Chief is a gentle giant on the prowl for his forever home! He came to MOGS after being picked up as a stray by a local shelter.  At about 5 years old, Chief was very confused about why his life was  turned upside down, but with the great help of his foster dad he's on his way to a shiny new life!

Temperament
Chief is a large stately dog, but on top of that stout body is a pair of big ol’ floppy ears, giving a hint as to just how loving he is. He's quite a large shepherd and still has some weight to gain, but he’s an absolute sweet heart. Without knowing what Chief’s previous life was like, we’re left to guess from his current behaviors what he might have been through. He will cower some if reached out to suddenly which tells us he may have endured some form of abuse in his life. He is not a high energy dog and doesn’t seem to have been very active in his past life.

His energy level is already improving some with consistent feedings and gradually increasing his exercise, he has learned to LOVE his walks! He enjoys a well-paced walk where he can put his sniffer to good use, but isn’t a marathon runner. He might jog a bit every now and then, but he won’t be winning any contests for speed!  But that’s ok, he loooves getting to stretch out and when encouraged will run alongside or up to you for some nice pets! He's a big goof ball and thinks it is so fun to gallop and roll in the grass, just loving his new life!  His physical condition and energy rates lead us to believe he was not properly exercised or allowed a lot of room to stretch out, possibly crated for much of his life. He could gain some more energy back once he’s put on a little weight and built up some muscle, but don’t worry, his heart is beating strong and ready to love!

Chief was temporarily fostered with a high energy 3-year-old MOGS alum shepherd. He doesn’t particularly like when dogs approach his face, but most of the time he will simply turn his head and walk away. If a dog were to pester him or continue to nose at his face he may react poorly, given the situation and his comfort level. If his foster sister would get hyper and want to run around the yard he doesn’t seem to understand why, or what playing really is. He gets nervous and will run at her barking to make her stop, but hasn’t ever crossed the line to nipping or biting. We believe with time and closely monitored playtime, he can get comfortable enough that this doesn’t bother him as much.  He’s already showing some improvement after correction during these episodes. On the other hand, he can walk on a leash for miles practically touching his foster sister face to face and not show an ounce of discomfort or nervousness. Because of this, we believe he would do best with a fur sibling of low to medium energy levels.  

Chief doesn’t show signs of being trained with any basic commands, so he’s starting to learn those in his foster home. He is crate trained, although he needs a little work to really trust his crate, and potty trained, and does decent on a leash. At first he was pretty anxious when he got to his new foster home and really wanted outside to try to find his way back to somewhere he was familiar with. Because of this, a fenced yard is strongly  recommended, and constant leashing when outside of a fence until he has learned to love his new family and permanent home. He doesn’t know how to play with dog toys, How about YOU run after the ball, human, is more like it right now. But Chief has started to lay on a dog bed for the very first time since being in his foster home, this is a big step for him! We’re so glad he’s learning to be loved and comfortable, he’s going to be a spectacular dog for the right family.  Chief hasn’t been tested with very young children, but does find around older children. Because of his discomfort around a high energy situation, small children will need to be tested as well.

Chief is an absolute lover of people and is ready to find his new home where he can grow and learn how great life should be!

No known medical issues.  He came to us very underweight, and could stand to gain another 10lbs or so to have a much healthier look.

Other Animals

Large, calm dogs with moderate energy levels OK, small dogs and cats will need to be tested.