Colt
	Gender: Male Age: 4 Years Old Height/Weight: House-trained: Yes Fenced yard required: Location: Mid-Michigan Foster Home: Sandy	Crate-trained: Treat-motivated: Toy-motivated: Likes Car Rides: Good with cats: Yes Good with kids: Commands:

Colt was adopted in October, 2016. Here he is with his new family!

July 31: Colt's surgery went fine. His leg was broken at one time and never set. It healed at an angle, so his leg was twisted. They had to cut the bone and reset it to straighten it. He has a metal plate in the leg now. He was neutered at the same time.

I took his leg wrap off Wednesday evening. His incision looks good. He does not use the leg when walking yet. He is beginning to use it when standing a little for balance. He is confined to the living room at this time an leashed per doctor's orders. I don't let him in the other rooms because they are not carpeted, though they have throw rugs. It's a good thing he's a mellow pup and not your "typical" active BC.

Tomorrow will be the two-week marker. He has a vet appt. on Tuesday to check on his progress.

Colt has been a champion throughout this whole process. He has not been grumpy from day one. He takes everything in stride (no pun intended!) and wants nothing more than to be by our sides.

Incoming Evaluation:3-4 year old male BC mix, he was found by a fellow rescue friend as a stray, she did drop him off at the pound and we found out that he dug out his owners yard and they didn't have the funds to get him out, neighbor stated he was left outside all the time, so hoped he would get a better home.

Colt allows handlers to leash him, touch him all over, even allowed him to open his mouth and look at this teeth for an age estimate, walks next to attendants as they go outside, has gone potty in the kennel but they are not there every day, allows people to handle and take his food, is outside and inside with dogs next to him and doesn't fence fight or approach other dogs.

DOG TESTED: Did fine with other dogs, even allows his food to be touched by humans. The shelter would like us to take him into rescue because he's such a nice boy.

06/05/2016: Colt arrived at my house from Ohio on Saturday, 6/4/2016 Colt was pretty dirty when he arrived here. I took him to the dog wash the day after I got him. He was a little nervous while I bathed him, but he was good during the process. I brushed him at home after his bath. He allowed me to brush him all over. His nails really need trimming, but I thought he had enough new experiences for the day with the bath and grooming. I gave him a few days to settle in, and then I took him to a groomer for another bath and his nails trimmed. They all said he was great there and cooperated with them, even when they trimmed his nails. I brush him every couple of days now, and he loves it. He has a little bit of dandruff, probably from lack of grooming. I have been giving him fish oil, and I think it is improving.

I introduced Colt to my female dog, Becky the day after he arrived. He was very friendly with her. I allowed him to meet my 7-week-old kitten, Woodchips. He was curious and sniffed her. After that, he pretty much ignored her, even though Woodchips thinks it’s great that he has a tail to bat at. I trust him with her, though I don’t leave them alone. The kitten can be pretty rambunctious, and I don’t want to push my luck. He met my neighbor’s male dog a couple of days later and was fine with him.

Colt has met a lot of people since he arrived here, and he loved every one of them. He loves to be petted and is happiest when cuddling with someone. I might make a good therapy dog. Colt has a good appetite. He shows no food aggression and allows me to handle him and his food while he is eating. He takes treats nicely, though I have been working on him taking them easier if my dog is begging for a treat too. He was a little thin when he arrived and has gained a couple of pounds since he has been here. Colt goes into his crate when I take him to it, though it helps to use an enticing treat.

He barked a lot when I first started using it, but he has gotten much better. I routinely put him in the crate to get him used to it. He whines a little now, and will let out a couple of barks sometimes, but he settles down quickly. Colt is house trained. He has never had an accident in the house and has never had an accident in the crate.

Colt is a low energy dog. He is very calm in the house. He just wants to be wherever we are. Colt’s left front leg was broken at one time and was never reset. He has a definite limp, and his leg turns in when he walks, sometimes to the point of crossing under his right leg. He holds his paw up a lot when he is standing or sitting. I would not recommend a home that has a lot of stairs he has to climb.

Colt was what I call a door bolter when I first got him. It didn’t matter if he was going in or out. He would fly through the doorway as soon as the door was opened. I have been working on having him sit back away from the door and staying until I give the okay to go through it. I do this for both going in and out of the house. He is doing much better at this now, though he has to be reminded.

Colt had issues with being separated from us at first, but he is improving. He could not relax at first if one of us left the house. He would howl the first couple of days if I left him with Larry and got out of his sight, even if it was just around the other side of the yard. I purposely kept leaving and coming back to him, and now he is fine when I walk away. At first, he would bark if he was in the fenced patio while I was working in the flowers on the opposite side of the fence. He is okay with this now if he can see where I am. I am working on walking away out of his line of vision for short periods, and he is getting better. Colt was known for digging under his previous owner’s fence, and I caught him doing this at my house while trying to get to a turtle. He will need supervision while out in the yard, with or without a fence.

Colt has not been neutered yet. That will be scheduled in the near future.

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