My name is Rusti - Gentle & Calm!

We cannot imagine anyone not falling in love with Rusti upon meeting him. He is a gentle soul, calm, loving, soft-tempered. He's also housetrained, walks well on leash, loves car rides, and is overall a very well-behaved dog. Although he gets along with dogs and cats, Rusti's true love is people. Young, old, male, female, Rusti loves them all. He is so gentle with everybody, even kids, and loves nothing more than being petted. He has the temperament of a therapy dog. As low-maintenance and friendly as he is, he would be a great dog for a first-time dogowner. He'd also be a perfect dog to take to work -- or pretty much anywhere!

Here's something one of his foster families wrote about him (note: he was previously named Buddy):
"I meant to tell you a sweet story. Kevin was walking Bo and Buddy yesterday. They walked by a bus stop, and an elderly woman was waiting there. Buddy walked right up to her and greeted her with a nuzzle and kisses. She broke out in a huge smile. He has that gift. He pretty much wanted to say hi to every person he passed when walking. He is definitely a people dog."

Rusti had been adopted from the Modesto shelter as a young pup and then was returned 4 years later. It is hard to imagine that anybody could abandon such a sweet, easy-going dog as Rusti. We rescued him from the shelter at that time, back in 2010, and he was adopted by a caring woman who worked as a therapist and took him to work with her every day as she met with her clients. Tragically, his mom just recently passed away from a terminal illness and we are once again trying to find him a family or individual who will love and appreciate him for the rest of his life.

When we rescued him from the shelter a couple of years ago, his thick hair was so matted that we had to shave it off. Under all that hair, we found a few lumps, including a very large on on the side of his stomach. The vet aspirated the largest lump and determined that they were benign fatty tumors, common in older dogs.

Rusti is generally extremely calm but he does have an unexpected playful streak that comes out at times. He enjoys car rides, especially when he can stick his head out the window, and he enjoys his walks and of course is in high heaven whenever he meets a new person. He gets excited when he meets new dogs, though he didn't interact very much with our dogs when he was living was us. The thing that makes him most excited in the whole wide world is when you grab the leash. Once he's on the walk, he's very mellow and walks great on leash. But when you're getting ready for the walk, Rusti goes cuckoo for cocoa puffs. See video below.

We're not sure what breed mix Rusti is, but we're guessing golden retriever and malamute just based on appearance. We're also not sure of his age, but from what we know if his history, we guess 7-8. He weighs about 70 lbs, but his long hair makes him look a lot bigger.

Rusti is a very "soft" dog. Loud noises startle him so a gentle voice is sufficient correction. He is a really well-behaved dog so I had to rack my brain to come up with his list of of "issues" :

- He's a finicky eater and not at all food-motivated. There may be meals when he just doesn't care to eat.

- He can display a stubborn streak on rare occasions. He responds very well to guidance though--however, sometimes his size makes him hard to guide!

Rusti is currently being fostered in SUNNYVALE. If you are interested in adopting him, please email to request an adoption application. There is a $200 tax-deductible adoption fee to help cover expenses of all our rescued dogs. Buddy is neutered, microchipped, and current on shots. A homecheck will be required as we want to ensure each dog goes to an environment suited for them.

His most recent foster family wrote me in an email (not realizing I would share it with the world--hope you don't mind, Ada!):
"Rusti is such an angel. He has put my life back in balance (physically and mentally). He also calms and relaxes me (which is an amazing thing because I'm sorta laid back to begin with). He really does have a gift of healing others. He quietly captured our hearts. There's a kindness and gentleness about him that makes him so unique.

"There was a moment when I was feeling emotional from the circumstances and the thought of having to part with him yesterday. I was trying to cover up my emotions because I didn't want Arden to see nor did I want Rusti to know his owner passed away. As I was pretending to be fine while playing with Arden, Rusti gently but firmly stayed sitting in front of me, looked straight into my eyes with a concerned look, and then he calmly put one of his paws on my knee as if to offer me comfort. I tried to pretend I was fine. I petted him as he returned to a sitting position, but he knew and then he put his other paw on my knee gently again. That was such a powerful moment, and the emotions were overwhelming. Among all the foster dogs I have had, Rusti is the one who I felt the closest with. "

If you're looking for a mature dog, one that is gentle and loving and wants nothing more than to be loved, Rusti is your boy. Just spend a little time with him and we promise your heart will melt. As one person commented, "Somebody is going to adopt him and think that he is the best dog in the world."

Sweet Rusti:

Rusti gets groomed (this speaks volumes about his temperament--he went straight from the shelter to the groomer. from 2010):

Rusti meets his new foster family for the first time (from 2010):

Rusti and the resident hound, Bo, play (from 2010):



A rare sighting--Rusti playing with a toy!


Rusti knows it's time for a walk:








For lots more photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1348545799655.2042513.1411640354&type=1