Caleb - Dachshund/Poodle/Yorkie mix (best guess) - young (1 - 2 years of age) - male/neutered - 14 pounds - white with blue merle medium length silky coat
Caleb came into rescue as a pitifully matted and frightened stray, and has transformed into a joyful, loving and expectant dog.
Caleb’s greatest strength is his capacity to love people. He loves everyone who walks into his foster caregivers’ house - even the neighbor’s dog. On a night when his fosters hosted a house full of teens, Caleb was in heaven.
Caleb’s days are filled with happy pursuits like playing fetch with his favorite stuffed animal, or curling up in a dog bed chewing on a nylabone. When he wants to be held, he runs over to anyone who is sitting in his vicinity and eagerly reaches up his front legs in an imploring manner. He is overjoyed when his fosters return from work each afternoon, and equally overjoyed when the household awakens each morning; he expresses his delight by executing quick spins in place like an ice skater. Caleb is a happy dog.
Caleb’s fosters have been careful to build on Caleb’s sweetness and expectancy with patience, love, and positive reinforcement. They realized when they first met Caleb that he was fearful of being reproached, and scared of things that were new to him - even a leash. Caleb’s adopters will need to be prepared to provide very gentle, positive training. Currently Caleb is house trained, understands “outside” and “in the house”, and he has a decent recall, especially if the treat jar is being shaken. He is working on “sit”.
In foster care, Caleb has developed the capacity to trust and to love. His adopters will need to be careful to build from that platform of faith, as anything that Caleb perceives as a possible scolding, even just standing over him to teach him something, causes him to cower a bit.
His adopters will also need to welcome Caleb on furniture, since he loves to lie on the couch with his humans. Because of his long, soft silky coat, Caleb will require grooming, and his adopters will also need to find a groomer with patience and a gentle touch; he was very frightened at his first grooming and required many milk bones to get through it.
Physically, Caleb is long-bodied with refined legs and a slender build. His eye contact is open, direct and curious.
Caleb thrives on being touched and held. In return he gives careful, soft kisses. He plays like a puppy - full force - and then naps with equal intensity. He loves other small dogs, and plays with them wholeheartedly, so another dog will need to have forbearance and energy to enjoy Caleb. Caleb also loves cats - again, he loves them interactively and while the resident cat in his foster home is quite happy to wrestle and sleep with Caleb, not all cats would share those inclinations.
Caleb’s energy level is appropriate for his age - moderately high. He needs ample opportunity for walks, racing and running around a yard, and games of fetch. His movement style is springy and bouncy, and there may be a potential talent for agility in Caleb.
We suspect that in foster care, Caleb has been given the chance to relive the puppyhood he deserved the first time around - supported with love, gentle consistency, and lots of encouraging positive reinforcement. We are touched by his willingness and his faith. Caleb will reward his adopter(s) with his innocence, his willingness, and his open heart.
We are requiring a securely fenced yard for Caleb, and we do not recommend him for a home with children under the age of 14.
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