IN THE FOSTER SPOTLIGHT!!

Written by BG's foster mom


Bubba Gump has been our foster since Labor Day weekend. He came from the midwest after being rescued from a commercial breeding facility. Foster Dad picked him up at the airport. He was very friendly but uncertain of his new surroundings. For his first 4 years, his life in a cage did not include a loving family, regular exercise, good food, fresh water, and housetraining. We quickly discovered that he was a "talker" and chortled whenever he was uncertain or surprised by something. We began to call him Snickers and he seems to like his new name.

It has been a long road for him to learn to trust people and acknowledge and follow the "rules of the house". He has had a few bumps in the road but after 4 months, we are proud to say that he is crate trained, housetrained and goes to the door if he needs an extra trip, walks nicely on the leash, obeys simple commands like sit, stop at curbs, no bark and look at me. He has a little bit of a stubborn streak and pouts in his expen when he doesn't get his way. He has learned the rules and enjoys his daily routines. He is very smart and watches everything that is going on. He has worked through some fears that were probably related to his years in the commercial breeding facility. He loves to be petted and enjoys sitting on our laps. He gets along very well with our female dogs and loves to play with them.

He does have a grade 3 asymptomatic heart murmur. The vet came and checked him 2 weeks ago, and said that you shouldn't worry about adopting him because he has no symptoms, it doesn't impact his activity
and there is nothing to treat at this time. He may need to take some medicine in his geriatric years.

Presently, he walks 1-2 miles twice a day and runs up and down stairs frequently. He does very well encountering most people on the walk but he isn't too sure about children. We have taken him to Petco to meet the animal trainer and she has spent a little time with him on two separate occasions. He will need some trips to pet friendly stores and obedience classes for socialization to help him to trust strangers more. He went to a puppy obedience class this week and did very well with the other dogs and people in the class. Every month brings new milestones for him.

For a little guy who spent his first 4 1/2 years in a cage, he has courageously spent the last 4 1/2 months learning how to live outside of one. You can see the determination in his eyes when he takes on a new task and watch him step outside his comfort zone when foster mom asks him to. He is less vocal with us then he was when he got here and it seems to us that as he becomes more secure in his new life he is a little less chatty. He knows his way around the house and picks his own toys, goes to his open expen and his bed when he wants to take a nap, drinks water when he is thirsty and gets his nylabone and chews it to occupy himself when he is not playing with his foster sisters. He still likes to chew on the occasional shoelace and is fascinated by foster Dad's gloves.

It is heartwarming to watch him take in his new world with curiosity and shyness as he becomes more comfortable with his life outside the cage.

We hope that you will consider Snickers as an addition to your furmily.

He will love you, be loyal to you, follow you around, keep you company and keep you active. Please click here to learn more about him or file an application for adoption. You can see him "in person" by watching his videos.

Thank you for taking the time to consider making Snickers part of your life. He is a wonderful, friendly dog and we appreciate your willingness to take him the rest of the way.