Silver

My story

For Adoption: Silve! Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. We at PDR believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process. To apply for adoption and for more information on our process and requirements, visit our website at https://pounddog.ca/adoption-info/. Silver is an 8 month old German Shepherd x Malamute mix, currently 46lbs but her big paws suggest she will likely get to be around 60 to 75lbs when fully grown, which will take a few years. She has a gorgeous silver and black coat and a long, fluffy tail. Silver has big, soulful eyes- and though she is nervous at first, you can tell from the eyes that Silver wants to be close to you more than anything in the world. Silver was an unclaimed stray dog in a rural pound. When she first arrived at the pound she was completely shut down. Pound Dog Rescue took a chance on this dog and found that during walks outside her puppy personality started to show, and a glimmer of the dog she would truly be came to everyone involved. Silver has a calm, curious presence with a slight regal air from the Shepherd, but her personality is coming out slowly as she is working her way out of her shell. Because we don’t know what she experienced during her time as a stray, she will need a home that is quiet and patient with her until she can get comfortable. As she gets to know us, we are seeing a goofier, cuddlier dog shine through, but new people and new animals need to give her patience and let her come to them. Because of this, Silver would thrive best in a household that has had experience with working with shy dogs and bringing out their confidence. She is fostered with a dog and really enjoys having a playmate, but could be the only dog as well especially if the family works with correct socializing with other dogs. The other dog in the home would need to be a male dog that will enjoy a large playmate and good wrestle matches and running in the yard. Silver currently lives with a cat and is slowly learning to play softly with her. It’s heartwarming to see. A detached house with a backyard would be ideal for her as she loves her yard time. Silver is doing well with her crate training and when she is left in her crate with her foster dog sibling in the home she is quiet and content. However, when she is in her crate while home alone, she is still in the phase where she isn’t sure anyone is coming back for her, and tends to bark. As for house training, if we keep an eye on the clock we can avoid accidents easily, however Silver isn’t yet confident enough to ask to be let out when she really needs to. She needs her people to have a routine and take her out regularly. Silver is skittish around new people but makes continuous attempts to approach and investigate. She is a social dog who just hadn’t been properly socialized prior to coming into rescue so continued work on socialization and proper, calm introductions to new places and new people are needed. She still shies away at quick movements and loud noises, but shines when everyone present is quiet and predictable. Silver does well walking on the leash, but because of her size and her enthusiasm for wildlife and leaves blowing in the wind, she would do best with a strong handler that can manage her size. She currently gets a good walk in the mornings, then can be crated for 5-6 hr without an accident, and then either gets playtime and/or another walk in the evening. Silver knows a few basic tricks, but will benefit from consistent, structured training to help boost her confidence and to fast track her ability to trust you. Attending dog school will be very beneficial to her, not only for obedience skills but for her confidence building. She is a very smart dog. We are looking for people for her who are committed to advanced training courses and who will ensure that Silver is very well trained and well mannered. She will be a big dog and she needs to be very well trained. Silver just loves her people. We often find her lying watching us as we are busy in the kitchen or office, and she truly just wants to be with us all the time. She will happily chew on a bone while we’re watching tv, and once she is comfortable around you, will occasionally ask for snuggles on the couch. Silver loves to sleep, and willingly goes into her crate at bedtime and is quiet right away. Most nights she is in bed for about 10 hours but if you like to sleep in on the weekend most times Silver is quite happy to get a good 12 hours sleep without a problem. At the groomer’s and vet’s, she is shy and scared at first but by the time the appointment is over, she is usually a fan favourite! She is just a dog that needs time to get the read of environment around her and ease into new places and new people. Because Silver’s favourite place is with us, that means she is getting lots of exposure to car rides and loves to come along on all adventures. At first, riding in the car was tough and she would get quite carsick. We have been helping her with anti-nausea meds, and she can now go on short car rides without meds or getting sick. We are continuing to work with her to get her more comfortable for longer and longer rides, because despite the uneasy tummy, she definitely prefers coming along for rides! Silver is still learning about kids and since loud noises and quick movements still make her uneasy, we are looking for a home without children at this time. Gentle natured teens would be fine. If kids are planned for the future it should be fine once Silver has settled into your home and you work with a trainer to prepare her for the commotion. She truly is a family dog and learns quickly who is in her family and loves them. Now that she is comfortable at home with us, she seeks us out and is very happy to spend time with us. She even doesn’t mind the odd dance party with familiar people, but she isn’t ready to participate just yet. On a sad note, Silver has been diagnosed with Heartworm disease. Her previous owner obviously didn’t have her on the preventative which would have ensured she was protected from this disease. Heartworm is a preventable disease that is spread by. Heartworm is in Southern Ontario and we are seeing more and more of it as each year passes. We are a rescue that Heartworm and Lyme tests all of the dogs we take in for exactly this reason. The good news is that Silver is completely free of symptoms and is an otherwise healthy dog, and we are committed to curing this and will get her all better. She was diagnosed early on in the development and has an excellent recovery prognosis. We have had many other dogs in our program that have had heartworm and have treated those dogs successfully and all are living active and healthy lives. Silver has no idea she has this disease and is in every way a happy dog. She is almost done her treatment plan and is doing really well with the treatment process. We are looking for her forever family now so that when she is completed her treatments she could start her life as a healthy dog with a loving family. In summary, Silver is a gorgeous dog who desperately wants a forever home and a place in someone’s family. She is on a journey of learning that scary people almost always turn out to be friends, as well as a journey of gaining confidence in herself. Just look at that face! Name: Silver ID # PDR1477 Age: 8mths Gender: female Spayed: yes UTD vaccines: yes Breed: German Shepherd/Malamute Colours: sable Coat length: med House trained: yes Special needs: yes, see bio OK with kids: older OK with cats: yes Ok with dogs: yes Status: adoptable Microchip: yes Size: large Location: Fergus Adoption fee: $900

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