Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Meet Swift, your brilliant, high-energy sidekick with a big personality and an even bigger heart.
At just 1.5 years old, Swift has all the drive, intelligence, and intensity you’d expect from his Malinois background. He’s affectionate, goofy, incredibly smart, and thrives when he has a job to do. This is a dog who wants a partner, not just a home, someone ready to engage with him, challenge his brain, and build a strong bond together.
Swift is house trained and crate trained, doing best when he has a cozy covered crate where he can settle quietly. He loves being with his people, but he’s already beginning to learn how to settle and self-soothe when his fosters leave with time and consistency. He knows basic cues like sit and name recognition and is eager to keep learning. He’s currently working on leash skills and making progress with a gentle leader.
Swift does well with female dogs and small dogs when properly and slowly introduced. He is not a match for homes with cats. Because of his energy level and working-dog intensity, he’s best suited for an experienced owner and a home with older, dog-savvy kids or adults.
What makes Swift especially unique is his resilience. He came to us with a rear hock injury that went untreated long enough that surgery is no longer an option. While he can absolutely enjoy normal daily life, he won’t be a candidate for high-impact sports. Instead, Swift shines in activities like scent work, training games, swimming, and enrichment. He has already completed multiple nose work classes and absolutely loves it, and swimming has become both a favorite activity and great therapy for his leg.
Swift will need a home committed to structured, low-impact exercise and plenty of mental stimulation. Think long walks, puzzle toys, scent work, frozen Kongs, and continued training. With the right outlet, he is an incredibly rewarding dog who will give you his whole heart.
If you’re looking for a smart, driven, slightly chaotic, deeply loving companion and you’re ready to meet him where he is, Swift just might be your perfect match.
At Green Dogs Unleashed (GDU), we are dedicated to ensuring the successful placement of our dogs in loving, permanent homes. Over the years, we have seen an increasing number of returns due to behavioral issues that could have been prevented with the right support. A significant percentage of these returns involve out-of-area clients or those who have not completed training with GDU. To address this, positive reinforcement training with Green Dogs Unleashed is required as a condition for all adoptions.
Preference for this dog will be given to adopters who commit to signing up for and completing our six-week Canine 101 training class in person at our headquarters in Troy, VA. Secondary consideration will be given to a limited number of out-of-area adopters who agree to complete one private lesson with GDU, either in person or virtually, and attend a pre-approved positive reinforcement training class in their area.
At the time you are seeing this post, this dog is still available for adoption. But please know that we may be working on multiple applications already, and any one of them could be approved at any time. Please READ THIS ENTIRE DESCRIPTION and complete an adoption application, if you are interested in any of our animals. Application at www.greendogsunleashed.org If you send an inquiry to ask if the dog is still available, or just tell us you are interested, your inquiry will not be answered. FILL OUT AN APPLICATION. We can do NOTHING without that. No, we cannot tell you if he would be a match for your family without seeing an application. PLEASE KEEP READING for info.
*/*/* PLEASE NOTE: The first communication you will receive after completing an application will be an email response, which will have instructions on how to proceed. Please check your inbox AND spam folders for the next 48 hours, for this email. We will not begin processing an application without the information requested in that email. */*/*
We are happy to consider applicants from out of state on most dogs. Please read the description to see if this dog is an exception. If the applicant is approved to adopt, they MUST be willing to come to our location in Troy, VA, for a meet and greet. If all parties agree that the pup and family are a good fit, they would take the pup home at that time.
For more information about our mission and for an APPLICATION for adoption, please go to www.greendogsunleashed.com.
GDU does ask a minimum adoption fee of $400.00. This does not even come close to covering all expenses created by animals while in rescue. We are funded solely by the angels and volunteers willing to donate time and finances. This minimum fee includes DAPP, rabies if age appropriate,, heartworm test and preventative, if age appropriate, and flea and tick treatment, as well as neutering or spaying, if the animal is medically sound to undergo surgery. In an attempt to avoid tummy upset from a sudden change of food, the foster family may include a small, transitional bag of the food the dog/puppy has been eating. And if the dog/puppy has grown attached to a special item (like a toy or blanket), they may send that along, as well.
*/*/* Young puppies will receive age-appropriate vaccines, and will be spayed/neutered prior to adoption. Adopters may be required to provide additional puppy boosters and at 16 weeks of age, a rabies vaccine. Future annual vaccines, testing and monthly heartworm preventative are REQUIRED, and will be the financial responsibility of the adopter.
*****Due to the sheer number of animals and applications in our program, coupled with a limited number of volunteers, applicants MUST have patience as we process applications. If you do not hear back from us, the animal may have been adopted. We strive to let people know but sadly cannot offer reasons for denial beyond that. Any harassment of our volunteers will go unanswered and we will simply block you. Our volunteers spend their time working hard to ensure the very best for each animal. Please remember the animal, not the applicant, is our client.*****
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