Critter Details

Spooda arrived in our care during the first week of June, and oh, is he ready to steal your heart? He keeps making friends on every outing as a purely social boy who adores people and wants to play with all the dogs. This 5-month-old boy has been making fantastic impressions since his first-day visit to Paws n Play for a post-shelter bath, followed by a stop at Marshall's for errands, where he earned some treats and a few extra toys to ease the aches of his incoming teeth, enjoying all the attention and patiently waiting our turn in the checkout line. He's since visited Pet Food Express for a weigh-in on their scale and made new friends again. Although he didn't particularly enjoy the getting wet and rinsing off portion of his first bath, tucking his head into his foster mom's shoulder to tolerate it, except for the shampoo time, when he just melted into her hands, Spooda has shown us that he loves water. In his relief foster home, he gets along famously with four shepherds and a poodle, proving that he's not only people-friendly but also great with other dogs. He even met our newest arrivals, 10-week-old littermates Gwen, Griffin, and Woody, as they were waiting for their fosters to pick them up. As much as Spooda loves the dogs and plays, his heart is devoted to people, regularly checking in amidst play and settling for naps by his people. He makes excellent eye contact, settles in for snuggles, and listens well. In addition to his charming personality, this boy is showing promising signs of being a well-behaved and trainable companion. He sleeps through the night in his crate, is potty trained, and is a breeze in the car and on a leash until he spies a dog. He is easily distracted from dogs with movement or treats. With "sit" already mastered and a strong treat motivation, he's a quick learner. When Spooda spies dogs at a pet store, he pulls on the leash, barks in excitement for play, and greets the dogs appropriately if you allow a meeting. A group training class would be super helpful for him to master the art of being excited and not barky.  Spooda recently met a little kitty through its crate and was so gentle laying next to the kitty's crate so they could touch noses. Although Spooda is terrific with dogs, he lives solo in his regular foster home. They find him super obedient, loving, motivated, and happy to learn! And he's a fan of playing fetch with his soft, squishy toys at their house. Returning this weekend to his relief foster home, where he spent the first couple of days after leaving the shelter, Spooda mastered swimming and progressed to leaping off the side of the pool in an afternoon just like older shepherds. He's likely to adore dock diving as a sport. He gets along great with the three resident shepherds and one senior poodle; Spooda also loves Stewie, who is also available for adoption. They spend hours playing chase and tug with assorted toys and mouthy games. We anticipate this tall, lean boy will be a large shepherd as an adult. When Spooda went in for his surgery consult on Tuesday, June 18th, a change in their schedule allowed them to slide Spooda in so he didn't have to come again. We had already fasted him as we expected him to be sedated for his exam. So Spooda is back home sporting the inevitable cone, his abdominal hernia and phimosis repaired, and his extraneous rear dew claws removed and neutered.  Spooda is all healed and even traveled to the beach with his foster family this past week. Spooda gravitates toward little kids and wants to give them kisses. We suspect he was a very much loved pet who was likely surrendered to the shelter as a "found dog" due to the expenses associated with his surgery.He might be the perfect match if you're looking for a loving and trainable pup to join your family. Take advantage of the opportunity to bring this delightful German Shepherd into your home!As with all of our puppies, experience raising a shepherd or similar breed puppy is essential, along with the commitment to raising a neutral dog with structure, training, and exercise. These require considerable commitment in exchange for lots of snuggles and love.