My name is Whiskey!

Posted 1 week ago

Cared for by Pound Dog Rescue

Adoption fee: $900

This helps Pound Dog Rescue with pet care costs.

My basic info

Breed

Collie/Sheltie, Shetland Sheepdog

Color

Tan/Yellow/Fawn - with White

Age

Young

Size

Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)

Weight

–

Sex

Male

Pet ID

PDR2050

My details

Not good with kids

Good with dogs

Not good with cats

Shots current

Spayed / Neutered

Housetrained

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

For adoption: Whiskey

Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle.
We at PDR believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.
To apply for adoption and for more information on our process and requirements, visit our website at https://pounddog.ca/adoption-info/.

Let me introduce you to Whiskey, an 8 month old playful, energetic, super intelligent and supremely fun loving Shetland Sheepdog and Collie mix. This guy never gets too tired for action, and firmly believes in giving everything 110 percent. He is full of life and enthusiasm for everything. Whiskey is ready to move on from his difficult background as a mill dog to an exciting future as a close companion, and maybe potential champion in a challenging sport or activity. He's even agreed to let his forever family help him decide which activities would be the most fun.
Whiskey is a gorgeous pup with beautiful sable fur, white markings, and a flowing tail. He's currently about 35lbs and likely won't get much bigger, maybe up to 40-45lbs when full grown. His eyes are a rich chocolate brown, which he can easily use to melt your heart. And if that doesn't work he'll climb into your lap and roll around while giving you the most adorable expressions, usually with a lolling tongue and a big smile. When he's chilling with you he likes to lie right at your feet.
When Pound Dog Rescue first rescued Whiskey and we brought him in as a foster about a month ago, we expected a slightly timid or maybe even fearful pup but we couldn't have been more wrong. He hasn't shown any fear, and while a bit wary at first of some new things, he's truly excited for everything. His biggest challenge was actually learning to relax while enjoying himself. It was almost as if he was so sure everything would be taken away from him that he needed to experience as much as possible as quickly as possible, which for Whiskey is at lightning speed. Like he thought that because he was getting a later start to puppyhood he needed to play catch up. Over these last weeks Whiskey has learned that life only gets better from here. He can enjoy himself at a more relaxed pace and take breaks from playing knowing that the people and things in his life will still be there for him. He will need someone who can help him continue this journey, and more importantly kick off his lifetime adventure with his forever family. Someone who will be patient with him as he learns, is very dedicated to training (he has so much incredible potential here), and can help him learn boundaries and good manners.
Learning new things is what Whiskey was born to do. In the short time we've had him he's not only learned how to simply be a family dog (which is way more work for him than it sounds), but he's also housebroken and will go on command, learned some obedience like sit and down, learned that his crate is a great place to be safe, chill, and to sleep, and that being in a car usually leads to fun places. He's learning that walks are exciting but that he shouldn't pull on the leash and needs to sit calmly before starting fun activities, learning not to jump up on people when he's excited to see them, that dog toys are for him to play with and household items are not, and learning that calmness has benefits like attention and sometimes even treats.
Whiskey is an incredibly intelligent dog coming from a background of likely little to no interaction, let alone affection, rules, or training, and as a very high energy pup he can get quickly over-stimulated. He has come a long way in the short time we've had him but will require ongoing training and support to help him channel his energy into constructive activities, and maybe even competitive pursuits. I can easily see him excelling at things like obedience and agility. As an enthusiastic herding breed pup he barks when unsure or excited. He will need to be introduced to new places and things slowly, but in time as his confidence and experience grows I know he'd love to go on as many outings and adventures with you as he's able. He is such a friendly, fun-loving goofball who just needs a bit of time and training to help him learn how to behave in different situations. I think he will form a very strong bond with his new person or family and this will be a great source of motivation, trust, and affection for him.
Whiskey is very happy to cuddle with you and adores attention, but he lives his best life outdoors where he can put his mind and body to an activity. He is active most of the day, and prefers it that way. At the end of the day he's content to relax in his crate to bring down his energy before bed, at which time he will sleep through the night and be ready for whatever the next day brings. He absolutely loves a good bouncy ball or frisbee chase, and likes to shake and throw around his toys only to then pounce on them and repeat. He also does this adorable (and admittedly messy) thing where he likes to dig and play with any little crumbs floating in his water bowl, so have a towel ready. He's also quite fast and loves to run and play chase, especially with our family dog. Whiskey is very friendly with her, but he does bark at unknown dogs out of excitement and so will require further training. He's already improving quite quickly here though so with ongoing training and exposure this should be a non-issue in the future. Because of Whiskey's excitement he should be introduced slowly to any new dogs, and he can play a bit rough so he would be best as an only dog at first, or perhaps with another dog who is fun loving and understanding of this play style until Whiskey learns to be more relaxed and gentle. Whiskey would do best in a home without kids or with older children/teenagers as he's still learning how to be gentle and calm, and while he hasn't been exposed to cats yet he likely wouldn't do well with them, he has a prey drive and sometimes tries to chase small animals like squirrels.
As an active boy Whiskey definitely can't be described as boring or lazy, but he is quite happy to relax outdoors in the yard, even by himself. He's learning to be calm inside the house and has made huge strides here, but for now when outside in the yard he's in his element and feels most relaxed and at ease. Whiskey does alert to anything he's unsure of by barking and occasionally barks when he's excited or wants attention, and so will not do well in an apartment or condo. Whiskey needs a safe, secure yard to run, play, and relax in, and one or two good walks daily. Because he's super smart and active he requires exercise, mental stimulation, and an understanding of what's expected in different situations to ensure he's well behaved. Thankfully teaching him how to behave is just a matter of exposure, patience, and basic training. For example he has learned that when left alone in certain situations it's ok for him to play with his toys or nap, or at bedtime he should go into his crate to wait, get a treat, then curl up and sleep until morning. He's also progressing fast with his leash training and rarely pulls on the leash, responding to his name and leash corrections very well.
Whiskey's ideal person or family is active, outdoorsy, has space for him to run and play, and is dedicated to training so he can continue learning boundaries and manners. Someone who is looking for an affectionate and energetic dog to do all kinds of things with, and is also patient enough to introduce Whiskey to new places and activities slowly at first so he can learn how to behave in different situations. He needs an experienced dog owner who would be looking to take him along on their adventures, and to test his skills to see just how many things he can learn. He really has the potential to be one of those dogs that understands a ton of words, commands, and even body language. This will require enthusiasm, patience, training, consistency, dedication, and of course love, but given how fun and loyal Whiskey is he'll make a fantastic companion when these things are in place.
So if you lead an active lifestyle and you're looking for a happy and affectionate companion to share it with, Whiskey will go the distance and maybe even beat you to your destination!

Name: Whiskey
ID # PDR2050
Age: 1yr
Gender: male
Neutered: yes
UTD vaccines: yes
Breed: Sheltie/Collie
Colours: sable and white
Coat length: med
House trained: yes
Special needs: no
OK with kids: older teens
OK with cats: dog savvy only
Ok with dogs: yes
Status: adoptable
Microchip: yes
Size: medium
Location: Kitchener
Adoption fee: $900

Rescue

Pound Dog Rescue

Contact info

Pet ID

PDR2050

Contact

—

Phone

—

pounddog.ca@gmail.com

Website

http://www.pounddog.ca

Address

P.O. Box 261, Drumbo, ON N0J 1G0

Donation

donations can be mailed directly to address above.

Their adoption process

Additional adoption info

Prior to filling out an application on a dog make sure you have read that dog’s profile in its entirety and do some research on the breed(s) of dog you are considering. Make sure that this dog will suit your home and lifestyle. If you wish to proceed please fill out and submit an application online. Alternatively you may print the completed application and mail it to us. It is also a good idea to send us a quick email letting us know to expect your application. Be very thorough in filling out your application. The more we can learn about your family, home and past pet ownership the better. Also, be honest with yourself. Do not apply for a high energy dog if you are not already a very active person. A dog will enhance your life and be a willing partner in your activities but a dog will not change who you fundamentally are. A perfect match will be a dog that suits your current lifestyle and activity level.

Upon receiving your application an Adoption Coordinator will speak with your veterinarian if applicable so please place a call to your vet advising them to expect our call and authorizing them to speak to us about your veterinary history. The next step is for an Adoption Coordinator to contact you to set up an interview and in home visit. Should everything go well we would ask that you contact your references and advise them to expect a call from us. The final step is a meet and greet with the dog at the foster’s home where you can see the dog in an environment where it is comfortable and at ease. The foster will be able to answer any questions on the dog’s behavior, training and routine and you can make the decision if this is truly the dog for you.

Through this procedure we may determine that the dog you applied for is not a good match and we may make suggestions on dogs in our program that would be a better fit for your home. The decision is yours though and we would never push a dog on anyone. We can also keep your application on file and with your permission contact you when a dog we feel would be suitable for you comes up for adoption.

Should your application prove successful we ask for the adoption donation made payable by cash or e-transfer to Pound Dog Rescue. This fee helps defray the costs of veterinary care, upkeep, grooming and transportation for our dogs and is only a small fraction of the total cost spent on each dog in our rescue program. Once you have adopted a dog through Pound Dog Rescue you become part of our family! We love hearing updates about our dogs and receiving pictures! We will always be there for you for advice and support will do whatever we can to make sure you are happy with your new dog.

We the volunteers of Pound Dog Rescue thank you for considering a Pound Dog to adopt and look forward to hearing from you.

Go meet their pets

All of our dogs are cared for in foster homes, and therefore, not available for general public viewing.

More about this rescue

My name is Kim and my husband’s name is Jarett. We are a married couple that is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing dogs in need. Individually, and as a couple, we both have been rescuing and fostering dogs for many other organizations for a number of years. From this experience came the skills, knowledge and connections needed to make starting our own rescue a reality. Having done the work for others for so long and loving the experiences we’ve had, we came to the realization that we can do even more for dogs in need by branching out and having our own rescue group and dedicated team of volunteers. From this fledgling idea Pound Dog Rescue was born and it has grown significantly! It is truly amazing how many good people want to help us save dogs. Pound Dog Rescue would be an impossibility if we didn’t have our team of dedicated volunteers offering their unique and valuable skills and abilities to help grow the rescue. It’s amazing how many animal lovers there are in the community who will donate their time and efforts when they know it goes to such a rewarding cause; to help save dogs. To this date we have received overwhelming support and we know that Pound Dog Rescue and its legion of dedicated supporters will make a positive difference in the lives of many dogs. WE WILL SAVE DOG’S LIVES. And that is why we are here, pure and simple.

We get a lot of questions about our rescue when we talk to people so we thought we would take this opportunity to answer some of the common ones.

Where does Pound Dog Rescue get its dogs from?

All of our dogs come from low-income, low-resource animal control facilities (aka “dog pounds”) in Ontario. These facilities do not have the funding for fancy adoption wings with teams of volunteers and staff. These facilities are minimally staffed with over-worked employees. The dogs have a kennel to stay in that is usually dark and loud and chaotic. These facilities are holding kennels for all of the strays and owner surrendered dogs of their counties and townships. They don’t get to pick and choose the dogs they take in. By law, these pounds must take in any dog that is stray or abandoned. Because of this, kennel space fills up quickly and space runs out. Sadly, without rescue, many of the unclaimed or surrendered dogs will be put down to free up kennel space for the next dogs arriving. This is why we at Pound Dog Rescue will only take in dogs from these facilities. These dogs have very few options, the lucky minority gets adopted, and the others face certain death without rescue. It’s these dogs that we focus on and are dedicated to saving.

Why do we need rescue?

Rescue is needed because sadly, not all dogs live long, happy lives in loving forever homes. Many dogs end up in homes of irresponsible owners who don’t provide them with the training, socialization and care needed to live a happy life. For no fault of their own many of these dogs end up in a pound situation, all because they had the misfortune to be owned by irresponsible people. Sadly, many people still don’t spay or neuter their pets and breed them without any thought to providing quality homes for the puppies or proper care for the mothers. This adds to the already over saturated dog population and takes homes away from dogs already in a pound situation. Because dogs don’t get to choose their owners, rescue is needed. Once in rescue, we choose their next home for them. We strive to make certain that none of our rescue dogs end up back where they came from. We do this by having potential adopters fill out applications and we conduct home visits and interviews and do background checks. We take the extra steps needed to make sure we are sending our dogs off to loving, forever homes.

How does the rescue process work?

We have established a long standing and trusting relationship with a rural Ontario animal control facility. We select most of our dogs from this facility but we are open to helping any low resource pound. We take pictures and do write up’s of all of the dogs available to go to rescue organizations and we forward this information in an email to various different trusted rescues across Ontario. We work hand in hand with a large number of rescues to save as many dogs as possible. We at Pound Dog Rescue not only rescue dogs for our own organization, but assist and facilitate the rescue of dogs to a number of other trusted rescue organizations. We evaluate the dogs in need of rescue and we select dogs based on temperament and the criteria our available foster is looking for. We look to match dogs with fosters. We will never force a foster to take on a dog that they are uncomfortable with or ill equipped to handle. Once selected we have the dog vet checked, vaccinated, heartworm tested, microchipped, and spayed or neutered if required. The dog will then be placed in a preselected foster home to live on a temporary basis where it will be loved and cared for. While in foster care the dog will receive training, socialization, and handling all the while being observed and assessed for behaviour. This way we really get to know the dogs in our care and can confidently determine what will be the best forever home for each individual dog. A successful adoption applicant for a specific dog will have a meet and greet with the dog and it’s foster in the foster’s home. This way the applicant can talk directly with the foster who has been caring for the dog to learn first hand about the dog’s routines, quirks and mannerisms in a home environment. We fully believe that the foster parent knows the dog best and they are an integral part of our adoption procedure.

Is there something wrong with dogs from pounds? Why are they there in the first place?

For the most part the dogs that end up in pounds are there for no fault of their own. A lot of them were owned by people who were irresponsible and let them run loose and when apprehended, did not bother to claim them from the pound. Many come in because the person that owned them either selected a breed of dog that did not suit their lifestyle, or they expected a dog to come fully trained and didn’t want to, or know how to, put the time and effort required into training their dog. And unfortunately, many end up in a pound because they became inconvenient for their owners and the pound is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to dispose of their dog. Some end up there because their owner passed away or had a crisis and were no longer able to care for their dog. We have seen almost every breed of dog in the pound in need of rescue…from the smallest of toy breeds to the largest of giant breeds and everything in between. We have seen many purebreds and just as many mixed breeds. There is no breed of dog that is exempt from being abandoned, lost or unclaimed. We have rescued and fostered countless dogs in our years of volunteering and we have never yet encountered a “bad” dog, or one who had an issue we couldn’t work through. Again, these dogs can’t help who they are owned by. We at Pound Dog Rescue work to educate the public on responsible dog ownership and fully encourage and insist on applicants researching and being educated on the breed of dog they are applying for. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a beautiful Border Collie in the pound having been turned in because he was “too active” or a gorgeous Newfoundland Dog having been turned in because he grew “too big”. Unfortunately these are true stories and real excuses people have used to abandon their former “best friends” at the pound. How about the black Lab who was turned in because the owner redecorated her house and he no longer matched the decor? We aren’t kidding. It happened. So, the answer is no, not all dogs in a pound have something “wrong” with them. Most are there because of things they have no control over, like their breed, their colour or who the person was that happened to pick them out of their respective litters at 8 weeks old.

We thank you for caring enough to consider rescue. We hope you will choose to adopt a rescue dog. Rescue saves dog’s lives and gives dogs a second chance at finding a loving home. And if you want to save a dog and adopt through rescue, as we like to say around here…..There ain’t nothing like a Pound Dog!!!