Dag

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Dag is an absolutely gorgeous, house-trained, 1.5 year old Australian Cattle Dog (aka Blue Heeler)! When you ask him a question, he looks at you with one ear flopping down, and the most intense “I want to understand you… and help you… and be with you” gaze ever! He is smart, affectionate, attentive, and a PHENOMENAL athlete. He loves to hike, jog, and play fetch and frisbee. He is agile, quick, and has an eye-popping vertical jump. He is determined, courageous, and always up for a challenge. Dag would make an outstanding AGILITY athlete!

Alternatively, Dag would likely make an excellent farm dog or puttering partner. His current foster dad is a do-er and Dag will accompany him from the workshop to the garden to the woods chopping wood to anywhere else they may go. He can go all day, will be by his side the entire time, and remains willing and eager to help in any way he can. He loves the camaraderie of being a teammate.

Dag is an excellent representative of his breed. Extremely intelligent, he needs regular mental stimulation. With physical prowess and stamina, he needs a lot of exercise. Loyal and interactive, he wants to be with his people. He will do best with an active family and room to run. He also has a stubborn streak, and will need consistent feedback to avoid unwelcome habits such as jumping up on people.

Dag’s herding instinct is strong, so a family with young children would not be the best fit. He would likely do well, however, with older, dog-savvy children who are willing to participate in his training.

As for other dogs, Dag is working on his social skills. He tends to play rough, which many of his playmates don’t appreciate. Interestingly, he interacts better with other dogs off leash than on. A young dog, Dag could possibly learn to fit well into a pack with the right canine sibling/s to teach him.

Dag walks very well on leash when there isn’t a lot of stimulation. In quiet places, he is not a puller and is a joy to walk or jog with. When other dogs, bikers, and joggers are near, however, he needs a strong handler. His foster family is working on desensitizing him to such stimuli, and his adoptive family will need to be willing to continue the process.

Dag LOVES to play! He is much more play-motivated than food motivated. He’ll take a game of frisbee over a treat anytime! He’s excellent in the car–calm and well behaved, and has learned very quickly not to jump out of the vehicle until he’s given permission to do so, which keeps getting in and out so much safer. He handles long (4 hour) rides easily, and even seems to enjoy them, as he’s always up for an adventure!

Looking for a dog to cuddle with? Dag is your man! He is working on sleeping on his own bed, and has made huge progress, but a home where he could guard his people from a position curled up at the foot of the bed would make him the happiest dog ever! In his foster home, the compromise is that he’s allowed to cuddle on the couch (with permission) during TV time, which for him is the next best thing.

Please reach out to learn more about this wonderful pup!

Name: Dag
Breed: Cattle Dog mix
Sex: Male
Age: 2 years old
Weight: 55 pounds
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Vaccinations: Up to date
Heartworm: Negative
Housetrained: Yes and crate trained
Microchipped: Yes

BASED ON OUR OBSERVATIONS:
Good with Children: Not formerly tested but has lived with children successfully.
Good with Dogs: Yes in home, not in large groups.
Good with Cats: Has lived with a cat but will play rough - unless 100% supervision we would say no.

Adoption Fee: $475.00

Characteristics of the Blue Heeler/Cattle Dog
Affection Level High
Friendliness High
Kid-Friendly Medium
Pet-Friendly Medium
Exercise Needs High
Playfulness High
Energy Level High
Trainability High
Intelligence High
Tendency to Bark Medium
Amt of Shedding Medium
Protectiveness High

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Interested in a specific dog, please fill out an application if you are interested in a dog. The number of individual inquiries is overwhelming and we are finding it difficult to respond to each one. We cannot guarantee you will receive a timely response.

Paws New England is a rescue, not a shelter, and as such we do not have our dogs housed in one location - they are in foster homes both in New England and in our southern foster homes.   If you’re interested in a specific dog, please complete a short online application and you will receive a reply within 48 hours so you can ask questions.

At present, if a dog is listed on our website, the dog is considered still available HOWEVER, may have applications that have come in before yours but it’s still too early to know if any are a good match; therefore we encourage you to apply.

NOTICE WITH REGARD TO LOCATION OF DOGS:  Please note: Paws New England is a foster-based rescue. We do not have a brick and mortar building to house the dogs we rescue. We have found that dogs in foster homes are much more adoptable because they have been observed in a home setting. Dogs listed with Paws New England typically reside in various locations throughout the south (primarily Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas) and New England (not necessarily in the state of Rhode Island). You will be notified by the adoption coordinator of the location of the dog you are interested in so you have the ability to decide whether to pursue adoption or not.

Dogs transported to New England are done so at a fee of $150.00 paid directly to the transporting company by Paws New England; no additional transport costs are responsibility of adopter. This fee is included in the adoption donation.

Adoption donations cover pre-adoption vet costs (including vaccinations, spay/neuter when age appropriate, and heartworm testing/treatment when necessary), a microchip, and transportation to New England if necessary.

Donations for our young, healthy puppies and dogs support their fellow canines of advanced age or suffering from injuries and abuse whose donations are reduced but whose veterinary costs are typically much higher. We appreciate your understanding that your dog will help others in need.

All known information about the animal is listed above. We do our best to give accurate information, but most of our dogs are rescues and do not come with a known history.

Paws New England abides by the dog importation regulations set forth in the states of MA, CT, NH and RI.