JEROME (aka Jerry)
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| Approx 14 week old male GSD PUP...to be evaluated weekend of 10/25...please check back.
He is not house broken yet. Please check back for more info. This adorable sable colored baby is only 10-12 weeks old. He's confident yet not strong willed. Very outgoing puppy ready to take on the world. Jerry moved in with his foster folks Mary & Jerry today, met Conan his big brother and Coco his big sister with whom he's already playing. He's already started on house and crate training and will be vetted, vaccinated, chipped and eventually neutered. As usual, GSD puppies require a home with an owner gone no more than four hours a day; must be willing to complete a basic obedience class and deal with the usual puppy stuff; it takes time and commitment. Please check back to follow Jerry's progress.
Jerry's 1st FOSTER REPORT: Jerry is adjusting to home life very nicely. He crates very easily in the evening when I tell him "its' bedtime," still give him a small treat for being a good boy. He is very alert for such a little fellow. Not knowing what his first 10 weeks of life were like for him, he is a pretty stable little guy. His is learning the "potty" thing quickly. Loves to sit by mom or dad and watch TV or take a nap. Likes his little massages too. Has had 2 accidents in the house and that was foster moms fault. Didn't get him outside fast enough after playtime. I have now noticed that he will go to the patio door when he wants to go out-good boy!!! After he does his potty I praise him and that little tail just goes and goes. He is very loving little guy. He WILL make a wonderful companion for some lucky person. FOSTER UPDATE #2 -11/1: Jerry has caught on with the "potty" thing, no accidents in the house. He sits by the patio door and looks at you as if to say "hey, I've gotta go." In the morning he will run out do his business and then immediately come back to where I am sitting to get his "good boy" praises. Once the praises are done he will then go back and sit in the grass area with his canine friends. Had his first marrow bone and loved it. He worked on that bone for a good hour. Also has caught on to which door holds the treats. For being such a young pup he is very alert to everything around him and will bark if he hears a strange sound. He loves to have his back and belly rubbed. He's an all around good boy.
He's a pretty quick study..he's now housebroken...even woke Mom up at 3:00am to go potty...crate and leash trained, will sit and shake hands. He's very focused for such a young guy and will train easily. He's affectionate and responsive. Jerry is still losing his milk teeth so there will be lotS of chewing and supervision in his future. So far, he's been a very well behaved puppy!
UPDATE 12/3: Jerry took another trip to the vet today...he's had loose stool for about a week, not diarrhea but too loose and we had tried a diet change, etc., without success, so we did another fecal check which produced negative results. His temp, vitals, energy, appetite, et al. all normal so we opted for a week of meds to address any possible intestinal parasites. He's a puppy and will ingest anything so foster Mom is keeping a close eye on any munching, plant or otherwise, when he's out in the yard. He weighed in at 44.3LBS, growing nice and slowly and not likely to be a very big boy. His ears are back down due to teething..he's cutting lots of new teeth all at once and his bottom canines have just erupted through the gum line. His ears should pop back up once he's finished using so much of his calcium. As soon as Jerry sees anyone the tails wags and he's eager to say hello. He's a very busy guy and fearless when exploring. He loves chasing birds and anything that moves. He's absolutely adorable and will instantly win your heart.
Jerry had his Rabies vaccination today; we also shaved him to look for an early neuter scar and was not able to perceive one; Jerry is likely a bilateral cryptorchid which means that neither of his testicles have descended into the scrotum. This is a fairly common condition, however, will require abdominal surgery to remove them. We're waiting until he's at least six months of age before subjecting him to general anesthesia...probably right after the holidays after which he will be "good to go." He can be shown between now and then.
FOSTER UPDATE 12/21: Went to my daughter's yesterday. Jerry did great. He and Joey (Golden) became friends at first sight. It took a little while before Jerry and Max (Husky) became friends but once they did Oh my did they have a ball. Although Max is twice the size of Jerry, Jerry held his own. Jerry was very protective of me at first and when Max came over by me Jerry said, "oh no you don't." I told Jerry it was ok and had both of them sit by me. Once Jerry realized all was good then everything was fine. Jerry slept all the way home. When we got home Conan was happy to see Jerry. Tails were going all over the place. Conan gave Jerry the once over as if to say, "hey where have you been and with who??" It was funny to see Conan's reaction. Let all the dogs out before we went to bed and Jerry slept all through the night; no 3 AM potty breaks. Everyone loved the little booger. He was a very very good boy. He really played hard and today he is wiped out, sleeping on and off. UPDATE 1/28: Our little "rocket" is just that; very active, always on the go and nearly fearless. He will keep you on your toes...this is not a laid back, mellow dude. Since our last update we did an ultra sound and another palpation exam hoping to confirm that he had not had surgery at some very young age by a shelter, however, it was inconclusive. We've held off for a while as his foster family's Lab mix was recently diagnosed with cancer and had subsequent surgery. She's all recovered and healed from that and has an optimistic prognosis. So it's time to move forward; Jerry is scheduled for an abdominal neuter on February 6th followed by a 10 day recovery period. He has not been as socialized as we would have liked..between the holidays and his foster folks running back and forth to specialists with their own dog, but he will be venturing out more now. He's always been very friendly with people and dogs that he knows, has barked at new dogs at the vet, thus it is time to get him exposed to the stranger side of life. He's a bit spoiled, yet sensible, and will insist on jumping into bed with you to cuddle. He's small for his age and one of his ears has not totally popped back up..we'll see. He is going to be very protective of his family and will not be the best choice for a first time GSD owner. Jerry can be shown before the 6th of Feb and should be good to go soon. UPDATE 2/6: WE FOUND EM! Both testicles tucked away in Jerry's abdomen. He's now resting comfortably at home and did very well. He also seems to have had a growth spurt over the last two weeks and is catching up to his age; weighed just under 64 pounds. UPDATE 2/19: Jerry's sutures have been removed, he's up to 66.5lbs and he is ready to meet you. We did get an opportunity to test him with some cats and would prefer a home without any.
UPDATE 4/4: Jerry joined us at Cardinal Stadium for the Kachina show and had a ball. He's at home wherever he goes, eager to make new friends.
UPDATE 4/25: Our boy's ears are up......then down, especially when he's tired. Since one is a little on the lazy side, we took him to our ear expert Kathy today and had them taped. He's not crazy about the idea but looks really cute, like a little reindeer. If we can keep him from removing his new look, those ears should be up for good in a couple of weeks...check back for photos soon.
UPDATE JULY 4th: Little Jerry is a hero; he appropriately alerted his foster family to a nest of young rattle snakes on their patio this past week. One would think a puppy's curiosity would have gotten the better of him, instead, he stood back and barked and stared at the the bush they were hiding under until Mom realized the threat. And once the first one was relocated, Jerry went back to advise there were more...wouldn't quit until the snakes were found and removed. Needless to say, there's new snake fencing all around the view fence now! After a ruff day of snake rustling, Jerry spent time lovin the grandkids followed by a well deserved nap with pal Coco:
Stop by to meet me at the Art & Whine Festival on November 1st!! UPDATE 1/22--SYNOPSIS: Jerry's journey started when he was just a pup. Because his neuter required abdominal surgery, we chose to wait until after he was six months old. After that, we wanted to get some training on him. His foster family wanted to keep him, however, they're retired seniors with two other dogs and while great owners, we wanted young Jerry to have a more active lifestyle. The weeks turned to months and now it's been over a year. Jerry has visited us at various events and has always been a well behaved star. We love his balanced temperament and lively and affectionate personality; he's that perfect dichotomy of mush-pot and protector that we look for in our breed. So why is he still with us? Simply because he is small for the breed, is a light sable color and has one floppy ear. While Jerry might not be your classic, large, black & tan GSD, he is every inch the classic German Shepherd temperament. Many have met and loved him, then disappear in favor of a different "look". This is a tough yet sweet little guy. We would prefer an adopter with some German Shepherd experience for him. While he loves and does well with kids, we would rather not see him in a home with lots of little ones and no time for Jerry. We had "assigned" him a birth date of 8/8/08 which puts him at 15 months old. He is housetrained, crate trained, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, leash trained and knows his basic commands. He has been socialized but could use more. He has never been mouthy or destructive. He is spoiled and will stand his ground in the face of a threat. And he is very smart. Someone is missing out on a stellar companion. Jerry at the Police K9 Trials April 2010 Adoption fee $395.00.
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UPDATE 11/7: Jerry had his 1st vet visit today; exam, fecal check and vaccination. He weighed in at 36.6 lbs at approximately 14 weeks of age. He was his usual confident and friendly self; curious and tolerant yet eager to move on to explore.
His fecal was negative for parasites and he was pronounced healthy. He had his vaccination and will have a booster in three weeks.
