Stevie was found in someone's backyard playing with their male pitbull; both dogs were intact males. The shelter picked him up. He was obviously cared for: in good weight, nice coat, short nails. The shelter personnel all fell in love with him and were willing to do whatever it took to get Stevie safe. He is a very large, very energetic, untrained dog. In the time he has been with us, many of his rough edges have been smoothed out. He will still need an owner who will be very consistent and not allow him to get away with anything. He is a wild child. On his first day here as we wrestled him into the crate, he actively resisted,but never once was he aggressive in any way, no growling or trying to bite. After a few days and with treats, he would jump into his crate immediately upon coming inside.When we first walked him, it was a fight to get him not to drag us from the beginning of the walk to the end. Now the it is less of a fight, sometimes a struggle, but only to the halfway point. After that he walks quite nicely the rest of the way home. There is not a mean bone in his body; he enjoys being petted and is quite responsive to training with treats. He is a very handsome boy !! In spite of my initial distaste for his attitude and behavior he has quite won me over. He is not aggressive with my dogs although they have not met face to face, only through chain link, and he mostly wants to play. He wants to chase the kitties, but I think it is youth and energy as opposed to predatory. He knows how to sit, rides well in a car (amazingly) and comes when he is called. His ideal home would give him lots of exercise and attention. If you have the patience to wait out his adolescence, Stevie will be a wonderful guy !!
11-29-2013 Stevie had his frist bath a few weeks ago. Because he is so food oriented we tried to coax him into the bathtub with treats. He would go no further than the edge of the tub and really put the brakes on when we tried to get him into it. Finally, we picked him up and put him in. And he acted like an angel while being bathed. Just stood there and let us wash and rinse him. He has more quiet moments now. He comes when he is called, sits on command. When he comes in the house, I show him the treats and he goes right into his enclosure with no leash, no hand on the collar. Walking him is only difficult the first few houses now. He still pulls, but is not trying to drag you all over the neighborhood. He will do okay with kittiies but may chase them when they run...not predatory, just enthusiastic young dog. He has made amazing progress since we first brought him home. I think once he is in his own home, out and about with people all the time, he will progress even more rapidly.
Based on my years of experience in rescue, here is what I think happened to Stevie. Someone bought a cute Akita puppy, did absolutely no training wit him, and all of a sudden he is big and wild. They put him in the back yard, where he got bored and he mananged to get out to have an adventure,which landed him in the shelter. His owners did not come looking for him and so he stayed until the shelter could find him a rescue group.
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Other Pictures of Stevie (click to see larger version):
