CONTACT INFORMATION: Heather, adoption coordinator: heather1955@comcast.net 423-605-9917 Kathy, who is his foster and Heather's neighbor : kmdolloff@epbfi.com 423-580-1281. Neptune has until 4-23-11 to find his perfect human or he will be returned to a shelter. His foster mom has worked with him, loves him, but knows that he needs someone more specialized in training him and the time and dedication to do so. As you will see, she has accomplished a lot, but his full potential is still waiting to blossom. He wants so much to be a part of the family and wants to please - he is just a baby filled with love and energy and spunk. He will not understand being in a shelter - I am afraid he will not survive being in a shelter. Please crosspost and keep him in your prayers - his little life has just begun. Kathy has jotted down some information and observations about Neptune for the group. They are in no particular order. · He is crate trained. After our evening potty he goes straight to his crate without being told. · He is house trained and has had short periods of unsupervised time in the house. I would not leave him loose in the house for long periods of time since he gets bored easily. · He turned one year old on April 10. He weighted 35lbs when I got him but has probably put on a little weight. · He counter surfs and can open a trash can with a lid using his nose. · I have taught him sit and down. · He can entertain himself with toys/tugs. They should be rugged toys since he is a chewer. He likes nylabones, beef marrow bones, and stuffed kongs. · He is people and pet friendly, but he has no social skills and will jump on you. · He plays better with a dog around the same size as he is. He is allowed to play with my 25lb Beagle mix under supervision. He gets frustrated when he wants to play and Cooper doesn't and will bark at him and try to chase him or jump on him. · I have always fed him in a different location than my other dogs. He recently has shown signs of food aggression so I have begun hand feeding him. This is one area I have some experience. · Since he nips and has bitten me during leash training/walking I have trained him to wear a muzzle. · He pulls when walked. I spent a lot of time initially trying to train him to walk without pulling. We did a lot of directional work. I used a prong collar with limited success. I prefer not to use it with him. He gets overexcited during a walk and I have been unable to get him in a calm state during a walk. Walking him on a hot day helps slow him down some. He has the occasional temper tantrum. I have pretty much given up walking him since he wears me out. My husband has taken him out a couple of times but he weighs almost twice as much as me so he can keep Neptune under control. · Neptune is a high energy dog and needs 45 minutes to 1 hour of exercise a day at a minimum. My first two dogs were Australian Shepherds so I am used to high energy dogs. When my Aussies were alive I hiked them for an hour each day during the week and longer hikes on the weekend with my husband (until they became seniors). Neptune needs a way to drain his excess energy-a good run or a tread mill would be ideal. · A major hurdle for Neptune is to learn how to walk with other dogs/people, something which he cannot currently do. After working an 8 hour day and walking my other dogs (which I do twice a day) that leaves me with little time and energy for Neptune. · He will sometimes bark for what seems like no reason. My dogs look at him and wonder what is up, but they never bark when Neptune barks. · He likes to snuggle and enjoys belly rubs. He will roll over and show you his belly anytime you like. · He stands perfectly still when being groomed. You can wipe him (and his paws) with a towel. He enjoys anything that involves touching him. He doesn't like going into the tub but is fine during the bath. I had Neptune evaluated and was told that with the right person Neptune could reach his full potential and be a great companion. It will take time and patience. I cannot be a long term foster Mom to Neptune. I truly am not the right person for Neptune. I will be going out of town soon and need to re-home him. I know there is someone out there who is better equipped to work with a special needs dog. Please help.
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