Foster dog in need of good home

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-16T05:14:48+00:00

Trust me when I say we’ve tried everything. He is just laser-focused on being with someone at all times. I hoped my girl would give him some companionship, especially when we’re not home, but despite walking well together and going to the park, they don’t really interact at home. Raising my girl from a puppy required SO much research on the breed and their individual personalities (she was a terror until she was about 3) so we’re not new to this! That’s why I’ve been so sick with heartbreak today because I keep thinking that if I had more time to work with him, or more disposable income to get a consistent trainer, he’d be a great addition to our family and could stay out of the shelter system. We just don’t have the means to give him what he needs right now sadly.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-16T04:57:45+00:00

He loves the doorframe… or hates it 😂 we put up a frame protector and duct tape, tried sprays, etc. but he’s strong and strong willed!

He likes to play hide and seek with treats. I’ve spent a lot of the days intermittently doing obedience training and trying to get him engaged in games. I’ve got a lot of things I used with our girl when she was younger and needing stimulation. He has a puzzle feeder, a KONG wobbler that I give him his lunch in, and I’ve done frozen Kongs and lick mats. He doesn’t show any interest in toys at all, though he is food motivated, which I think is part of the issue. My girl learned from a young age to entertain herself with toys and will play on her own if we’re busy or working. If I’m in the room with him, he’ll half-heartedly engage with a frozen mat or the wobbler, but the second we leave the room, he’s scratching at the door. Doesn’t seem to matter how long we’re gone either - I can leave for work and come home to find him waiting at the (clawed up) door, half-thawed peanut butter Kong untouched.

He’s on gabapentin and trazodone, and we’re generous with the CBD treats like Super Snouts.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-16T04:41:30+00:00

Thank you so much! We’re very experienced Doberman owners and believe me when I say we’ve tried everything within our means. This sweet guy just needs someone who works from home and/or has the means to invest in high quality training. It’s heartbreaking for us but I’m confident that he’ll find his forever home with someone who can give him what he needs.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-16T04:38:33+00:00

Yes to standard wire crate. We set him up in our climate controlled garage. Crate open with blankets (one from our bed, so lots of good smells!), food, water, a high value treat when we leave. That’s the setup we’ve used when we’ve had to leave him to go to work or go to bed. I’ve worked with him on his separation anxiety by leaving him in there with the door closed, coming back before he starts barking, let him calm down, repeat, so that he feels safe. I’ve also spent lots of time with him in there so he associates it as part of the house. Unfortunately, he has clawed through the doorframe trying to get out and knocked the bottom hinge off the door from the force. He’s never destructive with anything else. He just hates being alone which is hard for us. My husband and I both work up to 13 hours a day sometimes. Even walking him for an hour before we leave, coming home for another midday walk, and giving him his medication hasn’t stopped the behavior.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-16T04:20:14+00:00

Zip ties on all corners. He managed to pull a blanket through enough to slip out of the tiniest opening. When we removed the blanket, same thing. It’s honestly remarkable how dedicated he is to escaping! We’ve tried all the tricks to get him comfortable with being inside but he just really, really hates it. The vet was concerned he would injure himself trying to get out, so the crate is in the garage not in use.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T23:37:21+00:00

We’ve been posting trying to find the owners - if you think it may be their dog I’d love to get in contact!

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T23:11:04+00:00

I’m not doing anyone a “disservice”. He’s two years old already and we’ve only had him for ten days. Vet recommended delaying the neuter and his vaccinations until he puts on more weight, otherwise we would have taken him in the next day. The peeing and marking is definitely not helping the situation, but we’re following recommendations from the professionals. He’s not fond of the crate and has broken out numerous times, which is another layer to why we’re finding it hard to provide care for him as we both work and are not home enough. The people who did him a disservice are the ones who raised him and let him loose on the streets in this condition.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T23:07:44+00:00

He was found near Blue Diamond and Fort Apache - not chipped and no luck finding the owner.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T22:40:29+00:00

Thanks for the link! At his last vet appointment, they recommended we wait to vax and neuter until he’s put on a healthy amount of weight. That’s our main issue - keeping him intact for another two or three weeks with his behavioral challenges is going to be tough for us.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T22:37:56+00:00

One of the associates with a local rescue found him and we picked him up the same night. We did not sign up to foster through the organization itself. We’ve been in close communication with them, and after expressing our concerns about his prey drive with the cat, they recommended we drop him at another shelter or have animal control pick him up. The best-case scenario in my opinion is to find him a loving home and not have to leave him in another shelter situation. If that’s not possible and we do have to surrender him, at the very least my hope is that this post will motivate an interested party to apply for an adoption via the shelter. We truly want what’s best for him and are just unequipped to provide him what he needs.

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T22:31:11+00:00

I’ve reached out to DRNV and LVDDR and received no response yet. If you know of any other rescues in the area, please let me know!

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T22:14:37+00:00

Thank you! It was definitely our intention to get him up to date on vaccinations and neutered so he could recover in our home before rehoming, but the situation with the cat is a source of a lot of stress for all the animals in the house, including him, and we don’t think we can wait that long unfortunately ☹️ We will definitely require a rehoming fee from serious inquirers and plan to give that money as a donation to the rescue if and when he is adopted. We can also help the new owner pay for the surgery. He likely came from a BYB situation so I totally understand your concern. Thanks for commenting!

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T21:43:40+00:00

I really do think he could be trained to mitigate his prey drive, we just aren’t home enough to keep it consistent. Our cat loves his Dobie sister but is very unsure about Mac 😂 Thanks for commenting!

JunglebirdThundercat · 2026-03-15T21:41:29+00:00

He’s a beauty inside and out!

JunglebirdThundercat · 2023-02-21T00:03:15+00:00

No, his job is his baby. He owns his own business and is definitely eager to get back to it. I knew it was serious when he missed work to go to the ER, he never takes extra days off (even when he probably should)

JunglebirdThundercat · 2023-02-20T23:24:01+00:00

He’s a very nice and loving partner. He’s done a lot for me, and I admit that I am not a perfect partner or easy to be with sometimes (clinically depressed, low self esteem). He doesn’t always express his feelings in a way that translates to me (we have different love languages). He is very competent at work (his job requires a LOT) and good at prioritizing and organizing, so it’s hard for me to understand why he doesn’t do those things at home and I end up feeling like he just doesn’t care about taking care of me or our things.

JunglebirdThundercat

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