Pet of the Week, Raider!

This is Raider! He is 4 years old (and about 90lbs) and has been returned to ARF through no fault of his own. He has only been back in our system for a short while, so this is what we know about him so far.

He is fully house trained, crate trained and knows sit, down, stay, come, shake a paw, high five, give kisses and chill. When you tell Raider to 'chill', he knows that he is going to be left alone and it's time to just hang out. He does stay home alone when is foster parents are gone to work and he does not mind one bit. He also waits patiently for your to dry him off from a walk in the rain and will sit patiently at the door until he's invited to go outside.

A few of Raider's true loves include: his harness, games of tug, ear and bum scratches, water, sun bathing on the deck, being groomed, car rides, his big pillow, red peppers, carrots and snap peas. He also enjoys playing with his people... he will be sure to bring you a toy when he wants to play, or he might even offer you a play bow!

Raider is also not a big barker. He will alert when someone comes in the house or will bark very quietly when outside on the deck and he sees someone walk by, but he responds when his foster home tells him it's OK. I guess you could call Raider a gentle giant, at 90lbs, his foster home says he seems to tip-toe around the house and has an incredibly gentle mouth when taking food from you. He's also very quiet and calm in the house.

Though you can tell Raider was very much loved, the last few months have been unstable for him and he is definitely insecure. He's also a little shy and leery of men. He's warming up to his foster dad though, and is really bonding with the adult daughter of his foster parents, so all hope isn't lost! Raider also shows some reactivity on-leash to other dogs and moving objects, which his foster home is diligently working on and and seeing vast improvements already. He is also quite fearful of young children moving quickly. He is adjusting to a 4 year old, but it's probably best if there are no young children in his forever home.

Because Raider is insecure, he needs to go to a home that he can depend on. Someone with dog experience, some knowledge of positive reinforcement training and some patience to help him over-come his insecurities and fears. Really, this guy has all the building blocks in place, he just needs someone he can depend on to show him the world isn't as bad as it seems! If you think you're the right fit, please, fill out an application for him! I haven't met him, but he sounds like he's a pretty nice fella!