My Story
Ollie Bear and Clem were delighted to meet the neighborhood Brownie troop who sponsored them for their service project and collected toys and treats for the puppies. The mutual love between the girls and the puppies was the best part of attending their troop meeting sharing our love of shepherds.
My foster families were so intrigued by my possible breeds since I seemed to have ears like a lab and such a gentle temperament that they donated funds for a DNA test and the results have just arrived. The big reveal from Embark is I'm 60% German Shepherd, the rest of my DNA is in the photo. They both say that I could be a therapy dog growing up due to my calm nature and love of humans.
My people have settled on Ollie Bear for my name. I'm very kid-friendly as I live part of the week with two kids I adore. Potty training is dialed in, I understand the assignment and rarely have accidents, and my people know my needs now. I'm finally reliably crate-trained and go in for naps on my own. However, protesting is part of the evening ritual since I don't see why the door needs to shut and inform my people of my opinions. I've gone from settling and sleeping for about 5 hours to 7 plus hours at night finally. Progress they say!!! My two foster families who co-foster me have persevered through this same fuss with prior foster puppies; they're determined and have lots of humor.
I live with two shepherds in my foster home with the kids and three shepherds in my other foster home, where everyone is an adult. I get along with all the dogs and play with the ones who are puppy-willing, but my first love is my human pack. I adore being with my people, settled near them even when they're working from home, right under the desk where I fit comfortably. Sometimes, they share videos of me puppy snoring.
One of my foster families at a day long conference last month, so I hung out with Clem for a day. We had a blast playing and napping and playing again. Along with Clem, Sunny and Monty, I attend various adoption events, including a ride to Saratoga for a Halloween Pet Parade and celebration and the Roy Marcum Adoption Faire at the Bradshaw Shelter in Sacramento. Always happy to see and play with my fellow puppies looking to match with forever families.
I ride nicely in the car and am learning all about sit, down, etc. I also used hang out in shopping carts when my people took me out shopping with them and other places for socialization. Now that I'm fully vaccinated and altered, I've said goodbye to riding in shopping carts. Although I loved settling in my cart and holding court for everyone who wanted to pet me, not a single motivation to hop out of my cart. I adore meeting all the people who love to pet puppies.
It's soccer season, so I spend part of every Saturday at my kids' games, hanging on a blanket and loving everyone who spies a puppy and comes over to meet me. During the October heat spell, the kiddie pool came out, and boy, did I have fun. I'm hoping my forever family will have one, too.
I was part of a large and sad hoarding situation, and the local animal control intervened to help us. I'm a shepherd mix and lucky to be healthy, chunky, and sweet. After baths and great nutrition, my coat is so soft and shiny, with goodies like cheese and eggs added to my kibble. And just received a body score of 5/9 which is ideal from our vet during my check up.
My journey from the shelter to ShepHeroes' foster home was exciting. It started with a long car ride from the shelter, multiple shampoos at Pet Food Express to rid me of the stink of my prior life, and lots of love. The first stop was ShepHeroes' adoption event in Citrus Heights, part of Pet Food Express' month-long Adoption Fair. I received a much-needed bath, my first ever, which required multiple shampoos due to my 12-week-old super-smelly body. The ride to the event was a breeze. While I hung out in a crate, my ride said we had to roll down the windows to cope. After the refreshing bath, I lounged in my own Xpen and took long naps during the event.
Although puppies require time, energy, patience, and love to raise, shepherd puppies require an extra commitment to raising neutral adult dogs. We ask adopters interested in me to have experience with shepherds or similar herding or working breeds and the time and resources to commit to structure, environmental exposures, and training.
As a foster-based rescue, ShepHeroes is always in need of fosters. An overwhelming number of shepherds in our local shelters need our help for a fresh start. Would you be willing to share your home and part of your summer to help shepherds find new families? You provide the love, and we'll provide everything else! Saying "yes" today truly saves a life. Complete this https://www.shepheroes.org/foster-form, and we'll be in touch ASAP! We appreciate your consideration.
