Tank

My story

If you invite Tank into your family and your life, expect him to scatter toys all over the living room, play with the sprinkler until he is drenched to the skin, reorganize his bedding, and regularly offer you the privilege of grabbing hold of a drool-soaked stuffie and giving it a good tug. In other words, this klutzy, goofy gentle giant is ALL about fun and good times! HISTORY Tank was one in a litter of young puppies abandoned in a cardboard box and taken in by Tri-Cities Animal Shelter last winter. His breed mix is our best guess based on his appearance. As a young puppy he was thought to be a Rottweiler cross, and it's possible that there's a Rottie in his family tree. Given his size and brindle coloring we think he's some sort of Mastiff, while the shape of his head suggests Labrador. He was adopted by a young couple in early December, but had to return to the shelter to be nursed through parvovirus. Once he was well he went back to his adoptive family, but a few months later his "mom" began experiencing complications with her pregnancy, and we're told "dad" had pretty much lost interest in raising a puppy by then. Tank received the best care his adopter could give him, but due to her health challenges he spent way too much time in a crate before she contacted HART and asked us to take him in. He has been in a foster home in Kennewick since late June, and he is thriving. SOCIALIZATION Tank loves people, and can get very excited when visitors arrive. He likes men but seems to be more comfortable with women. However, although he wants to be friends, he's also a little skittish. We suspect someone may have been in the habit of playing with him too roughly. He is learning to accept gentle up-close handling. While he lived in his previous home he was sometimes walked by the neighbor kids. This boy loves kids and will make a great family pet, but he is probably too rough and clumsy for a young or timid child. Prior to coming to us he hadn't had much exposure to other dogs, but in his foster home he's currently part of a pack of eight, including a bossy little Chihuahua and a couple who are his size or larger. He tends to be submissive, and initially was scared to interact much with the dogs and tended to stick close to the humans. He is learning to play, however, and has the potential to be a good candidate for dog parks. When Tank visited our vet for a shot he met the clinic cat, and was interested and curious, but friendly. We think he'd probably chase a cat if it ran, but is young enough to learn to live safely with a very confident, dog-savvy cat, provided their interactions are supervised and carefully managed while he learns the boundaries. He ignores the horses living at his foster home, and hasn't tried to break through the fence to get at the chickens. TEMPERAMENT & BEHAVIOR Tank is a moderate-energy guy who enjoys a walk and loves a good run off-leash, and will probably make a great hiking companion when he's done growing, in a year or so. He was pretty flabby when he came to us, but a daily run in the pasture with the pack has done him good - he's looking trim and building solid muscle. But he still has quite a lot of growing to do, and he's pretty laid-back, so he's usually on board for some snooze time. He isn't the most confident guy in the world. Because he's big and dark and looks kinda intimidating, it's easy to forget he's just a baby who needs reassurance when he deals with new things. But once he feels safe and lets his goof out, prepare to be entertained! Given an abundant supply of toys, Tank will entertain himself for as long as you want him to. He loves them all - squeaky ones, interesting chews, tugs, ropes, stuffies, kongs - he'll invite you to play, and if you're not available he'll keep himself busy tossing them around. Of course, his very favorite toy is the sprinkler; he can spend an hour at a time biting at the spray! He's a friendly, affectionate guy, but he's still learning about cuddles. Standing still and being rubbed and petted seems to be a whole new concept for him, but he's learning to like it. TRAINING His house manners are great. Tank is reliably house-trained and never marks indoors. He LOVES his crate - it's his safe space, and he'll retreat there when the pack gets loud, or even just to catch a few extra ZZZs. He'll offer to help you eat your dinner, but he isn't pushy about it and he doesn't counter-surf or steal. He rarely barks, and although he's been known to nibble his bed when bored he doesn't generally chew things he shouldn't. In terms of obedience commands, Tank doesn't know much. His recall is fair, he walks quite well on a leash with minimal pulling, and he knows sit. That's pretty much it - but he is very food motivated, and once he decides he loves you he'll want to please you. He is quite capable of learning all the basic commands and then some, and he's hoping for a hooman who will enjoy taking him to school and teaching him all sorts of new ways to be the BEST dog. HEALTH STATUS Tank appears to be healthy and in good condition. When his litter was picked up the shelter estimated that they were born on October 1, 2024. He weighed 106 lbs in July, when he was 9.5 months old, and we expect him to grow to around 120-130 lbs before he's done. He has been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and treated for internal and external parasites. ADOPTION Tank's adoption fee is $385. For more pictures and updates about him, see his album on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=HearthfireAnimalRescueTeam&set=a.1036217981992624. Please note that HART does not have a facility. Our dogs live in foster homes, and are not available to meet potential adopters until after their adoption application has been approved. If you are interested in adopting Tank, please complete an application at https://new.shelterluv.com/, or email us to request an application form. Our application process includes an online background check, vet interview, landlord/property manager interview (if in rental property), and interviews with personal references, other adults living on the property, and the applicant. Depending on various factors we may require a home check. This process usually takes about one week to complete. Most of our dogs are located in the Tri-Cities, Washington area, and if necessary we will transport them anywhere within the Pacific Northwest, at the adopter's expense. We do not ship our dogs via a third party; they are handed directly from a trusted HART representative to the adopter.

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