PETER
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Peter is an approximately 15 month old white GSD that was found abandoned in the parking lot of the east side shelter wearing a collar and a leash (no tags or microchip) in mid October. He has been looking for his family ever since, but they have never come for him. Maybe they are the ones who dumped him; I guess we'll never know, but Petey keeps looking for them nonetheless.
A call from the shelter on October 19th told us that Petey had run out of time and was once again on the euthanasia list. A quick call to our volunteer Laura, and she was at the shelter the very next day to take a look at this boy. Laura reported that Pete was simply petrified at the shelter, but she felt that if he were taken out of that environment that he would do fine. We decided to go with Laura's assessment and Pete will be pulled tomorrow and transported to one of our staff member's homes for some chill time before he has his official evaluation with our trainer, Bert. UPDATE 10/23: Well, it didn't take him long. Our poor Peter has come down with kennel cough. Since he had been in the shelter for a while, we hoped he had been spared, but it was not to be. So, his neuter surgery will have to be put on hold for about 2 weeks. He is on antibiotics and is otherwise unaware that there is anything wrong with him. He is happy being part of a household and is doing very well. Photos soon.
We have discovered that Petey knows sit and shake and LOVES to play fetch. He's a young, playful boy who is not quite sure of himself as yet and definitely doesn't know how big he is. UPDATE 10/27: Thankfully, Peter's kennel cough seems to be disappearing. He's eating well and putting on some much needed weight. He loves to play fetch with his foster mom, but is definitely in need of some training. He's an eager puppy who wants to please but who is also not quite sure of what's expected of him--he will push to see what he can get away with, but once corrected by a firm leader, he settles down without complaint. Training classes are definitely in this boy's future and will be a requirement of his adoption. UPDATE 11/15: After a bout with lingering kennel cough, Peter had his neuter surgery today and came through with flying colors. When we picked him up this afternoon, he was raring to go and VERY hungry. This boy didn't miss a beat and has no idea that anything is different. What a guy! UPDATE 12/12: We had placed Peter in what we had hoped would be his forever home, but it was not to be. Peter can be a reactive dog when out of his comfort zone. He needs a strong, confident leader to take control and remind him that he needs to behave himself. He's still a huge puppy; couple that with lack of socialization and training, and you have a VERY needy youngster who will only be placed in capable, experienced hands. UPDATE 1/2: Now that the holidays are over, we thought it was time that Peter started Boot Camp to find out his level of training and what his triggers for bad behavior are. We started off slow, with Bert taking him out of the van in the parking lot. He was initially reactive with a small, female shepherd who approached him and wanted to play, but a few corrections from Bert and he got the point very quickly. We then turned the leash over to Traci, who handled Peter throughout the remainder of class. When introduced to the flooding exercise, he was actually frightened and hid behind Traci for comfort. We had to just laugh at this big boy trembling and hiding behind Traci... We have to say that other than that brief few moments in the flooding exercise, Peter's tail never stopped wagging. He was actually having a good time!
UPDATE 5/5: Peter continues to grow and mature in his foster home. He is still a big puppy that needs guidance and direction, but he's willing to be the Indian as long as you prove yourself to be a worthy Chief. He's still a ball fetching nut who will continue to play until he drops. He's a energetic boy who will require your time and attention (and a good throwing arm) to keep him happy. UPDATE 9/3: Peter has been coming out to Summer Boot Camp Rally-O classes and is doing well. His foster mom has applied for his PAL (Purebred Alternative Listing) from AKC, which will allow him to compete in upcoming AKC Rally-O events. UPDATE 10/23: Peter and volunteer Traci started Boot Camp with Bert today and did very well. Peter has received his PAL from AKC, which considers Peter a purebred and eligible to compete in all AKC events! He's still not ready for the Rally-O competition ring, but he's working hard at it. He just needs to learn to focus on the job at hand, rather than on everything else that's going on around him. He's still such a puppy, even at 2 years of age. Peter needs a strong, confident leader; German Shepherd experience is a plus. Since he can be reactive, no small dogs, cats or other small animals for Peter. He will do well with a medium to large breed female who has a high play drive. Peter will not be placed into a family with small children. Ongoing training is a requirement of his adoption.
Adoption fee $365.00.
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UPDATE 10/25: Peter has only been on antibiotics for 2 days, but he's already feeling better. We were able to take some better photos of him today, and we had trouble choosing which ones to post as he is very photogenic. 
