12/08/2024
Please meet Andy, the sweetest, happiest little boy I’ve had as a foster for a while. Andy came from Long County Animal Shelter, in the outback of Georgia, south of Savannah. Long County has so many strays and owner surrenders that sometimes animals go straight from intake to euthanasia as there’s no room for them. When they called me about Andy, I just had to help.
Andy appears to have had a difficult past. He can be timid and submissive. It appears this happens when he thinks you might hurt him. If I call him, he will often just sit and stare at me, and when I approach he flips immediately onto his back. After a few belly rubs, he figures out that isn’t going to happen and he will follow me. So I’m pretty sure he has been abused in some way.
But my goodness, is he ever affectionate! He just wants someone to give him attention, to love him and pet him and make him feel safe. He’ll often put his front paws in my lap and lean on me to ask for pets. That is also, by the way, how he asks to go out So it is usually a good idea to pet him for a while and then take him out.
I have no information about Andy before Long County, but I’m pretty sure he is pure bred. He is phenomenally smart. When he was at the vet, he herded all the cats into the center of the room for them. We live on a corner lot and he chases cars along the fence line. He is endlessly curious and will get into things. He got into my wife’s gummies, 400 mg worth, and spent some quality time watching the wall slide downhill to the left.
Andy is very friendly. He loves people and other dogs, with whom he is quite playful. He even plays with my problem child, Judy Blue Eyes, and stares her down when she is overly aggressive.
He has the idea of house training but his implementation is imperfect. He needs someone to be patient, consistent, and most important, regular, something that is hard for me to do given my work schedule. He is the best crate dog I’ve ever had. When I open the door, he walks straight in. And in the morning, he does not go ballistic to be let out. He just waits patiently until I wake up.
His age is a little hard to guess. He has shiny white teeth with no tartar, and that says young. But his face has a lot of white on it and that says older. Based on his teeth and activity level, the vet guessed about 4. I think he might even be a bit younger as he has some behaviors that I associate with puppies. For instance, when he is playing with me, he mouths my hand. He doesn’t mean anything by it as he is quite gentle and careful, but that is a behavior I haven’t seen much in older dogs.
Andy has had all his vaccinations and has been microchipped. He came to me with heartworms and is currently in the middle of treatment. When the heartworms have been successfully eliminated, he will be ready for adoption.
If you’re looking for a whip smart, friendly companion, Andy is your man!
