About Parker

Parker is a sweet-natured, calm dog. At less than two years old, he has almost no desire to play and spends most days sleeping. He enjoys walks, but will lay down for the foreseeable future afterward. He loves scritches and physical affection. If you sit on the floor, he will insinuate his way into your lap. He loves playing with other dogs, but should avoid hyper ones. More on that later. We were told when we got him that he is allergic to chicken. At just under a year old, he developed a slight limp after exuberant playing with a pomski. We assumed he had simply tweaked something and walking it off would help. The limp did improve, but very slowly. Around three weeks afterward he was alone in a room and suddenly yelped in that heartwrenching way dogs do when injured. For the next few days, he refused to put any weight on the other leg. This warranted a trip to the vet and we were informed that he had luxating patellas. Neither of his kneecaps were in the right spot. One month later, he had his first of four knee surgeries in eight months. Following them, the vet has said that he should be on joint supplements for the rest of his life and even recommended that we look into hydrotherapy as he gets older. Our hardwood floors are also bad for him, because when he slips on them, it hurts his poor knees so he walks on them very gingerly. Considering all of this, we began discussing if there might be a better home for him that can better afford the care he will need as he gets older. We've had Parker for a year and a half and up until recently, he's been a good and well-behaved dog. However, since he was young, he's had anxiety issues. He barks at people that walk the street in front of our house. He growls or barks when he hears dogs barking anywhere in our neighborhood. If anyone comes through our front door, he sees them as a threat and takes at least a full minute to calm down, then doesn't care anymore and is sweet to them. It doesn't matter how many times he has met the intruder, they are greeted with their hackles up. Without being told any of that, his vet suggested dog xanax just from going through the ordeal of cutting his nails. This has grown steadily worse and came to a head this week. Our oldest son (6) was putting spilled food back into Parker's bowl. Parker entered the room in the middle of this chore, growled for two seconds and then bit his hand. This was new behavior and the growling had never even happened before, not even toward other dogs actively eating his food. Two days later, our youngest (3) was placing a piece of ham in his bowl. He followed her, excited, didn't jump or anything, but as soon as she'd dropped the food into his bowl, he growled at her to go away. The next day, while he was eating, our middle one (5) walked past him and he growled at him. This is all brand new, and our best guess is it is related to his anxiety. Until this week, he has had no problem with the children for the year and a half we've had him but, considering how young our children are, we do not want to risk this escalating farther. After the idea had entered our minds of, would another home be better for him, these new incidents felt like confirmation that our home is not the best place for him. We want him to have a safe and loving home that can take care of him in the way he needs to be. An older family would be ideal for his lazy lifestyle.

Gwinnett County
Snellville, Georgia