Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Spayed or Neutered,
Story
We have been fostering Flash Santa since September 2. He is
housetrained
crate trained
dog friendly
affectionate to people he knows
treat motivated
intelligent and a quick learner
dog friendly
Flash loves ice cubes, fruits and vegetables, nylabones, and stuffies.
He loves to lay his head in our laps for head scratches.
He is all white except for his brown ears and a few very light freckles on his face.
Flash Santa’s Story
We know a lot about Flash’s background and upbringing.
His first chapter, his mom Lizzie
Lizzie was dumped in a church parking lot in Dyersburg, Tennessee. The woman who lived next door to the church (whose name is Elizabeth and for whom Lizzie is named) fed Lizzie, but had 3 dogs of her own so she couldn’t take Lizzie herself. Elizabeth then noticed that Lizzie was pregnant and completely broken. She began calling rescues–starting out locally and then calling farther and farther away until Harleigh (BTR’s founder and director) called her back. She drove Lizzie all the way to Chicago even though she had never been that far from home. I fostered Lizzie, and her 10 pups were born in my home. Lizzie was a devoted mom and the sweetest dog, and she was adopted before any of her puppies. She looks like a small German Shorthair Pointer mix. Santa and his nine reindeer littermates spent their first 8 weeks in my home, where they were completely doted upon both by their mom and us.
Chapter 2, his first family
He was adopted by a family with 4 kids who loved him and gave him a great life. They called him Flash Santa, and since then, he knows the name Flash, although he’ll usually answer to Flash Santa. His mom kept in contact with me and told me what a sweet and loving dog he was and how much he meant to their family. In a heartbreaking development, the landlord decided she no longer wanted to have a dog in the house, so she insisted the family surrender Flash Santa by September. With 4 small kids, moving wasn’t feasible, so the family had to make the impossibly difficult decision to return him to Border Tails. I met them at the shelter that day and have been fostering him ever since. At 10 1/2 months old, he was at a very rough age developmentally to have his whole world pulled out from under him. His heart was broken, and his confidence was shattered. I have no doubt that Flash was loved and had a great life with his first family.
Chapter 3, back in foster
While in our house, Flash has steadily regained his confidence. Our friendly dog was a big part of that. He also went to intensive training at Found Chicago, where they focused on building his self-confidence and helping him behave appropriately when he is scared. He was also boarded with a Found trainer while we were on a 2 week vacation, and he behaved very well in her home with her 2 dogs. Found recommends that his adoptive home not have children under 12. He loves kids, but because he startles easitly, small kids are no longer a good fit.. He learns quickly, and has totally mastered the routines of our household. He’s just over a year now, so he still has puppy energy, but he also sleeps long and hard like a puppy. He’s a happy, loving, goofy guy who would love to be your best friend.
