In mid-June, 2014, this handsome male German Shepherd was spotted running back and forth on a city street, as though looking for something familiar. The ACO was notified and went to pick him up, but he ran away and had to be chased for hours. Once he gave up, she could see that he was too thin, scared and sore from running. She called GSRNE and asked if someone could meet him and evaluate his temperament, because she could see that he would be a handsome and impressive boy and would need an experienced GSD person to call his own.
The shelter workers decided to call him Campy, and a vet estimated his age to be around 4 years; except for needing to gain weight, he was in good health. He passed his temperament evaluation, and our training coordinator worked with him over the summer to teach him to focus on her and learn basic good manners and follow commands. He definitely wanted a job to do and was thriving with the interaction he was getting.
We then moved Campy to a foster home, where he has been living with a female Min-Pin/mix and two cats. He has learned to give the cats their space, and one of them has become pretty comfortable with him. His foster Dad tells us that Campy loves tummy rubs and greets him with a slight whine, like he’s been missed while away at work. He loves to go for walks, the longer the better; in the yard, he wants to race around and play and likes to have something to hold in his mouth. When he lies down at night, he lets all the air out through the flaps of skin around his mouth with a big sigh. He can be reactive to some other dogs when out on leash; his foster Dad has been working on this issue and, also, on helping him become comfortable with visitors to the home.
When he is ready to move on to a home of his own, we would love to introduce him to an approved adopter who has GSD experience, the leadership skills and interest in continuing to work with him and make him a part of his/her daily routine. Please let us know if you’d like to meet Campy!