Adopt

My name is Nitro!

Posted over 2 weeks ago

Cared for by Pound Dog Rescue
Adoption fee: $800

This helps Pound Dog Rescue with pet care costs.

My basic info

Breed
Mastiff/Rottweiler
Color
Black
Age
Young
Size
X-Large 101 lbs (46 kg) or more (when grown)
Weight
Sex
Male
Pet ID
PDR1291

My details

Alert icon Not good with kids
Alert icon Not good with cats
Checkmark in teal circle Needs experienced adopter
Checkmark in teal circle Shots current
Checkmark in teal circle Spayed / Neutered
Checkmark in teal circle Housetrained

My story

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

**IF THIS LISTING IS STILL POSTED THIS DOG IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. NO NEED TO EMAIL ASKING IF THE DOG IS AVAILABLE. PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS BIO THOROUGHLY AS INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY IS CONTAINED IN THIS LISTING**

For Adoption: Parsley!

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/.

Nitro is a 2-year-old Rottweiler/Mastiff mix weighing in a about 102lbs and still has some filling out to do! He has a silky soft black coat on his back and head, typical of a Rottweiler, with the brindle colouring coming through on his legs and belly. He is a solid boy, and is very strong. He has a protective instinct, typical of his breed mix but when he settles in at home, he is a very sweet, cuddly and goofy boy.

Nitro was found as a stray running loose and was brought into a shelter where he was unclaimed. We were able to bring him in into our care, which is for the best as he was very skinny when we got him, and hadn’t been cared for. Shortly after entering our care we found out that Nitro was heartworm positive. He obviously hadn’t been on heartworm prevention in his prior home and with heartworm very prevalent on Ontario now, and transmitted by mosquitos, he was susceptible. The treatment for heartworm is very involved and expensive but we took to getting him back to health and heartworm free. Nitro has now completed his heartworm treatment and is on preventative monthly to ensure he is never exposed again. His new family will need to commit to keeping him on heartworm prevention from the vet to ensure he is never exposed again.

True to his breeds, with people he considers part of his pack, he is very loving and gentle and so very loyal. Nitro is very devoted to his people and absolutely adores his family. When we first got him, he was nervous of others coming into the house or out on walks, but having now settled in and with some leash training and positive association training he is doing very well. Nitro would be a suitable dog for an experienced guardian breed owner who is keen on training and can confidently handle a very large dog. His foster family has done a ton of work with him on obedience skills and he is such a smart dog, picking up on all new skills very quickly. We are looking for his forever family to continue the training we have already instilled in him and continue to build on that. He is not suitable for a first-time dog owner, but for those who are experienced with and love Rotties and Mastiffs, this handsome dude is the best of both breeds.

Nitro would do best in a home with no kids or visiting kids. We’ve come to know and love his kind and gentle soul; however, he has a very strong protective instinct and doesn’t like any too quick movements. He’s a very quiet boy, only speaking when absolutely necessary – which is typically just to warn you of any potential threats or trespassers on the property. He has a deep, loud bark that would scare the pants off just about anyone but a simple “thank you” is all he needs to understand his job is done. He’s a very active dog, always looking for a job to do. If you don’t give him one, he will find something to occupy himself, and that’s usually finding any stray article of clothing on the floor and bringing it to you – he tends not to inflict any damage, but he likes a tidy house. He looks forward to his walks which are usually about 45 minutes, twice a day in order to expel his energy. He has learned to walk wonderfully on a leash at whatever pace the leash holder sets for him – with the odd reminder. Keep your eye out for squirrels and rabbits, he does like to chase but has learned pretty quickly that it’s not always necessary.

Nitro is so eager to please his people and is incredibly adaptable to whatever life seems to throw his way. He does require exercise and a job to keep him on track, but is always quite happy to start and end the day with a cuddle on the couch – or your lap. He loves to roll around in the grass so once a month or so he gets a bath and a nail trim. He doesn’t love to get his ears cleaned but luckily, they don’t get too dirty.

Nitro is fully house, and crate trained, he’s not had accidents here but has been known to ‘mark’ when visiting other homes with strong pet smells. He sleeps in his crate at night and is crated anytime he’s home alone. He was reluctant at first but has become very comfortable in his crate and will go in on his own – the fact that he gets a special treat every time he goes in certainly helps. He does require the plastic kennel style vs. the wire crate style cage – his preference and he will escape the wire crate. He is very gentle with food, we’ve had no issues petting him or taking a bowl from him – he does get a bit possessive with toys which we’re working on. Partly due to the fact that he tends to be quite destructive with toys, so he tends to lose access to them – so once he gets them, he hangs on pretty tight. On the bright side, in destroying toys he doesn’t seem to swallow any pieces, and he seems to know what is a toy and what is not a toy. Nitro also LOVES a car ride. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, long or short drive, he is eager to jump in and tag along. He sits quite nicely in the back seat just observing his surroundings.

Nitro would do best in a detached or semi-detached home, with a fenced in yard that he can run and play in. He loves to be outside, where he likes to play fetch and chase critters out of the yard, however he doesn’t like to be left outside by himself. He requires a quiet home without a lot of people coming and going and few visitors. He needs proper introduction to all visitors, and random people can’t be coming and going at will. He is a home protection breed, and although he has never been aggressive in our care, he won’t stand for strangers coming into the house, or any rough housing type behavior going on in the house. Generally chill and super easy going with his people, he is on alert if strangers come on the property.

Nitro would like to be the only pet in the home for now. We don’t know how he would be with cats as he hasn’t been cat tested. He has met a well mannered, friendly dog and he was fine with him. He could absolutely have dog friends to go on walks with, and once comfortable with them, could even have play sessions. But we would like him to be his new families sole focus for the first year at least so he can settle in, get fully trained, and fully mature, as power breeds take 3yrs to fully mature physically and emotionally.

Nitro is incredibly smart and quick to learn his basic manners, particularly when there are treats involved. He’s still working on stay, because he very much likes to remain right by his humans’ side at all times. He’s got his sit and down commands pretty well mastered along with waiting to be told “go” before attacking his food dish. He’s also come a very long way with recall to the command – “here” – and will a bit of practice and diligence will have this mastered in no time. He’s incredibly eager to please and work for his people so training is very important to him, but he catches on very quickly and just needs the odd reminder.

When Nitro came into foster care he was fully checked out, brought up to date on his vaccinations and neutered as well as tested and treated for heartworms. Initially he was a bit wary at the vet, however, in his subsequent appointments he’s received glowing reviews from the staff showing his ability to build trust.

Nitro is a fiercely loyal and protective dog, and when shown love and care, becomes a sweet, loving and goofy boy. He’s incredibly smart and adaptable and will make a wonderful companion. If you’re looking for a dog that will always be by your side, and have your back, Nitro just might be the guy for you!

Name: Nitro

ID # PDR1291

Age: 2yrs

Gender: male

Neutered: yes

UTD vaccines: yes

Breed: Rottweiler/ Mastiff

Colours: black and brindle

Coat length: short

House trained: yes

Special needs: no

OK with kids: no

OK with cats: no

Ok with dogs: yes, but not to live with right now

Status: adoptable

Microchip: yes

Size: XL

Location: Kitchener

Adoption fee: $800
Rescue

Contact info

Pet ID
PDR1291
Contact
Phone
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!!!

Other pets at this rescue