Missouri German Shepherd Rescue
Love In Action - Restoring Hope for German Shepherds an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit organization |
German Shepherd Dog : : Male : : Young : : Large
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About Astro | |
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ASTRO is an AMAZING dog! He's gentle and submissive yet playful and lively with other dogs. He's also fine with cats. His foster home has dogs ranging from 5 lbs to 65 lbs, and he's good with all of them (tho a big of a lummox with the tiny dog). He MUST have another dog as a buddy, and it should be a somewhat larger dog who loves to play but is not dominant or overbearing.
Astro came from appalling conditions. He and his sister Lexi were kept in a feces-filled 5x5' outdoor pen all their lives, starting as 6 week old puppies. Their owners bred them even though they're brother/sister (and it appears Lexi was forcibly held down in a homemade version of a rape stand). They lived in deep feces and their only "flooring" consisted of BROKEN WOODEN PALLETS. They couldn't even get a foothold, and it's amazing they didn't break legs or feet. Eventually they chained Astro to the inside of the pen - OUT OF REACH OF THE SINGLE DOG HOUSE, WATER, OR FOOD. It appears the dogs were rarely given water, since they drank huge amounts of water constantly for the first few weeks - as if it would be a very long time before they got more.
As a result of this cruelty, Astro's back legs were weak due to an almost total lack of muscle mass. He found it difficult to run and quickly ran out of energy, but is now doing very well. He will benefit from ongoing constant exercise to continue developing his back legs. He also must have a securely fenced yard, with a 6 ft privacy fence STRONGLY preferred (he was able to escape from his outdoor pen occasionally).
Astro is LOVING the family life and being an indoor dog! He's almost completely house trained and is very good in the house. He's a lively boy, but is submissive -- he clearly was manhandled and beaten. When he first arrived in foster care, he whined and cried at EVERY touch, no matter how gentle or where on his body. (His sister Lexi screamed when touched anywhere on her body.) He's now settled down, with just a little bit of that reaction remaining. He also tended to snap his head around and nip at the hands petting him, but is now confident enough that he simply walks away instead.
Astro is good with kids - he recently survived a party of 5-10 year old boys and did beautifully! The boys were instructed to approach him gently, but they were typical kids and were loud, yelling, and romping around til 2:00 a.m. Astro just went to bed around 11 pm, and ignored the boys from then on. No whining at being touched, no head snaps, no nips. HOWEVER, for caution's sake we do require his new family to have kids approximately 10 years and up.
Who's the v.e.r.y. LUCKY family to take this gorgeous guy home, finish his rehab, show him the patience and love he so richly deserves? If it's YOU, you'll have a truly incredible dog when his transformation is complete!
STOP!! READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER! Have Questions? Email us at mogsrescue@gmail.com
Thank you for considering a homeless dog or cat.
Other Pictures of Astro (click to see larger version):