Leo

My story

"Leo" is a large (approx 85 lbs), 4-yo neutered male GSD/Belgian Malinois/??? mix who is friendly, protective and very active. Leo came to me overweight but has lost about 20 lbs and now looks great! [NOTE: the pictures of Leo here were taken back in June, when he was over 100 lbs.] He is microchipped and is up to date on core vaccinations. Leo was OK meeting people in his previous home as long as he was properly introduced; otherwise, he sometimes acted aggressively. He is a very good watchdog. Outside of his previous house, Leo was fine with strangers. Here at GSRSV's rescue ranch (where he's been since June of this year), Leo is great with visitors! Leo has been around young children and has done well with them. However, he is a very large dog and sometimes does not realize his own size so he might knock over a youngster in his exuberance. Leo is fine with other dogs, including small dogs. However, in his previous home he was very reactive towards other dogs that he saw when on walks. Now that Leo has had considerable canine socialization at GSRSV's rescue ranch, my hunch is that he won't be nearly as reactive on leash when he sees other dogs. However, Leo is a large, strong dog, so if he still does display reactive behavior towarfs other dogs he will need a strong person—both physically and otherwise—to control him and teach him not to be reactive. Leo might also be OK w/ cats. He has been around a cat and was just curious of it. However, it’s not a certainty that he’ll be good with cats so caution will need to be exercised in introducing him to a cat. Leo is housetrained and non-destructive inside. His former guardian left him inside when she was gone,  though she did have a neighbor let him out to relieve himself when she planned to be gone for more than four hours. Leo presently sleeps on my bed, but slept on a dog bed inside in his previous home. Leo is OK on leash except, as previously mentioned, when he saw other dogs. He has fairly good off-leash recall. Leo loves car rides and is a polite passenger. Leo LOVES to play ball. He is a fetchin' fool, and an extremely skilled one at that! He would do well in an active home where he gets lots of play time and exercise. Leo is not fond of water. Amparo—Leo’s former person—and her husband adopted Leo from a rescue organization in 2020. Amparo’s husband was Leo’s primary handler. Since then, Leo has grown considerably and sadly Amparo’s husband died of cancer. On top of that, Amparo broke one of her arms earlier this year and so was unable to even walk Leo. GSRSV took Leo in to its rescue facility in June. Leo is located in Pleasant Grove. His adoption fee is $250.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Leo, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.