Quick Facts:
- Breed: American Bully
- Gender: Male, neutered
- Age: Puppy – 4 months old (DOB around 7/23)
- Size: 20 lbs now but likely to be 70 full grown!
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes!
- Cats? Probably! (fostered with cat now and he is curious & respectful but she hides too efficiently for him to engage)
- Kids? We think so! 8+!
History
Meet Baba Voss! If the name leaves you scratching your head, check out the TV series “See.” Voss has been sight-impaired since birth. He can see some shadows and more out of one eye vs. the other. You’d never notice unless you were looking for this! We rescued him from a shelter in rural NC, where the amazing shelter staff advocated against his being euthanized. He was unlikely to find an adoptive home there, but we knew we’d be able to find him a great home in the Ithaca area!
Personality
Voss is the best puppy! He is an active, goofy, smart, affectionate, social little pupster. He has made a great start at learning a lot of commands, even in the first week or two that we have had him! He is SMART. He is doing well with Come, No, Gentle, Step up, Step down, crate-training, car riding, and leash walking! Impressive, right? When playing, we affectionately refer to him as “baby shark” (yes, complete with the tune)—because of his big open-mouthed grin and those rows of sharp puppy teeth! We’re working on helping him shift from teething on us to licking us. He has a way to go, but he is improving! 😊 He now knows what is chewable (toys, balls, bones) and what is lickable (faces, beards, hands), though he makes mistakes sometimes. He has this way of gazing up at you lovingly with his big aquamarine eyes…impossible for your heart not to melt!
Voss is also hilarious! For instance, when we ask, “want to go potty?” he might tilt his head, stamp his feet, consider the request, then go running in the other direction at full speed! And when he gets frustrated that the other dogs in the house are too quick for him to keep up with (due to his huge, kinda clumsy puppy feet), he will just harumph and fall to the ground in a bit of a melodramatic tantrum! It only lasts for about 7 seconds, poor guy wants to be able to keep up so badly!
Voss will never make it as a cat burglar or a professional spy, because sneaking up on you is out of the question! Probably due to his vision impairment, he makes very heavy-footed, deliberate steps, kind of thundering along beside you! And while he loves being right where you are, he also takes some courageous ventures into other rooms on his own to explore and find more treasures (toys) and soft beds. He LOVES soft beds. And when you call him, he comes full speed to find you, collapsing in your arms and very proud of himself!! He is a really well-balanced guy. Same with the after-potty celebration…he comes full speed with excitement to tell you of his accomplishment! 😊
He is very quiet in a crate and rides well in the car. He loves meeting new people and is friendly with everyone. He is a big hit at the local restaurants and bars with outdoor seating that allow dogs! He is a natural extrovert, there is no shyness that we have seen yet!
Did you think we forgot about the zoomies? Oh good, because they are REAL and Voss gets a case each day. He spins around like a top and has recently discovered how to pounce and play! He takes these new discoveries very seriously…he likes to pounce on leaves and is thrilled when he “wins!” 😊
He currently sleeps in his crate and immediately settles once inside. He rarely makes a peep except some groaning with pleasure as you snuggle him. He adores taking naps outside his crate, in dog beds or on top of pillows, and is happy to snooze away while his humans work remotely. We’ve been working on potty training for the past few weeks, and though of course he still has some accidents (urine only), he is 100% about pooping outside and about 80% with peeing outside, as long as he is not in a crate longer than he can hold it (which is about 3-4 hours). He does sleep in the crate through the night beautifully; his bedtime is at 8pm and wake up is 6:30am. And without any crying – wow! Good boy!
He loves walking right beside you on leash and is an excellent candidate for positive recall training. He knows where his people are always. In the car, he rides in the back and goes to sleep. That being said, he is not clingy nor does he crave being carried. He prefers sharing space and laying next to (ok, ok, sometimes on top of!) his humans. He has a wonderfully independent and confident part, but always circles back to his pack. When he settles at night (before crate time), he will toss himself down next to you on a soft pillow with a toy next to him and take a snooze. Watch out: he snores! 😊
Let’s talk about exercise. Right now, Voss is mainly content to have playtime in the house. He doesn’t go too far just yet on walks – probably once or twice a day around the block will do it for him. Then he sort of stops and looks at you, trying to turn around when he senses we are too far from home. As he gets older and learns that going farther doesn’t mean not coming back, we do expect he will benefit from regular, longer walks and big run/wrestle and tumble playtime with other dogs. Best guess? He will likely be a moderately active dog as he grows into an adult.
Now, what can this youngster work on? He could use a continued use of a “slow feeding” bowl, because right now his excitement to have good food has him gulping his food a bit fast. He needs more work on “gentle, gentle” when playing (aka, those sharp little teeth are everywhere!), he needs continued help with potty training and he needs nice dogs to keep helping him learn when they want to play, and when they want to be left alone. This is all normal puppy stuff and fun for an owner to work on with him. He’s a joy!
Cohabitation
Voss loves people, is very social, introduces himself to everyone! Very friendly, very happy, very sweet, very playful!
Voss has not been around children consistently, so we think it best if he is placed with children who are 8 or older, due to his sharp puppy teeth and occasional rambunctiousness. He has met kids while out and about and shows gentleness and excitement toward them. He wiggles around like a little fish and weaves in and out of their legs with enthusiasm! For Voss, a good butt-wiggle is only milliseconds away.
Voss is being fostered with 2 female dogs, one 28 lbs and one 8 lbs. They are older and have some social challenges, so they aren’t fans of him, but he does his best to be on their good side. He would very much like to play with them but they are having none of that!
Luckily, Voss has neighbor doggy friends who are large, playful 80-pounders, (male and female) and they are pretty patient with his puppy antics and they play with him. He loves to play and wrestle with them! And he is learning (slowly!) that when they bark/growl at him, it means that they are tired and want him to stop playing. He absolutely adores them!! He has been totally curious and incredibly friendly with dogs upon meeting them. He would love a friendly, playful doggy sibling in his new home!
There is a cat in Voss’ foster home but she is very reclusive. Voss is curious about her smells and seems that he would like to meet her, but she has not allowed him to get too close. When she growls at him, he backs right off, very respectful (and wise)!. We guess that he would be fine with savvy cats, as he really just wants to play with everyone and does not understand he has big, goofy feet and yes, a bit of a depth perception problem due to his impaired vision! 😊
Favorite Activities
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- Chewing toys (the squeakier and more textured, the better!)!
- Meeting new people & dogs!
- EATING!
- Licking people!
- Riding in the car!
- Going into fun stores! (they LOVE us at Tractor Supply!)
- Going with humans to bars, restaurants, and vineyards!
- Getting your love!
Why I am looking for a new home
Voss was given his freedom ride (transported) from a high kill shelter in rural NC in mid-November, as shelter staff reached out to request he have a chance at a better home up north. He is currently being fostered by an independent rescuer.
Medical
Voss is in fantastic health, is up to date on vaccinations. He has been sight impaired since birth, but can see better from one eye, and can see shadows, and larger scale movement! It doesn’t slow him down one bit!
Summary
This gorgeous guy will be such a fun, comedic, bonded companion for someone/a family! While there are some special considerations for a sight-impaired dog (maintaining unobstructed spaces, introducing them to new spaces, using smells and sounds for cues and reinforcement), it is not as daunting as you might think! He is just a sweet and playful puppy who learns very quickly and gets around incredibly well. He will stay right by your side! And his hilarious heavy footed, straight front-legged walk will give you the giggles for a long time 😊
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.
