Adopted: Tuck

NOT TAKING ANY MORE APPLICATIONS. CURRENT OWNERS HAVE MANY DOZENS ALREADY!

Hi I’m Tuck, I love people and other dogs and I always smell amazing!
Quick Facts:

  • Breed: Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog – Standard Poodle Mix)
  • Gender: Male, neutered
  • Age: 3 year old
  • Size: 85 pounds
  • Good with…
    • Dogs? Yes!
    • Cats? Yes (most)
    • Kids? Yes (most)

History

I’m from a breeder in Kentucky. My mom adopted me at 11 weeks old to train me as a therapy dog. I didn’t end up graduating from therapy dog school because I’m nervous around men until they’ve gained my trust (you read the news these days, who can blame me?!).   My career over, I became a fantastic family dog!!

Personality

I am an incredibly affectionate, silly, goofy, fun-loving, happy-happy-happy boy!  I was a cwazy cwazy puppy, but since I turned 2 I’ve become an incredibly mature fuzz ball!  I like (and am used to getting) two good, long walks, with some romping off-leash time chasing a ball or playing with another dog. If I get that, then really all I want to do is a bear-rug impersonation the rest of the day!

When my humans lay down their yoga mats I know that they want me to nuzzle my head into them, and paw at their faces, and lay in their way with my belly up to the sky. Ha-ha-ha!  I love to walk through my daddy’s legs when he gets home, it’s like I’m being petted even before he can put stuff down.  I thrive on lots of affection and attention, it makes me so happy, fills my heart with joy!

My human toddler buddy is the best friend I could ever have!   I do “stay” on my bed while he eats, and then I get to lick his hands and face when my mom says “ok”! I don’t understand the release term “ok” unless she says it enthusiastically with jazz hands–I’ll seriously just lay there waiting for the jazz hands!

I absolutely love other dogs!  I have gone to doggie daycare 1 to 3 times a week since I was a puppy, and have been highly socialized at dog parks and on walks.  Since the baby was born, I have occasionally barked and lunged at a random, large dog while on a leashed walk with my mom when she has our baby in a carrier (almost never if dad is the one walking me); I’m letting the stranger big dog know not to mess with our baby!  I have been trained to sit when on leash when I see another dog, so my mom or dad can ask the owner if its ok to come and say hello to him/her, then I am asked to do “touch” or “look” and mom gives me the “ok!”  (with jazz hands) before I greet them.   I used to be amazing at this, but again, my training has become lax since the baby came along, so could use a refresher course!

Commands I know: “ack!” (kinda like “stop that”), “ok”, “go to bed (but I need to be shown the bed, even though its always in the same spot)”, “wait (before I go down stairs or out the door)”, “sit (I can even do this if there’s a bunny, but you have to see the bunny first)”, “stay (I can do this really well if I know food is coming, but harder if there’s a scary man or a fun dog)”, “come (I can do this really well if you whistle and have treats, especially if there’s another dog, if no treats or doggie friends then I’m not to be trusted near roads and I may scare the dickens out of a man, but I’ve never hurt anyone)”, “roll over (I usually need a food lure for this one)”, “up  (to jump in hatch back, again I need a food lure)”.

I’ve done lots of clicker training. I’ll go in my crate–just don’t shut the door please, I get scared and claustrophobic if the door is shut!

I love the water, but I’ve sunk a few times in our pond. I always come back up, but it scares the dickens out of me. Mom’s taught me to sit and make eye contact with her first, when she says “ok!” (with jazz hands, of course) I go running and splashing in up to my belly.  I like shallow water like streams better than deep water!

My one major quirk:  men make me nervous!  Especially young, testosterone-filled guys wearing hats. If they can be trained to ignore me, not approach me, not reach out toward me, not look at me, then I will often trust them after an introduction or three,  Some men just can’t resist staring at or reaching for me, and I then just don’t trust them!   I also need a fella to take off his hat when he enters, not-look at me, let me come sniff him without him reaching for me at all. If a guy has these sorts of good manners they will be my buddy and I will be leaning into them and sliding down their leg for belly rubs in no time.  Otherwise, I’m just gonna have to sound an alarm (bark-bark-bark!) and scare the bugger off!

Cohabitation

I’m amazing with young children, babies, and adult women!

I need to be introduced properly to men (see details above) but if they meet me correctly, I learn to love them just as much as women!

I am great with other dogs!

I am really good with most cats.  I usually either sniff and ignore them, ignore them altogether, or run away/steer very clear if they hiss at me or otherwise act like they are mean!   Once in a while, especially with outside cats, I can get barky or want to chase.   If you have cats, we’d need to check it out, but chances are, I would be fine!

Favorite Activities

  • My people!  I love people and getting love, attention, and affection!
  • Babies and toddlers!  They are the best! (like any dog I should never be left with a baby or small child without adult supervision.)
  • Eating! My svelte physique is due to the vet scaring my mom by saying I would live longer if I were skinnier.
  • Exercise!  I’m NOT into long jogs, but I love romping, a good game of chase, and wrestling with other dogs!   I’ll do fetch 5 or 6 times, but then I just wanna lay in some snow and chew the ball. I love long walks though. I could hike all day.
  • Snow! Please let me help you clean the snow off your car!
  • Belly rubs!  And scratches behind the ears!  Oh… my hind leg is kicking just thinking about it!

Why I’m looking for a new home

My human parents had a baby 11 months ago and have been struggling like crazy—both financially and also time-wise– to take care of me the way I deserve.  My grooming needs get costly, and I’m not getting enough exercise or attention. They didn’t look sooner because I am so incredibly good with the baby, and we’re best buddies, but they just feel badly for me and badly for how hard it has been for them since the baby came. Everyone is very sad, but we agree I could be happier with a family with more time and money, and maybe a dog buddy to romp with.

Medical

I am in excellent health!  had an umbilical hernia as a newborn pup. It got fixed when I got neutered and has not been an issue since. I also had chronic diarrhea as a puppy, until I learned to stop swallowing things that aren’t food!   I haven’t done that for a year or more, so everyone hopes that I have matured out of such silliness. I now have a cyst on my back, which the doc says is just water-filled sebaceous cyst and does not need to be removed.

Summary

I dream of running off-leash in a very large, fenced in backyard with a doggie friend, while my family watches and laughs at my antics, sometimes joining in with some rough housing and ball-tossing, then we all go inside and snuggle on the floor, and I get lots of pets and hugs and belly rubs!!  I would also love to continue some positive training so maybe men aren’t so scary as they have been, and I really need a family who is mindful about me needing to be introduced very carefully to teenage boys and men. I would love it if my new family was home a lot of the time, so I barely ever have to be alone!   I’d like to continue being fed healthy dog food and that my penchant for table food is kept under wraps so I can keep my healthy figure and live a good, long life.  I want to be taken to the vet for check-ups with no expense spared if I’m sick, and my grooming needs taken care of!

If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca , Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers.

Comments are closed.