Shih Poo puppies and dogs in Frankfort, Illinois

FOSTERED IN: Chicago, IL, 60625 ESTIMATED DOB: 03/2016 WEIGHT: 14lbs KIDS: No DOGS: Some CATS: Possible HISTORY: Theo came to us as a stray from a shelter. ABOUT: Theo is a silly, independent, low-demand, quirky little guy. What kind of quirks you ask? Theo is into feet. Sometimes if you try to pet Theo with your hands he will growl to tell you he isn’t interested - but if you try to pet him with your feet he immediately gets excited and rubs all over them. Theo will come and rub up against your feet if you are sitting on the couch or will often come over if you just hold your foot out. He prefers feet not in shoes, but he’ll take what he can get. Theo prefers not to be touched when he is settled in on his bed. If you try to touch him you risk getting growled or snapped at - unless, of course, you’re trying to touch him with your feet. Then he is interested. His fosters sometimes joke/wonder if they could pet him with their hands if they put socks on their feet. He does like hand petting on occasion. He will jump up next to you on the couch and will allow you to pet him and even rub his belly. As much as Theo doesn’t always want to be touched (with hands) he is super happy to see you when you get home and often does a little dancy-dance when he sees you and this is when he is most likely to want to be pet with hands...unless you were only gone for a short while…and he is really comfortable….then he can’t be bothered to get off his bed to come see you. Theo is not a morning person and prefers to stay in bed until the other two dogs in the house have gone outside, and breakfast is made. He will crawl out of his bed just in time to get to his bowl - he waits to go outside until after he has eaten! Theo is very housetrained and will go to the door or bark at you if he needs to go out. He WILL use a pad if going outside is not available (ie: if no one is home) but he does hold it as he prefers to go outside. Theo is overall a fairly quiet dog, he doesn’t bark just to bark, but he does HATE the squirrels that live in the tree outside the living room window and will bark at them until they move - or you move him. Theo barked when he initially arrived because he was crated - but he has proven that he is trustworthy and it is not necessary. Theo’s fosters have given him all his baths and haircuts, and as much as he has preferences about being touched - he actually knows the routine with grooming. They make it a two person job as that is the least stressful for everyone but if he is up on the counter with a leash on - he clearly knows the drill. He gets a little touchy around his paws, but overall he’s surprisingly good for grooming. Theo is also very good in the car and seems happy to go - and just sits on his own seat without any fuss or squirming. Theo is currently being fostered with 2 other dogs, both male, one large and one small. He feels very differently about them. Theo does not love the large dog, so he chooses to distance himself but they have no problem being in the house together. Theo is likely a little intimidated by the larger dog as he much prefers the smaller dog and will even try to get the small dog to play with him on occasion. We think Theo would do great as an only dog, but would also likely do well with other small dogs who are equally independent. Theo won’t want to snuggle with anyone and prefers to have a bed all to himself. He even sleeps in a bed under the bed so he can be alone, and also prefers to spend time in the living room by himself away from the other dogs (..likely just the large dog). The other two dogs and one foster were away from home for a few days and Theo was more interested in being around his other human foster and slept on a bed that was not under the bed, so we do think some of his independence is just his preference to be away from the larger dog. Theo is not being fostered with cats, but he did briefly have exposure to a visiting foster cat. He acted like he didn’t even see the cat, and just proceeded to sniff around the cat’s room without any interest in the cat itself. We think he might do fine with independent cats who won’t want to interact with him too much. Theo has preferences about when and how to be pet, and will make it clear if he isn’t feeling it, so he is not appropriate for homes with children. He doesn’t bother anyone who doesn’t bother him, so he will be fine with visiting children as long as he is left alone. Theo will turn to snap if he feels his wishes about being touched are not being listened to, but he is slow and sausage shaped so most adults can move faster than he can. Theo never goes out of his way to bother anyone else and has no issues with strangers visiting. We are not convinced that Theo has great up-close vision, as he sometimes has a hard time seeing treats or judging obstacles but since dogs can’t read the eye chart there is no way to know for sure. This may be a component of not liking to be touched with your hands as it brings you too close…but we also think he is just a little grumpy. Overall, Theo is a very easy dog. He does have preferences about being touched, but he makes few demands of you. He never demands attention, he goes potty outside, he will likely allow you to sleep in on the weekends and won’t demand breakfast. Theo had a lump on his rear leg removed that turned out to be cancer. The biopsy report indicated low grade soft tissue spindle cell sarcoma. Due to the location it was very narrow, or possibly incomplete removal. The metastatic potential of this tumor is very low, but recurrence can be seen with narrow or incomplete removal. No additional treatments or medications are needed. More information and our adoption application can be found at www.luluslockerrescue.org. Theo loves feet pets #2: https://youtube.com/shorts/TT_vCqReYSE Theo meets a cat: https://youtu.be/vYh3JXWDo9o Theo gets the zoomies every once in a while: https://youtube.com/shorts/oAj1JPjd_pU Theo says puzzles are hard: https://youtube.com/shorts/nhGMvwkUGRw