Adopted: June 24, 2018

Chief came into GSRNE in January, when he was 3 ½ years old and not neutered; he was a BIG boy, at 105 pounds.  His owner had gotten him as a puppy, and all went well until the owner changed jobs and was away from home for 15 hours at a stretch three days a week.  He knew that Chief was gaining weight from lack of proper exercise and attention and decided to give him a chance at another kind of life.  To help Chief with the change, he wrote a list of things Chief likes (walks in the woods, Milkbone treats, catching tennis balls out of the air, lying on the couch, car rides with his head out the window, American cheese); and a list of his dislikes ( wind, getting his nails cut, garden hose, wooden baby gates, deep water and mailmen).

Chief’s foster Dad wrote that Chief is caring and smart, loves to be with people, waits patiently in his crate in the morning to come out and loves being rubbed, mostly around his ears and neck.  During walks, he uses his nose a lot, so his foster parents hide treats for him to find as they walk along.  He gets very excited when he sees his leash being picked up and wants to jump on the door, thinking he can hurry the going-out process.  He has been learning to sit and wait for the door to be opened, but it’s a work in progress.

There’s a female GSD in the foster home, and Chief enjoys playing chase games with her outside.  She’s a senior girl, and he is almost twice her size, but he does back down when she lets him know she has had enough.  He would not do well with a small dog and really seems to want all the attention from his people, so we would like to find him a home where he’s the only dog.

Chief must have been allowed on the bed as well as the couch in his original home, and he can get stubborn about being told he needs to get off.  His foster Dad has been working on that, but Chief does need a confident leader who will know how to continue working with him.  Your reward will be a loving companion who wants to be your shadow and keep you company with whatever you’re doing.  After some exercise and play time, he’s happy to relax next to your chair and look up at you with an adoring gaze.