Terri is a handsome, mature German Shepherd male, energetic and playful, 8 ½ years young.  His original owner had him since puppyhood and was very sad to have to find him another home; but a young child in the household had developed severe allergies to dog dander.  After trying various medications and treatments, they decided they could no longer have a dog in the home.

We know it’s difficult for an older dog to find an adopter, and we were relieved to have a foster home available for Terri.  His foster parents are a retired couple who had recently lost their male GSD and had no other dog in the home.  They told us that Terri was very subdued for the first three days he was with them, not eating much and having stress diarrhea.  Of course, he had no idea why he had lost his home, and he slept a lot during those first days, not showing much interest in anything.  He did perk up, though, when his new family took him outside to play fetch and go for walks; he really loves being outside as long as he has company.

Terri had been well-trained, and he walks nicely on leash and will ignore other dogs as long as they don’t bark and lunge towards him.  His previous owner told us that he gets anxious in the car, and his foster parents have found that still to be the case, even after trying several short rides; they’re still working on that.  Terri has not been crate-trained, but he does not damage anything when left alone in the house for a few hours; he does take that opportunity to snooze on the couch, though, which is discouraged when the family is home.  We don’t think he could live with a cat, because he does have a lot of prey drive for chipmunks and squirrels, but he is good around small dogs.

During his foster period, Terri has bonded closely with the man of the house, which he had also done in his original home.  Fortunately, his foster Dad is an outdoors guy and has a vegetable garden, splits and stacks wood and enjoys two-hour walks in conservation land and on horse trails.  Terri is with him or close by for all these activities.  He’s an affectionate boy and loves attention, too.  In the evenings, he’ll go from his foster Dad to his foster Mom for ear rubs and neck massages before settling down with a favorite toy in his mouth.  When it’s snack time, one of his favorite treats is a slice of apple coated with peanut butter.  He has never begged for food from the table and will lie down on his own during mealtimes.  When a visitor knocks on the door, he will run to the door and bark, hackles up, but he sits on command and waits for you to introduce the person and then runs to get a toy.

We are pleased to know that Terri has found his forever home and will not be asked to make another adjustment.  He fits perfectly into his foster home, has helped his foster parents deal with the recent loss of their previous GSD, and they have asked to adopt him, making this a very happy announcement.