Bear

• Adoption Pending

• Age 8-10 months
• Sex Male
• Size 55 lbs (underweight and filling out; expected to be ~75–80 lbs at full size)
• Fixed Yes
• House Trained Yes
• Foster Parent(s) Thanks to Chi-Chi & Andrew for being a great foster to Bear!

Bear arrived in Colorado right around the holidays, and we are still getting to know him, with more updates to come soon. At the moment, Bear is quite underweight and needs to gain weight, but he is eating well and settling into a consistent routine.

Bear is a big lovebug and a classic leaner. He greets you by weaving figure-eights between your legs, pressing his whole body in close. He happily offers his rump for enthusiastic pats and flops over for generous belly rubs. He is affectionate and people-oriented. We are training him to not jump up when excited.

We are kennel-training Bear, and he is learning to settle faster each day. He already knows “sit”, “down”, and is fully potty-trained. Even while dealing with some GI upset, likely related to a chicken allergy, Bear had zero accidents and reliably communicated when he needed to go outside. He also takes treats very gently from your hand.

Bear is extremely play-motivated and absolutely LOVES toys. When we are busy working from home, he entertains himself by pulling toys from his crate and toy bin and playing with each one. He enjoys all kinds of toys: stuffies, balls, hard nylabone toys, rubbery chews, ropes, and more.

Beyond solo play, Bear enjoys learning games and inventing new ones with both dog and human friends. A Lab buddy taught him tug-of-war, and Bear is a natural at fetch. We are working on adding structure by teaching cues like “fetch” and “drop.” Bear has also invented his own upgraded versions of games. He introduced us to double-fetch, where we throw Toy #1 and, when he brings it back, immediately throw Toy #2 for nonstop chasing. Or the more challenging version of fetch: toss a stick into a pile of sticks, and Bear will retrieve the correct one every time. Mealtime has become a puzzle as well. We hide kibble inside a balled-up blanket, and Bear patiently sniffs out every last piece rather than ripping it apart. In short, mental stimulation is critical for tiring Bear out. His ideal family will enjoy teaching him new games, or letting Bear teach them a few.

Bear is incredibly intelligent and clearly wants to communicate with his humans. One day, after I accidentally left his water bowl outside, Bear led me to the bathroom and nudged the toilet bowl. Once I realized what he was asking for and refilled his water bowl, he pranced happily while drinking.

Bear is also a vocal communicator. He feels compelled to respond to other dogs’ barking, and he enjoys “talking” to his people. When he walks into a room, he may mumble a soft “mruff” under his breath, as if saying hello. When he is feeling impatient or excited, he can vocalize a dramatic “raouraouraou.” This expressiveness is a consistent and endearing part of his personality, but it is important for adopters to know that Bear is not a quiet dog (only if he feels like it).

Impressively, Bear has intuitively left all shoes, food on counters, and the Christmas tree completely alone. We have fostered over 30 dogs, and Bear is likely an excellent candidate for free-roaming indoors once trust and routine are established.

That said, Bear cannot be trusted without tight supervision outdoors. While he does not dig, he becomes intensely focused once he locks onto a target, whether it is a squirrel, a neighbor’s jingling keys, kids rustling, or a dog he can hear but not see. He has jumped solid 6-ft fences and has even climbed into a tree to chase a squirrel. Both true stories!! Because of this, Bear must be closely monitored outside and we prefer his future home to have at least a 5-ft fence enclosing any yards. We are actively training him to keep all four paws on the ground at all times; we do not allow him to put his front paws on fences or trees, ever.

Note: Bear may have a chicken allergy, so we are avoiding chicken and chicken byproducts. He is doing very well on lamb- and beef-based foods!