up. He was born 2/3/2016 so he will be 10 years old soon and deserves a comfortable life for the next half of it. That is what he is used to and we believe he would prefer to go back to that lifestyle.
Bert saw the vet on 10/16/25(with his mom) and was found to be underweight (from mom forgetting to feed them) but no other health issues were noted. We had him chipped and his nails trimmed on 11/17/25. He tested negative for heartworms and has been started on Simparica Trio for flea control and heartworm prevention. He also tested negative on her fecal. Bert weighed 9.8 pounds as of 11/17/25 so he has gained some of the weight back that he had lost in October. Bert has his 3 year rabies and dhpp vaccinations so he won't need to be revaccinated until October of 2028. He also has his bordetella vaccine which is good for a year.
If interested in giving Bert his forever home, please submit your interest and your adoption application via email or text ONLY to 352-215-3260 (phone calls will not be answered or returned from this number). Bert's adoption fee will be $200 to help cover the cost of his vetting and daily care while with us. We will only consider applicants who complete the adoption application and will determine whether the applicant would be a good fit for Bert based on the info provided in the application. If we feel that you will be a good match for him, we will set up a meet and greet appointment with you.