Baxter

My story

BAXTER SHIH-POO / MALTIPOO - MALE - 3 YO - 12 LBS. EXPERIENCED DOG OWNER REQUIRED – NO EXCEPTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED, PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE BIO TO ENSURE YOU ARE A GOOD FIT AND THEN EMAIL THE FOLLOWING PRELIMINARY DETAILS TO adopt@gingerbreaddogs.org - Location - Ages of everyone living in household - Work schedule of adults in household - Type home (house, condo, apt, etc) - Fenced in yard details - Info on current and previous dogs owned - Veterinary reference - Experience working with a trainer Baxter is a sweet little guy that is TERRIFIED of strangers and requires an experienced home with NO CHILDREN visiting or living. He spent a lot of time in a crate or separated from his humans and thus has a lot of anxiety and was not properly socialized. He requires a consistent home environment with a strong leader so he can learn his place in the pack to feel more safe and secure. He craves love and attention so requires his human to be with him most of the time while he continues to learn to trust and socialize. He will not be placed in a home where he will be alone all day. He already went through that and he is a mess because of it. He is doing very well learning his leash manners and greatly enjoys going for walks. While a VERY securely fenced yard would be fantastic for him to run around, he will require a morning and evening walk on a slip leash (no extendables) to provide a consistent, structured routine to burn off energy, and so he can continue to learn his proper place in the pack (walking at your heel) and to see strangers on a regular basis so he can learn they are not the enemy. Baxter has been very sweet and loving with his foster mom and with the small breed pups in the house. He loves to play hard with the other pups and would do well having at least one other CONFIDENT doggie sibling to live with. He SHOULD NOT live with another insecure dog. He has not been tested with large dogs. Baxter CANNOT be in a home with children as he is afraid of them and has a bite history (hence he was surrendered). He also cannot live with cats. He is housebroken and will use a pee pad if available (and he squats so no mess). He will only poop outside. He is non-destructive in the house and quiet unless he hears the doorbell or UPS guy. He responds well to "quiet" and sleeps through the night. He also eats well and does not appear to have food aggression issues. He is actually well trained and constantly seeks out instruction from his owner. Other than his fear of strangers, he is the perfect dog. He clearly wants to be a good boy and to make his owner happy and wants to spend all day snuggling with his person. He has shown great improvement with proper introductions to strangers and was able to go to the groomer recently. While he was clearly nervous at first, he was very good for his bath and grooming. Baxter will always require proper introductions to strangers for the near-term future. An experienced and responsible owner is a MUST for Baxter. While he has not bitten anyone while in our care, that is ONLY because he has been handled properly. When the plumber came in the house he was properly gated first. Outside on walks he is on a slip leash so there is total control. He wears only a Martingale collar so he cannot slip out of it if he pulls. He should not go to crowded areas with strangers (like restaurants, mall, stores, family gatherings, dog park, etc.). On car rides you cannot open his window at the gas station. Outside of your home he should NEVER EVER be off his slip leash! You get the point. He is in excellent health, UTD, and was neutered. BAXTER DETAILS - 3 yo 12 lb. male white/cream Shih Tzu–Poo or Maltipoo - Housebroken, non-destructive, quiet - Fixed, UTD, good bloodwork, HW negative - Very loving and affectionate with his person - Scared of strangers and requires proper introductions - In training for socialization with strangers which will need to be continued - Bite history with children in his home - Would clearly bite a stranger that comes into the home if not properly managed - Requires adult home with no small children living or visiting - Requires time to decompress and adjust to his new people and home - Requires securely fenced in yard - Requires daily walks on a slip leash as part of his socialization training - Requires anxiety meds (two pills that run about $26 per month) - Requires experienced dog owner; if you never owned a dog before, this is NOT the one for you - Adoption fee is $450 - Mandatory training session is $100 (to be held on adoption day) *******This will not be a fast adoption process. We will vet candidates thoroughly and will require one training session with our trainer on adoption day which will cost $100. We will also be adding additional language to our Adoption Contract to account for Baxter’s special requirements and the liability.******* TO BE CONSIDERED, PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE BIO TO ENSURE YOU ARE A GOOD FIT AND THEN EMAIL THE FOLLOWING PRELIMINARY DETAILS TO adopt@gingerbreaddogs.org - Location - Ages of everyone living in household - Work schedule of adults in household - Type home (house, condo, apt, etc) - Fenced in yard details - Info on current and previous dogs owned - Veterinary reference - Experience working with a trainer IF YOU ARE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR THIS PUP, THEN YOU WILL BE CONTACTED TO INITIATE THE FULL ADOPTION APPLICATION PROCESS WHICH INCLUDES VET AND REFERENCE CHECKS, HOME CHECK, AND MEET & GREET. UNFORTUNATELY, WE CANNOT RESPOND TO INCOMPLETE INQUIRIES AS WE SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE MANPOWER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE REVIEW COMPLETE INQUIRIES.

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