HUGO ~5-7 years old. Good with kids, dogs and cats. Good for seniors/elderly. Apartment appropriate.
GSRA Adopts to residents of VA, NC, and SC ONLY
Everyone, please meet Mr. Hugo. He is without a doubt the best turnaround story I have had in my nearly 10 years of fostering for GSRA…
Hugo’s former owners dumped him at Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Control, knowing full well what his fate would probably be. He was in such poor shape: at least 25 lbs. underweight, badly infected ear, some sort of skin issue causing lots of his hair to come out, a big gash on his front right paw, pressure callouses all over his limbs, and full of heartworms. He must have felt so terrible. He wasn’t the best candidate for quick adoption, but we saw potential and decided to bring him in.
The first few days at our home were very trying. He was fearful of being touched and growled and showed teeth whenever I would reach to examine him or pet him or even put his leash on. I’m sure he felt terrible because of his ear and paw and skin issues. Besides that, the calluses on his paws made us think that he had spent his entire life in a concrete kennel with very little human or dog interaction. Things were not looking good for Mr. Hugo’s adoption chances. But…
We took active steps to heal Hugo’s physical issues, and we showered him with attention and love. He quickly realized how great dog beds are. He then realized how much fun a Kong and other dog toys are, especially tennis balls! And then he just dropped any remaining connections to his bad past and let us give him as much love as we could possibly give. He grunts with contentment while getting pats on the head or tummy rubs or – the best – scratches down his back. He takes care of his business outside very quickly, and then he darts back to the door to get back to “his” house. He has had quite enough of the outdoors, thank you very much, and he can’t get enough of his bed and his tennis balls and love from us inside! Hugo also is an avid learner. He has thoroughly enjoyed our basic obedience efforts so far, and I think he would excel in more formal training. Of course, if you’re simply looking for a companion, he is certainly fine with that too!
Hugo is going to make a phenomenal pet for a very lucky adopter and their family. He still takes a little time to warm up to new people, but, once he does, you’ll have a friend for life. He thoroughly enjoys “guarding” his house – from the comfort of inside! He’ll give a nice deep bark if someone is close by, just to make sure everyone is aware that he is on the job. He’s also a heck of a supervisor, ensuring that painting or garage work or any other type of activity in the house is performed how he thinks it should. (That means with frequent stops for head pats!) He can be quite goofy at times too, though, especially when he is playing with a tennis ball or sees a chance to hop in the car or sees a chance to quietly commandeer his foster mom’s pregnancy pillow. He behaves nicely around children, but, as always with our big GSDs, care should still be taken to make sure children understand how to behave around big dogs. And somewhat surprisingly, he does just fine around cats! Just don’t tell the other GSDs about that!
Hugo is a beautiful mainly red and black, 80 lb. boy who is officially listed as 7 years old. After having him for a short while, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he is several years younger than that. He has undergone neutering and heartworm treatment and will be officially finished with the mandatory heartworm treatment rest period on Tuesday 5/12 . He is at a pretty healthy weight, although he could certainly get closer to 85 lbs. and still be quite healthy. Enjoy the pictures of this beautiful boy, and, if you want to share your love and life with this exceptional dog, let our volunteer screeners know you’re interested. Thanks for reading about the incredible Mr. Hugo!
More about Hugo
Good with Dogs, Good with Cats, Good with Kids, Good with Adults, Good for Seniors/Elderly, Somewhat vocal, Does Good in the Car, Apartment OK, Playful, Affectionate, Eager To Please, Intelligent
For more information on our adoptable pet list please visit: Adoptable Pet List
