Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
Good with dogs,
Not good with cats,
Needs experienced adopter,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Story
Sasha is still looking for her forever home. She was at the shelter for 5 months and has been with her foster since August 12th, 2024.
She came to her foster from ACPS in order to start her heartworm treatment out of the shelter. She has since gone through several vet appointments and has been Heartworm free since Thanksgiving.
Sasha is estimated to be around 8yo, but she has the energy of a much younger dog. Due to how long it took for her to be treated, there is some damage in her heart and lungs that causes her to get tired faster than other dogs, but nothing that stops her from living a happy and long life as a pet (no working homes).
She is absolutely ball obsessed and will have one in her mouth 99.9% of the time. She is crate and potty trained and now starting basic obedience. She uses the dog door for potty breaks and has never had an accident in the house, but still loves to go for her walks daily.
She is not a cuddly dog, but loves to be around people at all times. She will play and love on her people, but when it’s time to relax, she always chooses her dog bed rather than the furniture.
Even though she has a lot of energy, needs daily walks and a lot of enrichment, she has an extremely mellow personality. She is extremely friendly towards any stranger she meets and shows no guarding or protective instincts (doesn’t bark at doorbell/knocking and will friendly greet someone she doesn’t know coming in the house). When she is playing, she can be very rough and use her front paws a lot, but outside of playtime, she is really gentle when approaching people and doesn’t jump or act rambunctious for attention.
She is very tolerant and different than a lot of other GSDs, she does really well for nail trims and grooming. She is extremely food driven and can easily be taught cooperative care and voluntarily offer behaviors at the vet and the groomer.
She has the typical German Shepherd anxiety and thrives in routine. She does extremely well when she is in her home, knows her way around, and what to expect of her day. Her morning routine mostly consists of being let out of her crate for a quick potty break, breakfast, 30min sniff walk, a frozen kong for about an hour, then a crate and rotate schedule until dinner time. She has gone on roadtrips a few times and does great in the car, but gets overstimulated and anxious adjusting to the new routine in a new place,. The adopter will need to provide a lot more enrichment, mental and physical stimulation and avoid leaving her alone for long time. It takes her about 5 days to settle into a new routine as long as it’s consistent and she knows what to expect.
Sasha has a very strong prey drive so cats and small dogs are an absolute no. She can get along with other large dogs as long as there is no conflict of personalities/temperaments. A soft/submissive dog, preferably male, could be a good fit IF THE OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCED HANDLERS. We would not place her in a home with another dog if the owners don’t have the experience and ability to manage the interactions and risk setting her up for failure. Otherwise, being the single pet in the home would be best.
Overall she is a really amazing girl and could be a great family dog. She will come with basic obedience, a month of heartworm/flea/tick prevention and life long training support.
Located in Jacksonville, FL but willing to travel up to 4 hours for the right home.
For more up to date information on this dog please go to our website @ https://www.playk9rescue.org/adopt-a-dog
The adoption fee for this pet covers the cost of care and training which may have been for several weeks or several months depending on the health and training needs. The fee also covers all vet bills during this time to ensure his/her health is improved or maintained and provides you with assurance that this dog has been well cared for while in our possession and evaluated to meet your home's needs. Included in this fee is also life- long training support provided by PLAY! K9 Academy located in Bradenton, FL as well as Life time microchip registration.
When you adopt from a local shelter, you may not receive any medical history for this dog nor will you receive any behavioral history. We hope you understand that the minimal adoption fee we are asking is to continue our mission to rescue unwanted herding and working breeds from shelters/owners and get them adopted to their forever home.
Please note, we will not approve an adoption to individuals or families residing in rental apartments. Typically, apartment complexes have pet policies on restricted breeds and weights which includes German Shepherd Dogs, Belgian Malinois, bully breeds, etc. These dog breeds are not breeds that will thrive in an apartment setting regardless of the management pet policy. Our adoption policy is non-negotiable.
