ROHAN
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| Rohan is either 4 or 5 years old; his owner mistakenly brought her other dog's papers to his evaluation, so we're waiting for age confirmation.
He will be a very pretty coated (long hair) German Shepherd..we say "gonna be"
because we don't think this boy has ever been brushed and definitely not ever groomed. Once that's done he'll be a beauty.
Rohan has a reported bite which occurred two weeks ago. That said, we think his owner was bitten by accident; she did something one should never do...grabbed his collar and jerked him back while he was lunging toward the other dog he does not get along with. When in that forward motion and state of mind, most dogs will lash out instinctively when suddenly jerked. He was not deemed viscous by animal control and was allowed to complete the standard post-bite required quarantine at home. So why and what's the dynamic here?
Mom brought another large breed male into the mix. And because they didn't get along, she tethered Rohan to the couch on a 10-foot lead while she was at work for 10-11 hours a day...for at least the last year! She would also alternate leaving one of them outside in the yard for the day. He was adopted from a shelter three years ago and not socialized or trained nor has he had any leadership...he's been allowed to make all of the decisions with little guidance from his human contingent. Despite not getting sufficient exercise and interaction, he gets along well with the cats and is said to do well at dog parks. Since he hasn't been well socialized, he has not had any exposure to kids, small dogs and has not been walked regularly. Rohan greeted his evaluator with a wagging tail and a shower of kisses. He was very soft and outgoing, seemingly comfortable and confident in an unfamiliar environment being handled by a total stranger. He willingly permitted us to check his teeth, ears and paws. We pushed him on leash, gave him strong corrections and could not even make him uncertain no less bite. He's not been taught how to walk on leash properly so he will pull but without much conviction. We didn't have an opportunity to test him with strange dogs (we will) but it's apparent that with leadership and training, Rohan will have a good grasp of what's expected of him. His eyes were a bit gunky from light plant & grass irritants however, he's never been treated for it with anything. We've also asked that his current owner have his eyes checked..just to be sure, along with a good grooming. This is a very warm n fuzzy fella in need of some direction and attention. He's house trained, has not been crate trained, vaccinated, neutered and chipped. He's not destructive and has some storm sensitivity; we will find out just how much it disturbs him. In essence; Rohan needs a new forever home where his needs will finally be addressed. If you are interested in fostering Rohan, please read about OUR FOSTER PROGRAM and submit a Foster Application (found on the Foster Program page). UPDATE 10/2: We tested Rohan with both a male and female GSD tonight. Aside from lack of social skills, if there's an aggressive bone in this dog's body, we couldn't find it. He comes on too strong but all he wanted to do was sniff and say hello. Once slowed down that was that. He was very appropriate once he was able to check out the other dog's smells. We used a male that does not like anyone near his hind end, so when Rohan rudely charged forward to "say hello" he was silently warned to back off..and he did, immediately. He cautiously and respectfully tried several times more until he was given the green light to sniff, after which he just ignored the other dog. There was no posturing, snarling or body language that smacked of any altercation. Bottom line, Rohan lacks discipline, socialization (sound familiar?), freedom and leadership. He is big and strong and does not have good leash manners. He has had too much isolation and little to no outlets for his stored energy. Out in the busy park he's easily distracted and enthralled with being out and about. He loves people, especially kids he encounters in his brief travels. Rohan is a confident boy; we think that if challenged, particularly by another male on his own turf, he would most likely stand his ground as would most German Shepherds. Otherwise, he's a friendly guy and very affectionate. Each time we met him we were greeted with an instant face wash. Despite his loving nature, because of the bite we cannot place him with young children; older visiting kids should be fine. He is also VERY strong, gets excited when he sees another dog at which point he will easily pull a child or unsteady adult off their feet. His owner's schedule precludes us from getting him to our vet and she will not have him groomed. Once in our foster care, however, he will have his eyes checked and he'll be seeing the groomer. This big Teddy Bear turned four years old in February. A bath & brush and basic obedience class is all he needs for his new start in life. For now he needs a foster home asap. If you are interested in fostering Rohan, please read about OUR FOSTER PROGRAM and submit a Foster Application (found on the Foster Program page). Adoption fee $345.00.
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