About Shay |
- Status: Adopted!
- Adoption Fee: 250.00
- Species: Dog
- Rescue ID: 2012-026
- Color: Black
- Ear Type: Erect
- Tail Type: Long
- Current Size: 90 Pounds
- Potential Size: 95 Pounds
- Current Age: 21 Years 8 Months (best estimate)
|
- Housetrained: Yes
- Owner Experience Needed: None
- Reaction to New People: Friendly
|
~9 years old. Good with kids and dogs. Cats TBD.
First and foremost, Shay is a young at heart 9 year-old jet black German Shepherd. He is quite possibly the best looking dog I, or any of the twenty or so people a day who stop me, has ever seen. But, that only tells a small part of Shay's story.
Shay came into the rescue through the Cumberland County Animal Shelter. He was slightly underweight and Heartworm Negative, but very well cared for, with strong musculature and clean teeth. What was immediately clear to everyone from the rescue is that this was a dog that had been very well loved. He was calm, patient, gentle and loving to every living thing he met...with the exception of an occasional squirrel who he wanted to play with. Shay has been an amazing companion to our son, who as an active four year old, sees Shay as a puppy, a horse, a pillow and any other play toy you can imagine. Shay is very aware of our son and incredibly gentle with him. He would be amazing with children of all ages. When our son is outside Shay is on a constant lookout for him and very aware if someone is approaching the edge of the property near him.
He loves dogs of all sizes and is gentle to a fault, mouthy when he plays, but is highly aware of his size and strength. He does fantastic at our local off leash dog park and has made a friend of every dog he's met. While Shay does very well with other dogs, I think he would be content to be an only dog as well. He was clearly well trained and does beautifully on and off leash, unless there is a squirrel and at that point, he'll stay in his yard, but on a walk, he will give a gentle tug. He is house-trained, but can have issues if he's had human food, which we keep him strictly off of. He loves his crate, and although he spends little time in there it is a great haven for him, especially during bad weather. During thunderstorms, he wears his thundershirt, takes an occasional Benadryl and retreats the crate, where he is very happy. One negative training wise, is that he will look to eat food on the counter. While he's much improved on this, we typically get prepared food off of the counter outside of mealtimes, although like most kids he won't touch our fruits and veggies.
Shay is overall very relaxed and comfortable being in the house and having several walks during the day. I think he would enjoy a fenced backyard, but one is not necessary for him.
He is a large dog, and as such we take care to continue to train him to sit, stay and to not jump when he sees us for the first time in a while. He overall does very well with this, but this behavior needs to be reinforced within a new home. Shay is in exceptional shape for his age. He is actively running two miles a day and easily can handle four miles walks at a brisk pace. He is happy just moseying along or going fast as long as he's with his owners. I expect that he will have a long and very full life with little to no restrictions. His age, shocks most people who have met him and expect him to be 3-4 years old.
Shay has done beautifully traveling and loves car rides. He has a Shay spot already in both of our cars and loves to jump in! He truly is an exceptional dog and will be a joy to have in any family!
