Shaka

My story

Meet Shaka, a lanky love bug who will follow you anywhere and lean against you the moment you stop moving. He’s long and lean, weighing about 75 pounds. He’s a newly neutered male, nearly 3 years old, and has a docked tail and cropped ears that flop. Shaka is very sociable and loves everybody he meets. He demands pets and snuggles. In return, he will kiss your ears and try to crawl in your lap. We have two 19 year old sons, who agree that Shaka is a friendly and goofy dog. Shaka is house trained and will bark to let you know when he needs to go. He knows “sit,” “lie down,” and “stay.” He is pretty good on a leash, both with a regular collar and a harness. We live in a fairly suburban area, and walk with him on sidewalks around our neighborhood. He’s not alarmed by or reactive to bikes or scooters. He has some prey drive, and will pull and bark at the occasional squirrel, fox or critter. But he takes correction (a sharp pull, or a “No!” and “Easy!”). He doesn’t get out of hand. Still, we recommend that you stay engaged, and pay attention when you walk him, as he is a strong dog! As for other dogs, he’s curious. He’ll bark back if the other dog starts it. When we meet another dog on a walk, he’ll bark and act like he wants to play. Because we don’t have a dog of our own at the moment and haven’t had the opportunity to let Shaka socialize with other dogs, we can’t say how he would be in a household with another canine. He’s not spent any time around younger kids in our presence, so we cannot say how he’ll be around them. Shaka doesn’t love being in a crate but he will cooperate and hang out there when needed. We have left him in the crate for a few hours while we’ve been out of the house. We’ve also given him the run of the house when we’ve been out and about, and he was chill. No damage done. He has some diagnosed allergies, including to chicken, and is on specialized dog food for his condition. He has some skin itchiness and thin fur in spots. He gets hungry at regular breakfast and dinner times–and will let you know he wants his meal with a sharp bark–but is not a counter surfer. He does like to be with his people during their meal times, so if he comes too close to the dining room table, we put him in his crate. He may complain for a bit, but eventually settles down. Shaka is being fostered in Silver Spring, MD. DAR&E adopts to MD, VA, DC, DE, eastern parts of WV and southern parts of PA. Please check with other Doberman rescues in areas not listed.

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