Envision navigating through life with an ideal gentle giant accompanying you on all your adventures! You don’t have to just imagine it, as Bailey is currently seeking his permanent home. You might have already seen us post about Bailey on social media, but do you know who he really is? As one of our longest-stay dogs, Bailey is waiting for his forever home. Whether you’re an outdoorsy adventurer, indoor enthusiast, or a hybrid of the two, Bailey will be right by your side every step of the way. Don’t believe us? Here’s what his foster parents have to say about why Bailey is the perfect companion.
Q: What are Bailey’s greatest strengths?
Bailey knows all the basic cues both verbally and with hand signals. I would say that he is much better than most of the dogs in our neighbourhood. He is not destructive in any way inside the house, except for his toys, and he knows what a toy is not. Also, when he destroys toys, he leaves a nice neat little pile of debris and never eats any toy parts.
Another exceptional trait is he can drink water without dribbling on the floor. He is also self-food regulating. He gets 2 cups twice a day. If we have over-exercised him, we have tried to give him more, but he often leaves the extra we gave in the bowl and my snack on it later. In general, Bailey is not a barker. He does whine and talk, though.
When introduced to new people in the home he now warms up instantly and is very loving. We don’t introduce him to strangers outside on a leash, but meeting people he already knows while on the leash is no issue. Bailey appears to be super smart without too much effort and with a bit of liver treats and guidance he learns quickly.
Q: How would you describe Bailey’s personality?
Bailey LOVES attention. He loves to be brushed. He also loves to play tug and loves to destroy toys. Bailey never eats any of the pieces of toys/chew toys he breaks off and always leaves the discarded pieces for you to toss out.
He loves to meet new people coming to the house and has a keen sense of who likes dogs and who doesn’t. He will go to the ones who give him attention and learns quickly to just ignore those that don’t. He doesn’t want to waste his energy going to someone that won’t give him some attention.
Q: Has Bailey changed since you first fostered him?
Bailey has become much more relaxed (especially since he discovered he is allowed on one couch now), and no longer has the need to follow you and/or be in the same area as you in the house. He is not needy at all and likes to just relax. He thrives on routine and will not hesitate to go for a walk, he knows the word “walk” and gets excited, you can also just show him his harness and he will happily come to you.
Q: Can you share any unique or endearing qualities that make Bailey special?
Bailey has his favourite sleeping places. When you come down in the morning, or come home from being out, he always comes up to you with a wagging tail to greet you for attention, then he just turns around and goes back to his bed. He loves to be brushed and will stand like a horse so you can brush him all over. He also loves his tummy rubs – well, any rubs or scratches, for that matter.
Something great about Bailey is he prefers to relieve himself [of his bladder] as close to a fence line, tree, bush etc, so you never have to worry about accidently stepping in his poop in the backyard. It’s easy to find and often already under a bush.
Q: How does Bailey interact with other pets?
Bailey has had many playdates with other dogs, ranging from both big and small dogs. He likes to play with dogs that match his energy level.
Q: What is Bailey’s current daily routine?
Bailey currently sleeps in his crate at night, but it is not necessary for him to be in there. You will often find him in the open crate during the day. Before being allowed on the couch his favourite areas were his big bed and his crate. Since being allowed on the couch, he spends most of his time there.
We wake him up around 6:30am and he gets his first walk, then goes back to sleep on his bed. He is fed his first meal at 8:00am along with his medication which are super easy to give. After breakfast, he may want to go in the backyard and wait for squirrels or just relax on his bed. He gets another walk during the day and a final walk after dinner around 7:30 pm.
Q: Does Bailey have any training cues that he responds well to?
Bailey knows many verbal and hand cues. His current known commands include “Sit”, “Down”, “Stand”, “Front”, “Wait”, “Paw” and “Other Paw” (great for wiping dirt off feet). “Come” works well only if you offer him a liver treat.
He also knows “In the Kitchen”, which to him means move to the back-half of the house. “In the Crate”, “Bedtime”, “Eat Your Dinner”, “Have a Drink” and “Go Pee” are all cues he knows very well.
Q: What would be Bailey’s ideal home?
His ideal home would be someone experienced with large dogs. Although he is a total softy and pushover in the house, on walks he can exhibit some prey drive and leash reactivity if you get too close to a rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk, other dogs, and often even people. If you see these distractions, you can pass by calmly with the aid of liver treats. Bailey can walk side by side with dogs he has played with. And ideally, there should be someone working from home during the day.
Q: Why should someone adopt Bailey?
For a big dog, he can be quite low maintenance. Just a couple of good walks a day and some playtime with some loving is all he craves. He is best suited for a family familiar with other big dogs. His ideal family would have the patience to continue desensitizing him to distractions and continue improving his leash reactivity [with positive reinforcement techniques].
If you’re interested in knowing more about Bailey, and making him your forever friend, visit 11 River Street to get the adoption process started.
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