Daunte

My story

Meet Daunte, a German Shepherd mix. Daunte was taken into Leonberger Rescue Pals because an initial assessment thought he may be a Leo mix. However, once we took him in we realized this was not likely the case, and subsequent DNA testing showed he is about ½ German Shepherd, with the rest a mix of other breeds. He is healthy, and the DNA test screened for some possible genetic problems and all were clear. He is currently around 130# and could stand to lose a bit of that. He initially had a family that was going to adopt him, but there ended up being a long period while they were moving into a new home while we kept Daunte in foster. Unfortunately, after they had a home one of the family. Members was involved in an accident and that made it impossible for them to handle a larger dog safely. Therefore, he remained in foster and is looking for a new home. He is extremely friendly with people. Originally at the shelter he was nervous of people, although did not react badly—no aggression, just a bit fearful. We found that he loves being groomed, and with that he quickly warmed up and gained trust and now he is outgoing and friendly meeting new people. I have not tested him with children, although I expect he would be fine. Of course he is large and fairly active, so it is always a good idea to be cautious when with children until you are sure how they are together. When he first came into foster he was introduced to several other dogs and did fine. However, after a few days he started to pick fights with the other dogs, even though the other dogs were acting properly. I believe he did not have experience living with other dogs, and did not know how to handle being with other dogs. So, after some time he had to be separated from the other dogs. We have done further testing and training and he is much less reactive now. Although we still keep him separated from other dogs, it is possible that he would be OK with some dogs--but that is not certain. He would thrive as an only dog as long as he has human company.

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