About Shorty

Shorty needs stability in his life. This adorable, sweet, active low-rider has had his life turned upside down in the last four weeks. He was found roaming the streets of San Antonio by a good Samaritan who, after searching for his owner discovered he had been dumped. The owner was moving and had no more room for him. VEBR offered to help. VEBR got shorty completely vetted: neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, then waited for transport to bring him up. A local foster stepped up and was able to share a lot about Shorty: About 8 months old Very sweet, funny, playful and loving Good with dogs but can be a bit nervous so a simple respectful introduction is needed Cats: he loved to chase the foster's cat, however, when the cat stopped running from him, he turned and walked away. Great on a leash, though he loves to go and may pull. At 32 lbs, he's pretty manageable Doesn't love to go into the crate but can be pushed a little. once inside he will whine or bark then settle in and go to sleep. Some good chicken or other meat certainly encourages him to go in more easily. His foster kept him in a medium sized crate but if he's going to spend more time in the crate an bigger one would be better. The foster used the crate at night and if the family went out during the day. One night the foster fell asleep on the couch only to wake up and find Shorty curled up in his crate. He keeps his crate clean (no mess!). When you go to get him out of the crate in the morning, frankly, he seems pretty content in it and is in no hurry to come out. He stretches and slowly comes out; goes to the yard and sniffs and pees. Most dogs come out of the crate at lightening speed, but I think he's not a morning person. On the other hand, he tends to get wound up at night, like small kids do, and it's easy to think he's not tired. Usually he is; just put him in his crate and he will go to sleep (he was crated up to 8 hours with zero problems) Zero food aggression towards other dogs; but he inhales his food and will go to another dog's food bowl to eat his. So if the family has a dog with food aggression beware. He may settle in when he realizes there is plenty of food for him to eat. He takes treats nicely and is very food motivated He knows 'sit' and we are working on other commands. His Foster used 'wait' during walks when they stopped for traffic to go by, then 'let's go' to start walking again. He LOVES his walks; he would walk about one mile in the morning and a short walk before bedtime. After each walk he got a treat. The finder noticed he liked to charge the front door as if to leave. For that reason, the foster took measures to keep him from running out. Including using treats to ask him to back 'off' (and when he walked back and sat he got a treat). We would rattle the doorknob which got him excited, then said 'off' to teach him to back away. We didn't have him long enough to have him fully learn it but an adopter should be aware especially as his life has been turned upside down so much in the last 3 weeks. Suggestions for his new family: Move very slowly in the beginning. Quick movements or large gestures will likely make him duck or jump back and it's tougher to try to make up for that once he's nervous about a person. However, once he trusts a person he's very comfortable around them. When reaching out to him do so with palms facing up; it really made a difference for him. He really doesn't have any problem with men, women or older kids. Young kids may move too quickly for him. He is a bully breed, so he can be stubborn. He still humps other dogs . This should subside over time as his hormones subside and he learns better manners. He loves to snuggle with his people and will even lay on them. Once he's comfortable he will fall asleep on his back with his legs straight up. He snores. He loves rope toys and will fetch them. He's not as interested in balls. He loves zucchini. Go figure. He's not 'anxious' necessarily but his life has been very unstable so he can be skeptical and anxious about some things. Get him into a routine that includes regular exercise to help him adjust. Use a martingale collar during walks as he likes to pull and he wants to chase squirrels or cats or go see other dogs. I've seen too many dogs slip out of harnesses so until he has training and listens well, the harness may not be safe. He would be happy as an only dog or with other nice dogs.

Chittenden County
Williston, Vermont 05495