- Breed: Blue Heeler mix
- Gender: Male
- Age: 4 months old
- Size: ? pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes!
- Cats? Yes!
- Kids? Yes!
Ben is a completely adorable four month-old, very friendly, very lovable Blue Heeler mix.
Personality
He is sweet, bouncy, and brilliantly smart! He is emblematic of his breed with a keen, curious intelligence. He adorably cocks his head and looks with a questioning expression when he encounters new things! He is a fast learner, which is wonderful and makes working with him so much fun, but because he is so smart, he can get easily bored, so he needs people who really like to interact and with whom he will get both mental and physical stimulation.
History
He was passed between a few well-meaning but inexperienced people, and that was tough on him. He needs stability, patience, gentleness, and love. He would be so over the moon to be adopted into a home with kind, loving, experienced cattle dog lovers who will help him rebuild his trust and with whom he can bond forever. He so wants to be an important part of someone’s family, where he gets to stay forever, and share all the love and joy and adventure that is part of that.
He is being crate-trained now, and is doing well with his housebreaking, though will continue to need some loving help with this as he works to get to 100% on that. His current foster person is helping him with this by having a clear routine of bathroom, play, bathroom, crate rest, bathroom, meals, etc. When he needs to go out, he will give a whine from in his crate.
Cohabitation
He is currently being fostered with a gentle big brother dog, and an older cat. Ben has bonded in just a few days with the foster parent and the other dog in the home. He takes cues from the other dog and finds much comfort in following him around. The two dogs play together much of the day and it’s wonderful for his socialization and also to help him burn that pup energy! We think he will be happiest and most successful in a home that has at least 1 other friendly, young(ish) playful dog. He shares toys really well and loves to play nonstop!
He also needs a home where he can take his time warming up, and would thrive in a situation in which he gets some good outdoor time (fenced yard is best!), and has plenty of daily attention and stimulation. He would LOVE to learn new things with positive reinforcement techniques, and would be terrific at dog sports like Agility.
He is very cat friendly! He does try to play with the cat in his home, he is respectful of boundaries when the cat lets him know that he’s not interested.
Ben can be nervous at initial meetings with people or other animals, but with appropriate reassurance, and letting him take things at his own pace, he gains confidence. Being passed off to several different homes in his very short young life leaves a dog a bit unsure and nervous. This should get much better once he is in a safe, loving, stable home.
He is completely child friendly, however since he in still in the stage of playfully nipping, he will need monitoring and kind, gentle guidance with younger children. He has been great with the children he has been around.
Summary
If you are interested in adopting Ben, 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.
