Carl: A Loyal and Intelligent Companion Seeking His Forever Home
Meet Carl, a handsome 16-month-old Border Collie weighing approximately 50 lbs.
Carl showed up on a neighbors porch, so we took him in temporarily so as to avoid having to put him in a shelter—as all were euthanizing at the time, and Carl barks and nips when he is scared. The vets estimate he was about 6 months old at that time. The local animal shelter also believes he was part of a pure-bred border collie litter that was stolen, then dumped, although we have no way of verifying this claim.
Carl is a playful, energetic, and exceptionally smart dog ready to find his forever family. He is currently fostered with another dog and a cat, showing his potential to get along with other pets, though initial introductions may be cautious. Carl is incredibly loyal and protective, and once he bonds with his people, he loves to cuddle. Despite his energy, he settles down well at night and sleeps soundly.
We believe Carl's early life was challenging, leading to some initial fearfulness of new people and pets. His fear-instinct is to bark and bite, but this has significantly improved with training. We have seen how with patience and love, he warms up and he has made significant strides in building confidence. While he does very well with his current pet-mates, an independent, ginger cat and a 7-year old Mini Aussie, he is not always great with other dogs. If you have pets, an extended introduction between them will be necessary (we slowly introfuced him to our dog over the span of a couple of weeks). He does much better with dogs larger than he is or dogs who assert dominance early on. He is particularly fond of female companions, human and animal. Due to his breed and playful nipping tendencies, a home without small children would be ideal.
Carl would thrive in a home with a fenced backyard or ample space to run. A female-run farm would be his dream home. He loves toys, treats, and bones, and is highly food-motivated, making training both fun and effective. His favorite activity is running circles around his sister while she plays fetch–he is a true herding dog! Unfortunately, we will be moving to a smaller townhome this summer, and Carl will not have access to a yard. Additionally, we really believe that Carl deserves a home where he can be properly trained as a working dog. At this time, that’s not something that we can offer him.
He already knows several basic commands like "paw," "sit," "off," and "stay." He is house-trained, so long as he has ample outdoor time and is able to access a yard every few hours during the day. He is crate-trained, in that he eats his meals inside his crate. We have not experimented with leaving him alone inside of the crate, as instead, we block off a section of the house for him to have more room whenever he is left alone. He is microchipped, neutered, and up to date on all his vaccinations and preventatives.
We believe he had some previous trauma that led to reactive tendencies. He barks and bites when he is scared or startled, and we would not trust him around new dogs without proper and extended introductions. He would benefit immensely from professional training and/or a handler experienced with aggressive/reactive dogs.
His new owners must be able to meet his demanding needs of a high activity level. A fenced in yard is preferred.
Deciding to re-home Carl is difficult. We understand the significant commitment involved in dog ownership – time, effort, attention, training, and affection. We have been dedicated to finding him a home since he showed up months ago. His unique needs have complicated the process, but we have been patient in ensuring his future home is truly a fit. In the meantime we have worked to integrate Carl into our family—and he is happy, which complicates this decision. However, he really deserves a home where he has access to a fenced-in yard (we do not), where his working potential can be fulfilled and a handler who has experience with reactivity.