Smokey

My story

Smokey  9 months Heeler mix 35 lbs Male, neutered   Smokey has now been in foster care for a month and has been making so much progress coming out of his shell and gaining confidence!    He loves big and his time in care has shown that he is able to bond beautifully with humans – a valuable skill he will bring with him into his adoptive home. Once you gain his trust, he looks to you for confidence in new or scary experiences. He is a brave guy who is so smart and motivated; he watches everything, and you can just see the intelligence in his eyes. He is eager to learn and motivated to please you.   Smokey is:   -Dog friendly -People friendly -Cat friendly -Housetrained -Making progress with crate and leash, see below.   His ideal adoptive home has a confident & friendly resident dog, a fenced yard and humans who are home a lot.    He is a medium energy guy - he will zip around a few times a day and loves a good game of fetch or keep- away, but is mostly content to bum around the house as long as you’re nearby. He likes to lie at your feet or climb in your lap & is a big kisser.    Smokey did great with a vacation foster (& her houseful of dogs) while his normal foster family were out of town! He adjusted really nicely the new social situation, became attached to a certain toy, and discovered the joy of pack walks!    Now back in his normal foster home, he has continued making progress. He is becoming more accustomed to household noises and routines, including visitors. He is getting more used to his crate, and gaining a lot more confidence on leash and with neighborhood sounds and sights. He enjoys his daily walk with his foster sibling/s & gets so excited now when he sees his leash! He is doing so well, he has started small outings out into the community (with a dog and human he trusts, of course!) to gain more positive experiences.    Smokey currently lives with another dog (or two), cats, and dog- savvy older kids. He has been around little kids too but he isn’t sure about their surprising noises and movements- maybe in small doses. (He is a pacifist- his maximum nervousness looks like duck & run or simply flatten on the ground till he recovers. And he loves humans so much he will army -crawl toward them while he is still flat!) He has also been showing better tolerance at recovering quickly, and being curious instead of fearful. His curious is a cute little head tilt with bright eyes as he tries to figure something out!    His foster mama cannot pick just one favorite thing about him- she loves his soulful eyes, his brave and resilient spirit, and his first class snuggles! He is a favorite at his foster home, his vacation foster, and with visitors.    For approved applicants, there will be a chance to talk with his foster mama about how to help him best adjust to an adoptive home-- so you’ll have as much info as possible to help him thrive! ##2423948##

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