Date Adopted:  June 22, 2017 (Age at adoption: 4-5 yrs old approximate)

After three weeks in his foster home, Winston has just started playing with toys in the house; up until then, he didn’t seem to know what they were good for.  He seems to especially like a soft rope toy, which he will now fetch and bring back.

Winston was living in a shelter when we met him, and we were told that he had lived with other dogs and several cats in an outside enclosed area.  When the owner became seriously ill, the animals had to be moved.  We were also told that Winston was nervous around small dogs, but we have seen him become acquainted with some small dogs and even get along with them at a dog park when there were just a few dogs at a time in the exercise area.

Being in the house with his foster Dad has become Winston’s favorite activity; he loves to lean in for an ear rub and to stretch out close by in the evening, after some stimulating exercise outside.  Winston enjoys a good walk and will hop into the car for a ride; he’ll take over the whole back seat and relax on the way to wherever you’re going.

Winston knows a few obedience commands and will even offer his paw if you ask.  If you have treats in your pocket, he’ll offer one paw and then both paws if that will get him a reward.  He catches on quickly to new things and is happily motivated by edible treats.  He has not shown much prey drive when seeing squirrels in the yard, but we haven’t seen him around a cat.  There is a cat in the foster home, but it is not interested in meeting the new dog in the home.  Since Winston lived in a group that included cats, he may be able to live peacefully with one.

After a week or so in his foster home, Winston started to become protective and would bark at visitors and not accept them as quickly as his foster brother, another male GSD, would do.  With a calm introduction on leash, though, Winston has made friends with people coming to the house.  He’s more comfortable meeting people outside the home, as long as they don’t try to pat him on the head; he finds that to be rude.  If you have good leadership skills and are looking for a new best friend, please ask us about meeting Winston.