Name: Chief
Location: Boone, IA; Note: Chief is also available for direct adoption. Check out his FB post for more information on Chief: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02Nvnpszi8t9hNLZjPdxAjcK3RKBupZNgDGpxLh9Auw7RfCWyGR4JN61hjkrDczKLGl&id=100003535994899&mibextid=ZbWKwL
Sex: Male
Weight: 109 lbs
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Age: 4 yrs
Good with Men: Yes, our trainer is a taller man and Chief had no issues meeting him. There is also a man in the foster home
Good with Women: Yes, has met women at events, foster is also a woman
Children: Unknown but is larger and playful so older children would be best
Good with Dogs: Medium and large dogs yes. He plays well and seems submissive. Small dogs and puppies unknown.
Good with Cats: Unknown but possibly with proper intros; foster has cats but Chief has not directly interacted. The foster thinks he could successfully live with cats with more work and slow intros. He currently barks at resident cats when kenneled but that seems to be his way of expressing his frustration when he can’t directly engage!
House Trained: Yes
Crate Trained: Yes
Medical Issues:
Immunizations:
Rabies: 3/23/23
Parvo/distemper: 3/23/23
Bordatella: 3/23/23
Heartworm test: 4/6/23 (on Sentinel Spectrum)
Characteristics: Chief is very friendly with people and and playful with other dogs. He was pulled from death row, he was originally a stray. He allowed handling and all vaccines but growled during a HW test so he was put on a euth list. Safe Paws stepped in to save Chief but this rescue doesn’t have the experience for the rotties and is looking for MARR to assist. He met with a trainer since there was a report of him growling at the shelter and we wanted a professional opinion. Our trainer said he was not worried about Chief and that he greeted him in a friendly manner and allowed handling and correction. Chief struggles with walking on a leash and pulling towards people passing by; the trainer worked with the foster on how to correct this behavior. He is potty trained and does well in his kennel, although he sometimes cries for a little while but settles down. He is not destructive and know which things are toys and which are not. He plays very well with medium and large dogs; small dogs and cats are unknown. Children are also unknown but he would do better with older children since he is very large and has some puppy energy. He loves to run and play outside and is currently on a tie out and does not have a fenced in yard.
Notes from evaluator: Chief is a nice, young dog who the fosters are doing a great job with. He was very excited to greet me and barked upon my arrival, but it was just in frustration in not being able to reach me on his tie out. Once he quieted down, I approached him and he was all in for whatever I wanted to do. We played and he showed me his sit and down, we played with a ball, and then we went inside so I could observe him with their other dog. Their other dog is an adorable little pit mix (female) and she is very high energy and plays HARD. He takes it all in stride and plays really well with her. So he would do great with another dog, female for sure. I think he would be okay with a playful male, too. The fosters have several cats who have their own room, but have access to the house when Chief is kenneled. They are working on interactions, he is very barky with them when they are roaming around, but it seems to be out of frustration of not being able to interact with them. He’s pretty young and impulsive still.
He’s fairly active but does a great job of keeping himself occupied with toys. He enjoys walks but they are working on the pulling. He is good in his crate, does not shred beds/blankets, and although he had occasional marking incidents when he first arrived, that has mostly faded. He barks at the door to go out.
He takes treats very gently. He seems to be very social, although he does get nervous and growl with high pressure exams or handling- i.e., heartworm test. He also growled at a man at an adoption event because the man was holding his head in his hands and rubbing him really roughly. No snap or bite involved, he was just communicating his discomfort. Fosters are muzzle training to ensure he can be examined at the vet safely. Chief trades easily with his toys.
The foster has a photo album for him and also did a little brochure about him. Chief really is a wonderful dog who would do great with a dog friend and an active owner who can continue his training and socialization. He has unique markings with a mostly black face. He is goofy, active, playful, biddable and very puppy-like! He entertains himself with toys and plays well with very exuberant resident dog!