Mr. Bo – Adopted

Meet Mr. Bo.

Bo’s Video:

Update: 7/28/2014 – A wonderful travel companion

I took him on an overnight trip and he did amazingly. He rode in my back seat quietly the entire time. He was polite and sweet to all the new dogs and people he met. He was loose in the house with my two the whole time – no accident, no getting into things. It’s been over two months and only had a few inquires, possibly due to his age. I have no problem fostering him longer but I would love to find his forever family by Fall when I have to go out of country so that he doesn’t have to be boarded. If you have read bios on my previous fosters, you’d know how honest and open about my foster’s temperament and issues. When I say he is almost perfect, I really mean it. Whoever opens his/her heart to this boy will have an amazing, loyal and sweet companion.

Update: 6/30/2014 – Reaction to a 2-year-old girl

We tested him with a 2-year-old dog savvy girl this evening. On the walks, he stays calm and neutral around people including children but I didn’t know how he’d react when kids were in a much closer range.

He was shy like he was with me on day 1. He did not immediately approach her, subtly positioned himself behind me. I did not see major fear so we continued testing. He gladly and gently took treats from her mom but he was a little startled when the little girl moved fast in front of him. No sign of fear aggression; no puffing, no growling or no wrinkling. He took the treats she threw for him. We gave him a break in the crate while we had dinner. He was crated by the front door where the little girl and a repair man walked back and forth. He stayed quiet in the crate and lied there until he was let out. The second session was much better. He walked up to her and her mom on his own and expected more treats. He got much closer, offered sit and down when she had a treat in her hand.

Based on these two short sessions, he should go to a family without small children unless the family has experience with dog training and behaviors. I think he would feel much more comfortable with adults and older children. We will continue to work with him and expose him to kids and keep you updated.

Update: 6/14/2014

It’s been three weeks since I got Bo. He is fitting in nicely and I must say he is the easiest foster dog I have ever had. He is definetely house trained. At night, he sleeps loosely in his room with a crate with its door open and he will hold up to 9 hours until I let him out. I have a lot of things in his room but he has not touched anything besides a bone I leave in his crate. When I am home, he will mostly sleep, occasionally chew on a bone and come up for a little affection. He started tugging a rope and chasing a flirt pole. Because his recall is great, I feel comfortable enough to let him loose in a field with my dogs. I leave a long line on him just in case, but he always comes back to me. I took him to a training class where I work this week. He met several girls and made friends with them right away. Since he was sheltered all his life, I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to other dogs. He was very calm in the room and showed a bit of interest to a playful Border Collie puppy. He sits/stays in one spot while I prepare everyone’s dinner and waits until I release him. His fur is filling in nicely on his rear end. I trimmed his nails with no issue. He was scared of bath but he now tolerates and stands quietly until I am done.

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Original Bio:

Bo’s human mom passed away and his dad brought him to a shelter. Shelter paper listed him as 6 years old. I will never know the circumstances so I won’t judge him for surrendering Bo. But it made me cry imagining how his mom would have felt if she knew what had happened to her dog. It is my biggest fear to ever having to leave my dogs behind. Even though he was clearly neglected – was covered in fleas, missing hair and missing most of his front teeth – it was obvious that he was loved at some point in his life. He is shy at first, but once he warms up, he is the sweetest and most affectionate dog. After a few minutes of not touching, tossing treats, he started nudging me for affection. He jumped in my backseat without hesitation and lied there quietly all the way home.

Because of his shy and polite nature, my dogs accepted him right away. And because my dogs gave him space, he warmed up to them quickly. I am usually very cautious and slow about introducing adult dogs but he was off leash with my dogs within a few days. He howled and cried throughout the first day but he learned that crying didn’t get my attention. He slept through that night quietly and stayed calm in the crate ever since. He was recently neutered and is still marking heavily in the yard. I watch him carefully inside the house and he hasn’t attempted to mark inside. He might be potty trained already. He is one of the most affectionate dogs I’ve ever met. He just want to be touched and loved on. There are many behaviors he offers that remind me of Jazzy. He curls his body and leans against me for a pet. If I am not paying attention, he uses his paws to get my attention. If I get down on the floor, he lies down between my legs and rest his head on my lap. My heart melted.

He was obviously allowed on the furniture in the past. He didn’t hesitate to jump up on the couch and the bed. That’s another reason why I think he was loved at one point. I can’t wait to bathe him (He just got neutered) and get the stink out, so that I can let him on the bed. I don’t usually allow my foster dogs to be on the furniture because I don’t know what the adopter would want. I’m making an exception for him as I think he already earned the privilege to snuggle on the bed. Whoever wants to adopt him must be OK with dogs on the furniture.

 

He’s only been with us for a week but I feel like he’s been with us for months. He fits in our family perfectly. My dogs like him and he likes them a lot, which is the most important thing. He is comfortable with camera and enjoys going out. He is a little noise sensitive but he recovers quickly. I am still suspicious about his almost perfect personality. Fostering is never this easy. There has to be something he’s hiding. 🙂 The only thing I’ve noticed was that he reacts to dogs that move fast. When Jazzy was running and chasing sprinkler water, his BC switch got turned on and he chased and nipped her by her ear. Jazzy was too focused on the water she didn’t even notice him. He did the same to Cooper when he was fetching a toy. Cooper told Bo off and he stopped doing that. He could get in trouble if he does this to other dogs who don’t appreciate herding behaviors. I’ve tested him around food and I haven’t seen any sign of food guarding. I can touch him while he eats. He is starting to show some interest in toys. He likes fabric toys, including a soft Frisbee. He does not like water but he is OK with thunderstorms and rains. He is a little afraid of flies. If he sees one, he tries to hide behind me.

 

We think the hair loss was due to fleas. He is neutered, micro-chipped, current on all shots and heartworm medication. He has not been tested with cats or children. So far his energy level is about 1 out of 10 but that might change in the next few weeks. For the most part, he just sleeps and snuggles. So far he knows, Sit, sit and wait at the door, and sit/wait to be fed until released.

A perfect family for Mr. Bo;

1. if you have other dogs, calmer dogs are preferred
2. willing to come meet him and get to know him
3. willing to have a home visit done by one of our volunteers
4. allow dogs on the furniture
5. will send picture/video updates to me frequently
6. will feed him high quality food (not grocery store kind)
7. willing to work through issues
8. live in Texas or have adopted a dog from me in the past

Apply to be Bo’s forever family

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