6 September 2010, 11:56 pm
I have an American Staffordshire Terrier; male, white & tan, on the large side. We believe he is about 2 years old now, since he was labeled as 1 year old when we adopted him from the ASPCA back in May this year. His name is Freebee. He LOVES to play! Chew toys, balls, even soccer balls! He loves to play, play, play! He doesn't do well locked up in a corral or cage, so I wouldn't advise that either. He's indoor/outdoor, and a bonus is having a doggy-door already installed, since he will use it to go to the bathroom outside if you have it. His plus sides? Besides loving to play, we've noticed he's GREAT with kids. They're his play buddies. I have a 2 month old baby currently and he's NEVER shown aggression, jealousy or any tendency toward bad behavior with her. Just be careful, because he IS big and can accidentally knock over a small child or baby without realizing it if he's playing. We tested him when we first adopted him with aggression and other dog habits: he won't snap or growl if you touch or take away his toy or food. He takes bites of food easy if told. He's getting the hang of "drop it" with toys. He can sleep like there's no tomorrow! And boy does he snore! :) He loves a doggy bed, especially one he can hang his head off of onto the floor. He's SO adorable and LOVES people. He doesn't have a bad bone in his body toward anyone. He does not bark. We tested him with doorbells and knocking at doors.. he does nothing. If he is outside and a dog is barking, he pays no attention. I wouldn't be worried about him chewing your personal possessions. He only chews up his toys. Ok, and things we need to work on... He does not do well with other animals, especially dogs. He IS territorial when it comes to animals, but I read on Staffies that you can train them out of that. He's a hard listener. We have a hard time calling him and getting his attention if we are outside or walking him. He pulls on the leash, but we've gotten him broken of that quite a lot. If you have trashcans open or food anywhere in his range, he will find a way to get into it. We've tried to train him not to do this, but we've been unsuccessful- so if you have patience and train dogs well, he will do fine with you. And our current situation limits us on his training as well. He's housebroken, but if you are gone to many hours without a way for him to go outside, he may pee inside the house. He's a furniture lover, and though I don't mind this at all, my partner does, and he tried to break him of this habit before we moved out of our home. He can cry if unattended or locked up.. this is a new attribute because of how he lives now. He also HATES water, so baths are difficult but CAN be accomplished if you are strong. If taken, we will include any dog food we currently have been using, any leashes and accessories he has, including medications and shampoo for bathing. He's on Large Breed Pedigree dog food, and we've been treating him with Fly Off and antibiotics for his body and ears because of the flies outside biting him (this is why we prefer him to be indoors). Unfortunately, Freebee cannot be kept inside any longer and is forced to be enclosed in a 7x7 foot corral outdoors all day unless he is taken out to play by my partner when he gets home, or by the children that live there. My partner and I have to live in separate locations due to a change in our finances, and we cannot watch Freebee live like this any longer. It would be selfish of us to continue this living condition for him. That is why we are desperately trying to find him a home. The family my partner is living with will not allow Freebee inside the house because they do not like animals, and they only complain about him behind my partner's back when he cannot be home. We do what we can when my partner has time to bring him where I'm staying so he can have a break from being outside. Like I said.. he needs better living conditions and we cannot provide them any longer at this time. He is such a good, lovable boy.. and it breaks my heart to see him this way. I want a good family for him that has the patience to continue training him and the love to give him as another family member. We wish so badly that we could keep him, but we know we cannot because of his family and how they feel about Freebee. We know they are doing us a favor by letting my partner stay with them for now, but the pressure is too great on us for the dog, and we are forced to make decisions based on that. Please contact me through the email provided on my profile if you are interested in Freebee and live in the Sacramento, CA area or close by within 50-100 miles outside those perimeters. We haven't decided on a price, so we can negotiate that later. It is possible if you would like to meet Freebee on a trial encounter- that we can arrange travel suggestions. Thank you so much for considering P.S.- Freebee has a microchip in his neck, and we can change the address through the ASPCA and the ownership so he can be linked to you, and not us. Also, Freebee is currently being seen at the Elk Grove Veterinary Hospital on Elk Grove BLVD. We can either make arrangements with you to change our information with them to your own or you can change it entirely and we will cancel with them. We are still paying for his vaccinations (another reason we cannot keep him). He was up to date in the ASPCA, but is not current at the moment. We are still working on this, and can give you a list of the pending vaccines if we have not finished them.... Read More »
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