J.D. 05-249 [1]

8/28/05: JD arrived at our house on Friday. He is about as sweet as they come. He is believed to be about 4-5 years old, is neutered, and up to date on his rabies.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of background information to pass along at this time, and am hoping to get a bit more in the next couple days to share. I will also be making a vet appointment for JD tomorrow, so will update with the news of his checkup as well.

What we do know so far is that JD is quite smart, knows all the basic obedience commands, completely house trained.. gets along famously with our resident Golden and our 4 cats. So far, he has been a complete Velcro dog, just wanting to be where you are at all times, LOVES to go outside and walks great on the leash. We were told he was not getting nearly enough exercise, and that seems to be the case, because he has been panting and getting worn out by the activity level at our house, but his spirit is not dampened and he just keeps hanging in there for whatever is going on - doesn't want to miss out on anything good :)

He is a darker red, not very tall, but compact. I'm guessing about 65 lbs., probably could stand to drop a couple of those, and his coat is not in the best shape, but I think a change to his diet may help that.

He is the sweetest, gentlest soul, and unfortunately, seems he may have suffered some abuse at some point in his life. He is timid and shy when meeting new people (unless they are children, goes right up to them tail a wagging) but warms up to you very quickly if you approach slow and let him come to you. He is very fearful of men, runs and hides behind me when he feels a man is approaching, or hits the floor and averts his face. So far he is slowly beginning to trust our resident Man, but he has to be sitting down, or have been in the room with JD for a while until JD wants to sit next to him and be petted, but doesn't make eye contact, (has even started wagging his tail a tiny bit when Justin talks to him real quiet and calls him over). He will flinch with sudden movements or if people walk with objects in hand, but we have already seen improvements with this in the two days he has been here. Once he has learned he can trust you though, he is all about getting lots of love and attention. He wants nothing more than to be loved, and to love you back, and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Just forgives us all for whatever may have been done to him in the past.

He did not live with another dog at his previous home, but it has really helped him to feel safe here watching our own dog interact with us, and he does seem to really enjoy the canine companionship. I will be sure to update with more as I get the information.