12/16/2024
Pierre's Christmas Wish: A Furever Home 🐾🎅
Meet Our Beloved Foster Boy!
Name: Pierre (or Pierre FiFi if you ask his human foster sister)
Breed: German Shepherd Mix (Male)
Weight: 55lbs
Age: 8 years young
Good with kids: YES!
Good with dogs: Still learning -- Pierre is thought to be okay with larger dogs, but is still learning safe and appropriate interaction with small dogs
Good with cats: Not yet
Energy Level: Low
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Vaccines: Up to date
Crate trained: Unknown - no crate needed 🥳
House trained: Yes - Pierre is respectful and does well unsupervised at home. He never makes a mess or gets into things that he shouldn't. He prefers napping and gazing out a window until you return.
Potty Trained: Yes.
Bio:
Meet Pierre! Indoors, this sweet guy is the most relaxed and gentle thing around. He loves all humans big and small and enjoys gazing out his front window more than playing with the endless supply of toys his foster family got him. He likes to keep an eye on his humans between naps and window gazing, often turning into their temporary shadow. He loves a good snuggle or scratch, and behaves perfectly well inside the home. He isn't much for games yet, although he's thoroughly impressed by his human foster sister's virtual pet cat and remote puppy. We simply like to think that Pierre is mature and prefers planning for his future, listening to intellectual conversation, or occasional gossip (as long as it's juicy).
This guy will soak up all the love and attention you can give, but isn't ready to drain your bank account for treats and toys. He is more than ready to find a family that is the perfect fit, in the perfect location. He is not one to beg, jump, or bark and is practicing his doggy school homework like the perfect student & catching on to new commands quite well.
Pierre had a long sheltered life before his rescue and learning all about typical dog life and behavior outdoors is still a process for him. He is practicing his leash skills and enjoys keeping his foster mom strong on their wealks. A fenced in yard would be ideal for his new home so he is able to run and explore safely. He will want to check out the big world he didn't have access to before and deserves a family that can be mindful of that -- although he's doing great learning recall and responding to his name as well as new commands like "stay" (since he always is promised that his humans will return). All the people around him find him an absolute joy to teach and truly believe that Pierre is the perfect model for the saying "old dogs can still learn new tricks."
Since Pierre is making up for years without exploring, he isn't ready to be off leash. We were told that he has a strong prey drive and when encountered by other small animals or pets, he might want to run. Since he is still learning to remember his commands when out in the big world, his foster family thinks that a country home or even a location without all the dog traffic they have in town would be great. We find that Pierre seems more curious than predatory spotting squirrels on our walks, but know that small dogs would not be a good fit for him at this time. Cats and chickens are thought to be a "no" for now as well.
Pierre is curious and wants to know where his humans are going when they leave. But he only gives a small whimper or never barks or causes trouble when left alone. He recently developed some mild separation anxiety that has caused a couple indoor accidents, when his fosters left -but this is not typical for him and he does quite well, especially with his regular schedule and is able be left freely.
He enjoys using his sniffer to explore the new and exciting world around him and loves sleeping on the floor or next his humans -- or anywhere he can be as near as possible to the whole family at once. When the household wakes, Pierre is sure to pop up for a quick snuggle to remind everyone he is there and has been keeping an eye out.
Pierre is truly gentle, kind, and comfortable around children and adults. He is protective of his foster family and they absolutely adore him, but he deserves one that he can call his very own. With Pierre being very relaxed and low maintenance indoors, but needing more support outside - we hope he can find a family that sees all the good he has and help him bring it out for the rest of the world to see too.
This gorgeous guy is sweet natured and catching on quickly to training for someone his age. Although he is begining to follow simple commands, he would benefit from a family who is ready to continue helping him learn the basics and just how to be his very best self outdoors too.
- Commands mastered indoors (in process outdoors): Recall/name calling response, sit, stay, leave it, lets walk,
- Commands nearly mastered indoors (in process outdoors): Heel, walk, slow, down
Routines mastered:
-Free feeding
-Scheduled potty time (no overnight accidents)
-Brushing/home grooming
In his time with us, he has enjoyed endless snuggles and love but also a few fun firsts, including:
- A professional grooming visit where he earned a special tie for doing so well and came out sparkly clean.
- A visit to our vet to earn his clean bill of health & a few treats, that were of no interest to him so were replaced by extra love
Helping to find a home for this boy....
Helping to find this boy a great furever home!!
- Private training with a sought after trainer (and fellow German Shepherd dad x4) who adored him and is continuing to help Pierre and us as his foster family let his best parts shine!
We are truly proud of the resilient rescue our foster boy is and look forward to seeing him thrive with his new family (who hopefully sends photos and updates endlessly)!!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out directly. If you're interested in adopting, visit: https://www.bethechangerescue.com or email: [email protected] 🐾
Melanie Kretschmer
