Meet Bailey 7309

Bailey 7309 (aka “Biggie”) is a five-year-old “King” Shepherd – a breed created by crossing a German Shepherd Dog with a Shiloh Shepherd. Biggie is a big girl -- @115 pounds and only needs to lose perhaps another five pounds. She is calm and sedate, spending most of her days resting contently on her jumbo lounger. At the same time, she greets her foster mom enthusiastically after even short separations, and LOVES her walks -- she will spin and hop in anticipation of those. Foster mom is working with her to be calm while being leashed, and to wait in a sit position before being released outside. Biggie does pull on the leash at the start of the walk but does respond to gentle corrections; she does not pull on the return trip to the house so foster mom thinks she is still enjoying the novelty of regular walks. She is walked twice a day for 15-20 minutes; this will increase as the weather becomes cooler. She has not shown much interest in her fenced-in yard – after doing her potties, she will lie on the brick patio just watching the world go by. Biggie for all of her life before coming into rescue lived in a house with a small dog and a cat and displayed no interest in either. In her foster home, she responds energetically when she sees cats on walks (there are a lot in foster mom’s neighborhood) but completely ignores other dogs barking at her or coming near her. Biggie met foster mom’s tiny toy fox terrier very gently and with interest, not showing any negative response to the terrier’s fussing at her. Because the terrier can be unpredictable, foster mom keeps the pups segregated from one another. Biggie is affectionate but somewhat aloof. She is not in any sense a “Velcro dog” and is quite content resting quietly in her space while foster mom is home. Biggie is protective but not overly so and has done very well meeting people and small children on the street, including a group of young boys who petted her all over without incident. She willingly climbs into the car but does get a little anxious; that should be resolved with time as her prior owner said she loved car rides. She will occasionally play with her large stuffies; she also likes tug toys. Biggie is very food and treat-motivated. Foster mom requires her to sit and be calm before meals and Biggie has responded extremely well. She is intelligent and has been through obedience training but needs continued work and reinforcement of basic commands. She is decent about baths, very good in the vet’s office, tolerates nail trims very well, and is fully potty-trained. Because of her size, foster mom has not crated Biggie (and she was not crated in her original home); Biggie has the run of the living room while foster mom is gone and has never engaged in any destructive behavior. Biggie is an owner surrender, relinquished because her primary caregiver had died and the remaining owner felt he could no longer care for her. She came into rescue with significant skin issues which have been fully resolved through diet within her first two months in rescue. She has been diagnosed with an allergy to chicken and thus must absolutely avoid foods containing that. Biggie has done very well in rescue and is ready for her forever home. Approved adopters can contact ellen.bowyer@gmail.com