Rex

My story

Name: Rex Breed: Dutch Shepherd x Malinois (as per previous owner) DOB/Sex: Jan 4, 2024/M Known Health Issues: None at this time. Good With: Currently Rex is best suited for an only pet home. Please see bio. ADULT ONLY HOME. NO DOG PARKS. *Bite History* *AVAILABLE AS FOSTER TO ADOPT* Rex is a fun loving, goofy, giant ball of energy with a lot of opinions. He has been through a lot in his young life, and is ready to take a well structured path forward. Rex arrived in rescue explosive, unsure, and used to throwing his weight around. He is a big, tall boy, currently about 83lbs, and an absolute bulldozer. He had no respect for leash pressure, and was very disconnected from his handler. Since arriving he has made fantastic strides. His personality has really started to come through, and he is enjoying trying new things, and his confidence grows with each outting. He is very much a work in progress, but I feel it would be beneficial to him, and his future home, to start working together now, to hopefully have a smoother transition when he is 100% ready. Rex is currently not other animal safe. I have seen hints which suggest to me that he may be able to co-exist with another dog in the home at some point, but it will be a VERY long intro process. He is very reactive to all other animals. He is just now neutral with the dogs here at the rescue. It has taken many months to get to this point. Unfamiliar dogs elicit an explosive response. I will not place him with prey or livestock animals in the home. He unfortunately suffered many dog attacks as a puppy, which has led to this reactive stance. It is a work in progress, but he has made great improvements. Rex has come a long way with his people reactivity. He prefers women to men, but there are men he likes. He has had many boundaries crossed again as a young pup, and unfortunately was forced to make poor choices when his needs weren't acknowledged. I'm happy to discuss his bite history with any approved applicants, and do not believe any of the situations reflect on him as a whole. I will not spend time discussing him with tire kickers, so unless I have an application in hand, questions will not be answered. If you are serious about working with a dog like Rex, please fill out the application, and make sure your answers are comprehensive. Rex is a powerhouse, and just starting to tap into his potential. He has plenty of energy, but does settle well with a good routine. He is excellent in his crate, and very clean. He is medium drive, with prey being the strongest. We are working on building good tug, and toy engagement. He loves his toys, but prefers to run away with them. He is learning they are more fun if you engage back with your handler. His food drive is moderate, and could definitely be built further. Rex requires an experienced, working/sport dog owner. He is a project dog, but with the potential to go far. Due to his insecurities he is not a bitework candidate. As his handler engagement builds, I can see him enjoying obedience or rally type activities. We have played around with disc rollers and he enjoys the chase. We have done one scent session at the time of this writing, with Vita K9, and plan to continue. And today, at the time of this writing, he has officially learned to swim, and shows the drive to become a great dock diving dog! He is a dog, that with proper guidance and handling, could enjoy many different activities. I will only place him with someone who is looking to continue to build him up, and expand his world. Rex has proven to be very easy to live with. He loves routine, and patterns quickly. He travels well, and will definitely let you know if anyone wakks too close to the car, lol. He leash walking is improving, but not great. He is starting to offer check ins. He needs work on new environments/activities and surfaces, but gets better and faster at acclimatizing with every outing. His body handling is improving significantly. Initially he was highly suspicious of any touch. He is now good with everything but his feet. He would get very mouthy/crocodile roll etc to avoid foot handling. This is improving with patterning and repetition. He loves to train, so that part makes it easy! He has had 2 successful vet trips for his initial wellness/vaccines/bloodwork, and then follow up boosters. We muzzled as a precaution, but he did very, very well. Understandably nervous/tense, but no attempts at bad choices. We did sedate at his second visit, but only so that I could do a proper, really good nail trim for him. I wanted to get his nails to a good starting place, since his feet are such a point of contention for him. He should not need to be sedated for general exams, and handling. I have seen no resource guarding or similar issues. Due to his bite history, no homes with persons under 18 will be considered. My ideal situation for him at this time, is an adopter that is willing to start working with him, with their trainer, but will take it in baby steps. I want to see a relationship built with him, before he moves out. I am considering him "foster to adopt" for this reason, though it is not quite the usual scenario. He needs a calm, confident handler, that will continue to guide him, and give him the chance to be the best version of him he can be. It is important that a solid relationship is there, before finalizing his adoption. I want to see him succeed, as well as his adopter. If you think you that you are the one for him, please complete an application here: https://form.jotform.com/233466598767073 ________________________________ Adoption through Inugoya includes: - the dog - All vaccinations & required boosters; DA2PPv, Bordetella, Lyme, Leptospirosis, and Rabies - 4DX Blood Test (Heartworm, Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasmosis) - Age appropriate wellness blood screen - Fecal test - Deworming & Flea/Tick/Heartworm prevention - Spay/Neuter - Microchip - Hip xray for all dogs that undergo anesthesia - All medical needs assessed and concluded. For those that have ongoing medical needs, all bloodwork and tests will be current, and a full refill supply of meds sent with the adopted pet. - Full 30/35lb bag of their current diet - Nylon Leash & Collar set - Training Collar - Biothane Leash, Collar, & Training Line set from MyLeash - Country Canine Treat Package All Adopters are required to attend formal obedience classes upon adoption. All Adopters are required to obtain, and maintain pet insurance for their newly adopted companion. Please email InugoyaAdoptions@outlook.com for an application to start the process. Thank you for considering adoption!

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