Hazelnut

My story

"Hazelnut" is a beautiful, approx 65-lb, 4-yo spayed female GSD who is super affectionate, energetic, loyal and full of personality. Hazelnut LOVES to cuddle, and will bury her head in your chest on the bed given a chance. She is definitely partial to women, though she does not have a fear of men. She loves to be petted, but is very sensitive about being touched near her behind or on her groin; she will not bite, but will quickly move away if she's feeling uncomfortable. Hazelnut is healthy, up-to-date on core vaccinations and microchipped. Hazelnut is friendly with strangers once she's been properly introduced. She will initially bark at strangers and will certainly be a protective dog requiring experienced handling once she is in a home she calls her own. (She is presently at GSRSV's rescue ranch, sharing a home with several other dogs, where she's not so protective.) I have not had Hazelnut around children since I rescued her in September 2023, but I am confident she'll be OK with older kids. She does like to mouth hands in play, which would likely be too much for younger kids. Hazelnut is an enigma when it comes to other dogs. Overall, she gets along fine with the other dogs at GSRSV's rescue ranch. She is especially good when up on the bed, showing no jealous behavior when other dogs try to squeeze between her and me. She also plays very well with certain dogs. However, she has a troublesome habit of play-fighting with other dogs in a very challenging manner in which she circles the other dog with her hackles up, barking and lunging (but not biting). Hazelnut thinks this is great fun, but most of the other dogs don't share her amusement and will eventually lash out at her. At this time, Hazelnut does not fight but rather yelps out as if she's been attacked, retreats, and then moves in for more! I have waited nearly a year to list Hazelnut for adoption in hopes that her annoying playing style would mellow out, but it hasn't. When I command Hazelnut to disengage from her "faux attacks", she obeys me but then will usually go right back to it. At this point, I either ignore her or, depending on the intensity of her play, put her in a crate. She readily obeys my "crate" command and behaves very well in the crate. I believe that Hazelnut could overcome her annoying style of play in the hands of an experienced GSD person willing to put in the time. However, I don't think that Hazelnut will ever be dog park material and I'm pretty sure that she will be reactive towards other dogs when on a leash--at least without any training. With this said, I think that Hazelnut would make a great companion for a large, active, confident male dog. I have not observed Hazelnut around cats and will NOT consider her for a home with cats. Hazelnut is completely housetrained and never had an accident in my house (with dog door access to outside). She is super-mellow inside and likes to lay next to me on my bed and even follows me into the bathroom. I imagine that she'll be what is referred to as a "Velcro" dog once in a regular home. Hazelnut walks well on a leash, but will likely need time to refresh her leash-walking skills, as I hardly ever have her on a leach here at the ranch. Again, I fully expect that Hazelnut will be reactive towards other dogs she sees on walks and so will likely need work on this behavior. Hazelnut loves to go for car rides and is a polite passenger Hazelnut loves to swim and to bite the water stream from a hose. (See elsewhere on this page for a video--Hazelnut is wearing the pink collar.) She also likes to play with stuffy toys, play keep-away, and play tug-of-war. Hazelnut was brought to the Tracy city animal shelter on 6-18-22 as a stray. She immediately showed a great deal of fear towards strangers and was very reactive towards other dogs. Soon, though, she became very friendly with several of the shelter staff and animal control officers--all women. However, when prospective adopters or rescuers came to see her, she would charge the front of the kennel or retreat with fearful barks and growls. After over a year at the shelter, Hazelnut's time was just about up--even though she had made many friends with shelter staff and ACOs. The shelter contacted GSRSV to see if I'd be willing to meet and possibly rescue Hazel. I like these kinds of challenges, so on 9-10-23 I gave it a shot. It took me about 45 minutes with lots of treats and coaxing with toys, but I finally gained her trust and walked out of the play area with Hazelnut on a leash. Hazelnut is located in Pleasant Grove. Her adoption fee is $250.

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