ERNIE
|
| Ernie was a stray..no tag, no collar, no chip. His Good Samaritan (finder) Leeann & family took him in, contacted us and posted him as found in all of the right places, to no avail.
Ernie has an endearing personality..no aggression..friendly, outgoing and very eager to please. He is very typical of a backyard dog..just a little tentative in the very stimulating environment in which his evaluation was conducted...obviously has not had much exposure to strangers or strange dogs but rebounds very quickly. The usual puppy jumping, pulling, a "woof" when something unfamiliar approaches, yet extremely responsive to leadership. Ernie, so far, is doing well with a female mix and a cat..a little amorous as he's a teenager with raging harmones. He knows sit but is a very quick study and will learn fast. He's being crate and leash trained and learning house manners in a four-kid family.
It's apparent that someone has played ball & fetch with him and he's good at it. Ernie will need what they all need but all too often don't get; training, socializing and leadership...Please, if you plan to share your life with this amazing breed, you must be committed to providing activity, training and teaching social skills as well as ample time to interact. Completion of a group obedience class will be a proviso of his adoption. Ernie will be visiting our vet for a complete work-up and health check followed by neuter surgery. He is house-broken, crate trained, and microchipped. We think Ernie is a made-to-order family guy....this fella will wiggle his way into your heart. If you are interested in fostering Ernie, please read about OUR FOSTER PROGRAM and submit a Foster Application (found on the Foster Program page). UPDATE 9/25: Ernie took a trip to the vet last Friday, had a full work-up; exam, fecal, complete blood panel and his Rabies shot. The lab results are in..all values were normal, negative for valley and tick fever. There was one slight elevation usually indicative of intestinal parasites although his fecal check was negative. So we will treat and worm him and he got the green light to soon be neutered.
Ernie looks at the vet with eyes of uncertainty--perks back up after blood draw & tuckered out from it all UPDATE JAN 24, 2012:
Ernie was wormed, vaccinated, chipped and neutered and placed in early November. It took only a few weeks to learn that he was not in the right place.
Ernie requires a patient leader, soft but consistent corrections and extensive socialization. He adores children and was originally fostered with four of them ranging in age from 5 to 12 years in addition to their visiting friends, all without incident. Unfortunately, we only place very confident dogs with young children so Ernie will need a family with kids over 14 years or an active couple.
We gave Ernie some time to settle in at Camp Johnson then spent a couple of hours with him the weekend of Jan 14th. Our staff volunteer Darlene worked him over an agility A-frame which he initially balked at approaching. With kind encouragement Ernie soon conquered the obstacle after which he was a proud, more confident and tired pooch eager for everyone's attention. Ernie is more than willing to let his leader make decisons..he's a born follower, eager to please. With the right person to help him build more confidence, he is a totally devoted companion not to mention a great snuggler. He is, however, a skittish dog that needs a patient person who is comfortable working with such temperaments. Again, no young kids; not because he won't adore yours, but because they have friends, neighbors and visiting kids who might unintentionally push his fear button. Adoption fee $275.00.
|
The requisite 10 day waiting period for owners to claim has passed; sadly, Ernie is likely one of the countless abandoned youngsters we hear of nearly every day.
One man's trash is another's treasure ..it's time for Ernie to strike gold with a forever family.
His age is estimated to be between 10 and 14 months..still a puppy. He is thin and wirey..a little too thin but also typical for an immature, high energy male GSD.
