GUNNER

Gunner, called "Gunny" by his folks, was a stray taken in by his Good Samaritan Rick & family about ten months ago. They did the usual search for the owners who undoubtedly did not want him and likely intentionally abandoned him; intact, no ID or microchip. Rick has four other dogs of his own so these boys have been relegated to the side yard and garage while he unsuccessfully tried finding them homes. They have not had any training and little to no socialization/walks but were friendly and outgoing with us. Rick had them vet checked and brought their shots up to date. Gunner has recently been neutered. He also had what appears to be an abscessed tooth that we will attempt to jointly address with his owner. Before we do anything medical, however, we need an indoor environment (foster home) where he can heal infection free. If you are interested in fostering Gunner, please read about OUR FOSTER PROGRAM and submit a Foster Application (found on the Foster Program page). Since he has not been in the house, we have no idea as to whether or not he is house or crate trained; it's a relatively safe bet that he has been an outside dog most if not all of his life. Gunny is the kinda guy our staff really likes; full of personality, alert, very responsive to leadership and training. That said, he's a very confident, smart boy and would do best with a handler with good leadership skills and some experience. He has been kept separated from Rick's dogs, was very excited at the sight of other dogs at the park and will definitely need some group training to hone his social skills. We plan on seeing him again around other dogs but Rick did say that he briefly (once) had him in around some dogs in a class and he did well. Since with Rick he has done well with kids but has not lived in-home with any. No exposure to cats or small dogs. We think, with proper intros, a large breed female would be OK but no little critters. Gunny's age is estimated at 5 years, he's well muscled, strong and healthy. We have encouraged his caretakers to get him out more and referred them to an informal class. Regardless, his new owner will be required to complete some recommended training after which this boy will SHINE! GUNNER AT THE PARK SEPTEMBER 15TH: UPDATE 9/15: Gunner paid a visit to our vet last week to have some minor tooth extractions and years of neglected tarter scaled. We also had his ears cleaned and treated, he was micro-chipped and had his nails trimmed. He's almost done with the antibiotics from his dental work and was brought indoors for his recovery. He is now crate trained as well and good to go. GUNNER & DAD RICK LEAVING THE VET'S OFFICE AFTER HIS SURGERY This is a stunning, 112 pound beauty ready for forever. A basic obedience class and a refresher on house manners is all that it will take for this loving companion to brighten someone's life. UPDATE NOV 2012: Gunny is still living outside and really needs a warm and safe foster or adoptive home. He is a really nice boy with loads of personality and like most of his rescued counterparts, just needs some training, socializing and leadership to polish off what will be the ultimate companion. Where oh where is his forever family?? UPDATE MAY 23, 2013P: Gunner was actually adopted earlier this year, however, just as we were picking him up to take him to his new home, his owner casually mentioned a problem with his paw; he thought perhaps Gunny had hit it getting into his truck. When he described what he thought might be a minor injury, we recognized it as a possible indicator of the early onset of DM, Degenerative Myelopathy - disease basics, a progressive and ultimately fatal neurological condition not uncommon in German Shepherd Dogs. While we knew there was a chance it was nothing at all near as serious, we are compelled to disclose everything of which we are aware when we place a dog. Upon learning of this possibility, Gunner's adopter chose not to accept the risk. Since then we have been watching Gunny closely..he is still knuckling under with his left rear paw. For the most part, DM is a diagnosis of exclusion..when all else is ruled out it's usually the dreaded and insidious DM: http://www.lapoflove.com/diseases/DegenerativeMyelopathy.pdf Since Gunner is a very large boy (112 pounds), managing him if and when his rear becomes paralyzed would take a tremendous commitment not to mention physical strength. Therefore, we have made the assumption that he is not a candidate for adoption and will have less stress staying with his bonded family. The downside, of course, is that he's still relegated to the yard and garage and his Dad is bringing him into the laundry room when the temperature rises. Progression varies in each dog; some don't experience true paralysis for as much as three years but the average is about a year post diagnosis...there is just no way to know. Either way, this is a heartbreaking disease. In the unlikely event that someone has a better situation for Gunny and is willing to deal with the emotional and physical demands of DM, we would love to hear from you. Adoption fee: CURRENTLY (TEMPORARILY) NOT AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. If you are interested in Gunny, please READ ADOPTION BEGINS HERE BEFORE CONTACTING US, then call Steff between 10am and 8:00pm PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE READ ADOPTION BEGINS HERE BEFORE CONTACTING US ON THIS DOG. THANK YOU.