My Story
Hi! My name is Peak and I am from Arkansas.
From his foster: Meet the adorable little loaf called Peak! He has such a charming personality and even more charming mannerisms to go with it. He's a very sweet boy and loves butt scratches, ear rubs, belly rubs, lots and lots of naps (sometimes laying flat on his back), chewing on dog chews, and slow leisurely strolls with ample time for sniffing.
He's an older guy (we think maybe a little older than 7 based on his physical condition) who mostly operates at one speed (slow), and while his vision/hearing aren't all there anymore, his back legs aren't as strong as they used to be, and he's got some old man lumps and bumps, he has shown us that he still has some spunk left and is really just happy to be here. His tail happily wags anytime we approach him or we talk to him and sometimes he'll do an excited little dance. He likes one particular soft squeaky toy so far and will pounce on it and shake it around when the mood strikes. He has attempted to play with our small dog on a couple occasions but he's a bit awkward in his attempts and since he doesn't see the best, it's hard for him to keep up. He tries his best though! He mostly likes to nap and be pet.
With his lower vision, he still sees enough to get around without running into too much. It takes him a few moments to locate his food bowl or the treat you're holding. When you call for him in the yard it is a winding path for him to find you but he's eager in his efforts. He can't always find his way back to the door but his tail wags happily when we come to rescue him and give him a lift back inside. He is not very confident on stairs, especially going down, so would do best in a home with minimal stairs inside/to get to the yard. Or, if you have stairs inside, he doesn't mind being carried but you would need the ability to block them off so he doesn't accidentally take a tumble. He for sure has cataracts, but will be seeing a vet soon to evaluate his eyes and see if he needs any medical treatment.
He's been good on leash (wears a harness as pressure on his neck makes him cough) and enjoys short, slow walks. He's curious about dogs and people going by. Given the opportunity on a walk he will go up to a person to say hello. (He's been fairly social with company also.) His limit seems to be about a mile at a time, a little more if it's mild out, a little less if it's warm out. He is not winning any races and it can take us around 45 minutes to go one mile. If you're looking for an exercise partner, or if it annoys you when a dog wants to spend a lot of time sniffing and marking, he will not be the right fit for you. The only time he's shown some stubbornness is if you try to walk by a spot he really wants to investigate. He gets a lot of joy and mental enrichment out of his daily (sometimes twice daily) strolls though - you'll have to accept that his walks are for him! He doesn't mind being carried when he gets too warm/tired. He probably wouldn't mind a dog stroller either if you want to be able to go farther.
He's been good with our small dog and has been respectful of our older grumpy cat. He took to our small dog pretty quickly and likes to give him sniffs and has tried to play with him a few times. He has also tried to hump him several times which our dog doesn't love, but that seems to have lessened with time. He has not been exposed to bigger dogs while here. He has met a couple briefly in passing on walks and after a few seconds lifts his lip. It could have had more to do with their energy level, and/or he may just prefer slower intros to new friends and not while leashed (not uncommon). Both he and our dog tend to guard chews/bones from other animals, so they just get to enjoy those in separate spaces. If there is already a resident dog in the home, we think he'd prefer a smaller friend closer to his size and one that is not overly energetic.
He does not mind being in his crate and will sometimes go in there on his own and nap on his bed in there. In the beginning he was crated at night and didn't mind at all. (Now he sleeps on a dog bed on the floor of our room and does well with that.) He is crated if we are gone. One of us works from home so he has not been crated often, but has been successfully crated for short stints for errands, and up to 4-5 hours at a time on one occasion at this point. He has kept his crate clean and seems to mostly nap. Occasionally he hears something and will bark for a bit until he settles. He is otherwise a pretty quiet dog but will sometimes join in on barking or growling if our dog barks at something, even though he doesn't usually know why. Solidarity. He sometimes barks back at the neighbor dogs while in the yard too. He's pretty easy to redirect though.
He appears to at least be house trained on a schedule. He has only had one accident while here. We haven't picked up on any signals other than when he's about to poop he walks in a million circles. Since he is still new here, he wears a belly band inside most of the time unless he's being closely monitored just to prevent any mishaps as he adjusts (we take it off at night and have been experimenting with having it on less while we're home with him). We would expect/hope with time he would be able to go without. If not, it's easy enough to use and he doesn't mind it. Being older and because one of us works from home, we are not sure if he could go a full 8-9 hour workday without a bathroom break. Currently on a typical day he gets a bathroom break every 4 hours or so between waking and bedtime. He sleeps through the night without needing to go out.
He has not been exposed to kids while here. We wouldn't anticipate specific issues but a) because he has some level of impaired vision and does get startled if you move too fast or approach too fast, and b) he also seems to have some rear end weakness, for these reasons, we feel he'd be more comfortable with older kids (8+) who can reliably self-regulate themselves around him and be respectful and deliberate in how they approach him.
He has a shorter haircut right now but it seems like he'll be a lighter shedder. He will need regular grooming. He has been good for bath time and minor grooming like trimming up his paw hair and his nails. With having big buggy eyes, he gets a lot of eye boogers but tolerates them being wiped pretty well.
