Safe Dogs By The River has a wonderful companion available for adoption. We are currently accepting applications for Bear and he is available for meet & greets locally in Portland.
'My Name Is Bear! Can we be friends? We can be friends?! Oh boy! My name is Bear and we are friends.'
And that folks, is how Bear greets the people he encounters.
'Oooh Myyy Dawwwggg! Are you gonna throw that ball? You are gonna throw that ball. Oh boyyyy! You got the ball and now I am gonna have the ball!'
And that folks, is a 5-minute game of indoor drop the whistle ball into his mouth, which he absolutely adores.
'Can we snuggle? We can snuggle? I loooove to snuggle. Oooooh goodie, we get to snuggle!!'
And that folks, is how Bear responds when you blow lightly in his face. He will fling and flop to snuggle up as close as possible.
'I wanna be closer. Can I be closer? I get to be closer? Ooooh joyous day, I get to be closer!!!'
And that folks, is how Bear likes to be when it is down time and he is given an invitation to be close.
All those things that experts tell us not to do to dogs, you know, things like hugging, covering under blankets, face in face and all those silly peopley things we can't help doing that usually freak a dog out? Well, Bear, he loves that stuff. He is a sensitive guy, so we always watch to be sure he is still enjoying his time (if he isn't, it is super simple to just stop engaging).
'Is it time for food? Ooooh boy, I love food. I get food? You are so wonderful for bringing me food! I get food. Nom nom nom.'
And that folks, is every mealtime, it's the best time ever! Bear does have some food allergies, but we know exactly what they are and what to feed him. He is currently on a combination of raw food and dry food, in separate meals.
Bear knows how to stay out of the kitchen (with gentle reminders) and wait with patient-ish anticipation for his food.
'Bark. Bark bark. Bark. Is that a dog? I wanna meet that dog. Can I meet that dog? Can I be friends with that dog? Ooooh I get to meet that dog! Sniff.'
And that folks, is how Bear responds to other dogs when he is out on his daily walks. He likes other dogs, and when he can't introduce himself, he gets a bit flustered and barks. A bit of encouragement and off he goes -- either away from the dog or to meet, he adjusts either way.
'Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Trot and sniff. I love being outside. I love sniffing new stuff. I like car rides and water too (but only wading in it, that swimming stuff is for the Labs)! Ooooh good day, we get to play in the water AND sniff stuff!!!!! Oooh, did someone say my name? Does someone wanna be friends? I wanna be friends! Here I come!!'
And that folks, is how Bear is when off leash on walks, hikes or adventures. He has a very good recall, he doesn't wander far out of sight and is a wonderful hiking companion. He doesn't swim, but he loves to wade in the shore, although he will bark at other dogs coming on to the shore from a swim/fetch. A toss of his ball in the other direction keeps things all nice for everyone.
Bear is one of the absolute sweetest dogs we have ever had come through SDBTR. He enjoys snuggling, he likes being hugged, he only ever wants to belong and be near those he loves. He has been so wonderful, we feel honored to know him.
Bear is approximately 9 years old. He is a 55 pound, neutered male, mostly Australian Cattle Dog (may be mixed with Corgi or something), red merle and up to date on all his vaccinations.
He has been with us for 2 years, mostly because we like him so much and we could keep him for a bit longer, so we did. We know what he likes and what he doesn't, we have a nice write up of his favorite things and his not so favorite. He is such a great dog, having him around just makes us feel better no matter what is going on in life.
We know he has a forever family out there, and we will be sad to see him go, but super happy to see him find his true home.
Bear is a super mellow guy, especially for a Cattle Dog. He prefers to relax on his dog bed than to be on the go-go-go. He doesn't chew anything inappropriate, he is totally housetrained and is a very well mannered 'good dog'.
Bear is a bit of a special needs dog, he has some known health issues, they are quite easily managed, even easier if you are familiar with nutrition and holistic care. Here at SDBTR we put great emphasis on holistic care, the entire dog is considered in all choices, we avoid toxins whenever possible and work to support the overall health and strength of any of our critters. Bear is pre-hypothyroid. We have him on a glandular thyroid support to help prevent him from becoming hypothyroid (about $30 every 6 months). We have checked and rechecked his thyroid levels and he is stable and has not fallen into hypothyroidism, and he shows no symptoms, this is an inexpensive way to prevent further health conditions. We do suggest retesting him through Hemopet periodically though (we can offer a discount if done through us and your vet).
Please note, there is a phenomenon that happens to 'gingers' (people too) where they do not respond to anesthetics or some pain medications, it takes an AWFUL LOT to have an effect. Bear is one of those, the vets said it took enough anesthesia to put out an elephant. This is just something to be aware of in the event he should ever require these things, it will take more than expected and should be made known to his regular vet.
We do not suggest using any commercial flea-tick products. While we cannot say with 100% certainty, the likelihood is high that Trifexis caused or contributed to a seizure like episode (happened once shortly after being administered). We have since decided that the risks far outweighed the benefits and have ceased all chemical parasite control. We suggest alternative methods to manage parasites; such as nematodes, diatomaceous earth, essential oils, nutritional support and other non toxic options.
Bear loves other dogs, but we feel he would do best in a home with dogs if the other dog(s) are of the more mellow personality type, he will 'feed off of' a hyper or anxious dog, just as equally as a mellow one.
He is accustomed to a 1-2 hour excursion every day - be it a walk, a fetch session at a dog park (he does well at dog parks, we work to avoid the inappropriately behaved dogs), the river, the coast or other such options. He travels great and is a good house guest. There is a fabulous App that we cannot recommend enough: Sue Sternberg Dog Park App, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dog-park-assistant/id566034379?mt=8, it is simply wonderful and immensely educational)
We hope we have given a good impression of the wonderful dog we think Bear is. If you are interested in meeting Bear, get your application in so you can have a priority place for meeting this beautiful red head. He is just dreamy! Please email for an application and we can schedule a time to meet & greet!
If Bear sounds like a good match for your home, please contact us for an Application. At SDBTR we focus on finding the best possible home, a good match, rather than any home. We invest heavily in each of our available dogs, in health and behavior. We use a holistic approach to rescue, we believe that nutrition and force/fear free teaching are the best possible standards of care. We are well educated in modern evidence based teaching techniques and we offer a lifetime of (email) behavior support for all adoptions.
October 27, 2024, 12:23 am
