Sid's Web Page

Description:
THIS DOG IS BEING COURTESY POSTED FOR ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. PLEASE SEE CONTACT INFORMATION ABOVE.

The picture you see of Sid is at the place from which he was rescued. Background ~ Sid came from an overcrowded rescue. Sid was living on a very short chain tied to his doghouse. Prior to arriving at this place, he had lived his entire life chained to another doghouse. The info I received on him was that the former owners never wanted Sid. It was apparently the granddaughter’s dog & they once caught him dragging his doghouse a half a mile down the road still chained. The former owner fixed a stove at the rescuers's place & in exchange, they dropped off Sid. I don’t know how long exactly he had been at the rescuer's place, but I do know it had been at least 4 months with him living in less than desirable conditions. I have a feeling his prior home was not much better.

Health ~ Sid is neutered, vaccinated, & dewormed. He had a case of whipworms which caused him in the beginning when I first rescued him to have loose stools & vomiting. His stomach issues have completely cleared up now. He was diagnosed with a very mild case of Lyme disease. He starts his pills today, March 28th. The vet said that we could do a wait & see approach since he’s not showing any clinical signs but I thought it would increase his chances of getting adopted if we just started the antibiotics. He will be taking them for the next 21 days. He weighs between 80-85 lbs & is 2 years of age.

Temperament & Behavior ~ Sid is highly trainable in my opinion & responds to authority well. He loves to go for walks & I manage it with a regular harness attached to the O ring on his chest instead of the D ring on his back. I also clip the lead through his collar to get it centered more on his chest which helps with the pulling. He knows “sit,” “down,” “stay,” & “leave it.” He responds well to coming when called in the house & fenced in yard. I train using positive reinforcement & he responds well to this method. I will continue his training & will be adding tricks also. He also rides very well in a car. My husband & I walked Sid & Sierra my pit bull mix this morning. Everything went very well. There was no growling or raised hackles or lip lift. Sid tried to play with Sierra, but she rarely plays anymore. She definitely would have given Sid a run for his money back in the day. They were sniffing the same stuff in the grass & smelling each others butts...you know doing normal dog stuff. There was no food or toys involved so I don't know if he'd be possesive with other dogs but overall he would probably do well with a female dog. He does like to "play" with both my dogs through the fence.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the NILIF or Work to Earn program, but he’s been on it since day 1 since arriving to my house. If he wants anything, for example like coming into the house, he must “sit” or perform another command before getting what he wants. He must “leave it” with his food before I give him his release word “OK” to eat. Or he will “down” before I throw his ball. The program just helps to establish your leadership with the dog & Sid is responding well.

I do not trust him around my 16 month old daughter. He stares too intently at her for me to feel comfortable seeing what would happen. I will allow her to give him treats through the fence, but that’s the extent of their interaction with each other. If she stares too long at him, he’ll charge the fence. I will allow her to be near him also when she’s in my arms but that’s it. I would definitely suggest that he not go with small children. Sid is allowed in the house when my daughter is sleeping. He loves tummy rubs & hanging out on the couch. He loves to play with balls & stuffed toys. He will pull out the stuffing but doesn’t swallow the stuff. He leaves it for me to clean up. He is a very affectionate dog & will cuddle with you in a second if given the opportunity. He’s not much of a barker but will let you know when somebody is around. We personally get very few visitors & we live on 13 acres so I don’t know if he’d bark a lot more in a neighborhood type of setting. I’ve also discovered he’s quite the snorer when he falls into a deep sleep. He does not exhibit any food or toy aggression with me or my husband. He will let me pick up his food while he’s eating. He sometimes “smiles” where he shows you his teeth. I thought at first he was going to bite me because he didn’t start that behavior until recently. He’s just happy though.

Current Situation ~ He currently spends most of his time out in the garage & fenced in yard unfortunately since he doesn’t do well with my daughter. He scaled the fence once when he first arrived but believe that he will not be able to do it again. He saw me leave walking my dog & there was a pile of gravel in the corner of the fence that he was able to give himself a few extra inches to jump over. After watching him closely for over a week & shoveling the gravel, he’s back to having full access to the yard which is attached to the garage. He has made no other attempt to jump the fence. The garage is sunny & well lit & he has a ton of blankets that he sleeps on. He would rather be with us of course inside the house at all time, but he seems to enjoy his blankets & outside. It’s heaven compared to his former living situation. He does go for a daily walk but we’ve only encountered wildlife & no other dogs or people so far. He will try to pull when he sees wild turkeys or deer but doesn’t bark.

.Oh, one more thing. Sid is inside the house right now as I write this & he’s a whiner if he wants something. This is around the time that he usually goes for his walk so he’s letting me know that he’s ready. He deserves so much better than his prior situation & I can’t wait for the day when he will be living full time inside a home with his forever people.

For more information, contact Jodi Marcus jodi@akitarescue.org or 703-730-0844