Critter Details

Hey everyone, I'm Gwen. I came to the rescue from the shelter with my littermates Griffin and Woody in mid-June at two months. A week later, my two remaining littermates, Martyn and Kuma, joined us in rescue when more folks said they would foster. Griffin and I shared foster homes until his adoption in mid-July. We're lucky to have shared two foster homes regularly, living with one family with two resident dogs and two kids Thursday through Monday and a second family with three resident dogs and two adult kids Monday-Thursday to accommodate in the office versus working from home schedules. We were too young to stay home all day when one of our foster families had office work days. We also spent a weekend with a relief foster when both of our regular foster homes had long-standing weekend plans. In our relief foster home, we hung out with two resident dogs and two cats, demonstrating our ability to be cat-workable. We already knew Martyn was cat-friendly as he lived with two cats before he was adopted, it was good to find out that we all are cat-friendly. We also learned about doggy doors over that weekend.Now that I'm the solo foster puppy, I play with and ask for more attention from the resident dogs and kids. I'm a super gentle puppy who loves to give kisses and snuggle my head on your shoulder, and a very well-behaved pup. I love my morning romps in the grass in the cool morning hours with a toy or stick I've found. Then breakfast, followed by a nap and more playtime. I sleep through the night, about 6 hours, before needing a quick potty break. And when I'm tired, you'll find me on a raised cot, snuggled in my foster parent's comfy bed or in my crate, as sometimes I crate myself. Snuggling on the couch with the kids is lovely if the kids are home. I've mastered lots of skills in the last couple months and have grown lots. We just received a copy of Martyn's DNA, Wisdom Panel says we're 69% German Shepherd and 29% Boxer. That certainly explains our sweet temperament. I know sit, down, walk well on leash and have a great sit when my foster mom stops on on our walks. I've made my foster mom so happy by learning to play fetch, I bring my toys back and nudge her hand to tell her to toss it again.  I also go to lots of kids sports events like track over the summer and now soccer practices.  I adore all the attention from the kids. I met up with Maverik and Gypsy Roo this weekend for a playdate at Paws n Play Community Center, we had a ball seeing each other. It was good to see Maverik and meet Gyspy Roo this time around. I had a playdate at the same place with Maverik and Kuma a couple weeks back. I tagged along to Griffin's meeting with his adopters since it was happening at Paws n Play Community Center, which has many enrichment opportunities for puppies. I loved exploring their training room, running through the tunnel, and adoring the pit with the crunch cloth. Griffin and I showed off our sitting skills, listening ability, and treat motivation. I met the little kids Griffin would be living with, too, and I was very gentle with them. Since leaving the shelter, I've more than doubled my weight, and my ears are on the cusp of turning into radars, although my ears have a mind of their own each day. In one of my foster homes, dogs are allowed on beds but not couches, and in the other, the opposite. I follow the rules of each household.I adored the vet and staff during my exam for booster vaccines. They had this fantastic, wonderful cheese stuff; I didn't even notice that they gave me a shot. And I got lots of snuggles since I love melting into arms. I'm the only girl in our litter and cautious and observant. I liked hanging out under things at the shelter if I wasn't snuggling right into my littermates. Once we arrived at our foster homes, the boys immediately embarked on adventures, and I was busy telling them that it was dangerous to wander around and that we should stick together. But you know, boys. They were soon climbing on rocks, exploring the yard, and ready to meet the resident dogs. Once I saw they were fine, I joined in the exploration too. However, I made sure to bark first at new things, just in case. They just rushed headlong into the experiences.Now that we've settled into a routine, my foster families say I'm the smart one. I observe things and do them right the first time, like getting through the screen door and the kiddie pool to splash around. I'm still responsible, alert to things, and pretty mellow.  I ride very nicely in the car, and so do my littermates. The day I hung out with Martyn, it was only him and me. We were so excited to see each other; he's a bit like Griffin – all action. I just spent a good chunk of a day hanging out with Miko, who's about a month older than me but a giant. He also arrived from the same shelter as my littermates; we hit it off. He fell in the swimming pool a few times while we were learning about pools. I certainly didn't because I watched and figured out I could easily get in on the first step to cool off with only my feet in the water without dunking my entire body.I am pen and crate trained, although we don't use the pen now that I'm older and have good household manners. Regarding potty training, I was initially more casual about it compared to my littermates; I liked to lounge outside, breathe fresh air, and then go potty. If not, given that gradual time, I would select to go inside when we returned.  Once my foster family understood my patterns, we got everything sorted out. Pens were necessary to keep us safe from all the trouble we could get into when our fosters couldn't keep a close eye on us; I mean, I thought the sprinkler head was just perfect to chew on for my aching teeth the first week. I get lots of toys to play with, bully sticks, and lots of company to keep me from getting into trouble chewing the wrong things. When we were tiny, we went out for stroller rides since we couldn't safely have paws on the ground everywhere until we were 16 weeks old, when we'd be considered fully vaccinated. The kids in our foster home adore us, and with summer break, they love having puppies to dote on. And we love being loved by everyone in our foster homes.Please visit our YouTube channel for additional videos. Our folks say our forever families should have either shepherd or similar breed experience raising puppies since this is a lifetime commitment to get through the equivalent of the teenage years in our growth. Consistency, training, and structure help raise neutral adult dogs. If that's you, click the adopt button so our people can contact you. As a foster-based rescue, ShepHeroes is always in need of fosters. An overwhelming number of shepherds in our local shelters need our help for a fresh start. Would you be willing to share your home and part of your summer to help shepherds find new families? You provide the love, and we'll provide everything else! Saying "yes" today truly saves a life. Complete this  https://www.shepheroes.org/foster-form, and we'll be in touch ASAP! We appreciate your consideration.