Sex: Male
Age: 2-5 years old
Coat: Red merle, rough coat
Weight: 40 lbs
Activity Level: Working
Flynn’s past is a mystery – this handsome, seemingly purebred border collie was taken in by Wake County Animal Shelter, and no one came to claim him. He was positive for heartworms, his paw was hurt, and it seemed like he has been on his own for quite a while. After being transferred to CBCR, Flynn received much needed medical care and is now free of parasites, his paw has healed, and he is feeling better overall.
Flynn showed very little interest in interacting with humans when he arrived at his foster home. He did not seem to be motivated by food and could not care less about toys – what he tried to do pretty much constantly was to try to escape. His prey drive (towards real or imaginary prey) is beyond extreme, and he can squeeze through tiniest openings and will do that if he catches a scent of a rabbit, squirrel, etc. His ability to smell any type of critters is extraordinary, and combined with an extreme prey drive, makes containing him a huge challenge. No amount of re-direction or treats can get his attention away from his prey. Even now, he cannot be trusted by himself in a fully fenced and secure yard and has to be supervised at all times when he is outside.
We have made considerable progress with him, and he is finally starting to recognize the presence of his foster humans and responds to them. Considering how independent he is though, he will need to go through a long period of bonding with his new owners, and we will only adopt him to families with extensive breed and training experience. It is also likely that he will need to be kept on leash even in a fenced-in yard since he is so quick to escape.
Flynn is extremely sensitive to sounds (not unusual in his breed). While he finally stopped reacting to common household objects (vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, etc, used to send him into a barking frenzy), thunder and gunshots still get him into a state of complete panic. If he is crated during a thunderstorm, he tries to get out of the crate, and in doing so, is able to destroy even the sturdiest crates. If he is loose, he loses bowel and bladder control and experiences severe anxiety becoming destructive (he is not destructive otherwise). Anti-anxiety medication is of some help, but doses may need to be adjusted in his new home. It is also most likely that he will need to stay on anti-anxiety medication for the rest of his life.
Despite Flynn’s challenges, he has learned that humans are friends and has become very sweet to his current foster parents. He enjoys attention and does very well with everybody, including children. He allows unfamiliar people (including children) to pet him on walks and is overall very friendly to people. We are continuing to work with him to strengthen his relationship with humans.
Flynn lives with 6 other dogs in his foster home, but he is not compatible with several of them. He can co-exist with other dogs, but we feel that he would do better in a single-dog household. If a prospective adoptive home has another dog, we would need to evaluate Flynn’s interaction with the new dog thoroughly before adopting him out. He absolutely cannot be adopted to families with cats (he is known to chase cats and has hurt one) or any small animals due to his extreme prey drive. While he has not had an opportunity to catch any of the wildlife that he’s been trying to hunt, we don’t have any doubts that he would kill it, so no small critters for Flynn.
Flynn’s strong and independent character makes him a challenging dog to live with. Because of this, and also because of his extreme prey drive, he will only be adopted to very experienced families with extensive breed and training experience. It is also very likely that he will need to be kept on leash for a long period of time, especially in a new home. We feel though that with the right training, he may excel in dog sports, particularly nosework, and would love for him to go to a home that would be able to provide a “job” for him.
Flynn is being fostered in Cedar Grove, NC. If you are interested in adopting Flynn, please contact his foster parents at
[email protected] with any questions. Please note that Flynn will not be adopted to homes with any types of electric fencing.
Adoption application can be found at www.cbcr.org/adoptionapp/ If you have submitted an adoption application to CBCR within the last three years and you have not moved, please contact the foster parent before submitting another application. The foster parent will let you know if another application is required.
