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Blitzen
This handsome black bundle of energy is Blitzen. He's a rambunctious 1-year-old collie-mix who is housebroken and kennel-trained. His legs are so long that we sometimes wonder if he's collie mixed with giraffe. With the loving help of several PCSR members starting when he was just a few days old, Blitz overcame being the runt of his litter - with some visual perception difficulties being the only physical leftover from his infancy. He gets around the house and yard just fine but has trouble tracking quickly moving or distant objects, especially at night.
Blitzen loves to play with everyone he meets. Growing up with a visual processing difficulty (not due to his eyes, but due to neurological development challenges), Blitz has compensated by developing the use of his mouth as a major way of experiencing his environment. His favorite game is tug, whether he plays by himself, with other dogs or with his human friends. His foster family always gets a good laugh when he plays by himself, because sooner or later the toy goes flying and he is totally mystified about where it went.
His way of "looking closely" at something is to chew it and even swallow pieces of it if he can. He is content with chew toys, but they need to be sturdy and organic-based (like rawhides and thick rope-tug toys), not the easily shredded toys that are synthetic (like rubber or plastic). He has already needed stomach surgery to remove an amazing array of gobbled stuff that he couldn't digest. Therefore, his adoptive home needs to be kept uncluttered and puppy-proof with great care, perhaps for his whole life, but definitely for another couple years while he gets through his adolescent impulsiveness.
In his periods of relaxation, he loves to cuddle. Blitzen's instinctive need to "see" using his acute sense of touch means that he naturally seeks to embrace his companion (human or canine) to find a safe place to sleep. He will curl himself up in your lap or even wrap himself all around you, and then fall fast asleep knowing that he's safe with you. Whether playing or relaxing, for Blitzen it's all about touching and being touched.
When playing actively with other dogs, his way of keeping up and keeping track of their quick movements is to get a firm grip on them with his teeth and try not to let go. He does not mean for this to hurt and he's not intentionally being aggressive. But unless the other dog is willing to "go with the flow" and play this way with Blitz without getting ticked off, then their relationship may not develop into a friendly one. We think that the chemistry from the right dog companion would actually help Blitzen channel and burn off his energy in appropriate ways and help him mature quicker.
What Blitzen needs most is a patient owner that is home most of the time. He needs someone who has lots of time to spend with him and truly has a compassionate interest in directly molding the development of a loving special-needs dog. It would be best if his owner has better-than average experience with tried & true dog-training methods like using a loud clicker to encourage correct behavior, and using treats and voice cues to encourage correct behavior repeatedly.
His foster family has this update, sent Jan. 30: In the little amount of time that we have had him, he has learned the commands of 'focus', 'sit', 'kisses', 'come', and also when playing with a squeaky toy due to not seeing as well as he could, has learned what 'ouch' is and offers his kisses as an apology. He doesn't purposely bite, he just has trouble seeing. He can follow a toy when its rolled or shown within 3 feet of him. He does have trouble in dark places and needs light. When he was first diagnosed with sight problems, the ophthalmologist stated he can see shadowing close up. He is a HUGE snuggler with his humans and his puppy companions. He has no food aggression and is like any other one year old puppy I know, except a little bouncier. He does great on a leash, and is fully house trained. He would do great in a forever home that has children older than 10 and very active, as well as willing to take on a dog that needs just a little extra love and understanding. He also would do great with a doggie companion. He loves the car, especially on someone's lap.
Please read through the adoption information on our website, and contact PCSR if you feel you are the dedicated owner that Blitzen is "looking" for.
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