Scaredy-Jax: Foster To The Rescue!
We could tell that Jax was a good, sweet boy- but he needed help with his socialization skills.
He was very timid and seemed nervous of the loud barking in kennels. After arriving at SPCA Tampa Bay, Jax spent one week in foster care with our volunteer Tony.
Time outside of the shelter, with a foster, would allow Jax to open up in a more calm environment so we could see his true personality and find him the perfect home.
Tony reports that Jax was a pleasure to have and wrote a lovely note (below) about Jaxs’ stay in his home. He hopes this will help potential adopters get to know Jax and see his personality once in a home setting.
“Jax has been a brief (1 week) but a pleasurable foster for me. I wish I had more time with him to work on his training and just spend time with him.
It appears he’s house broken as he only (had one pee accident) in the house, other than that, he has little ways of letting me know he has to go out.
He really resisted going into a crate on the first day and I didn’t push it because I knew it would be hard to try the crate again in the future. It ended up working out and he was really fine without the crate. He wasn’t destructive (of the furniture) and didn’t put stuff in his mouth other than his toys. (*Please see bottom note about toys.) He didn’t break anything and he was fine overnight. I set up his bed on the floor next to mine and when I went to bed, he went on his, laid down and went to sleep. With him so close, I could tell he stayed there all night.
Very first thing in the morning, he went for the back door. I took him out and he peed. That to me was “big” especially for a puppy!
He’s a high energy pup and very powerful. He enjoys squeaky toys (*Please see note at bottom about toys) and ran around the house constantly squeaking them and tearing them apart pretty quickly (*Please see note about toys). The thing he loved most and constantly wanted to do was play Tug-A-War. He’d get very excited playing it and would jump up, pretty high (which he needs to be trained not to do). Because of this, his size and his power – I would not recommend a home with small children. Teenagers would probably be a better fit in my opinion.
I was surprised at how fast Jax and I bonded.
In no time, he was all over me! If I moved he was up and ready to follow me. When I was sitting, he would either lay on my feet (see photo below) and go to sleep or get one of his Tug-A-War toys and want to play.
Walking on a leash is currently his weakest point, but we were making progress. Between the rain, heat and only having him one week, it difficult to overcome his powerful pulling during his time in my home.
Jax is a very affectionate boy, though not at first.
It took a couple of days for it to show through but once it did, he enjoyed standing next to me while I scratched and rubbed his body and really liked belly rubs. At night when we went to bed, I would reach over to pet him. He would roll over so I could rub his belly and that went on till he fell asleep or my arm got stiff.
Let me add- if I were 20 years younger and ready to adopt a dog, I would definitely give a lot of thought to Jax!
Hope this helps to find him a good, loving home, he deserves it!”
Jax is currently available for adoption at SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo. He has been neutered, microchipped and vaccinated.
Jax is a shy and nervous dog. He would do best in a home with family that has the time and patience to dedicate to his training and confidence building. *Jax needs to be supervised with toys as he will quickly destroy and possible eat parts of them.* He is a young, strong and powerful guy, so it is recommended he walk on a harness. He is still young and does seem to be ok with other dogs. If you are interested in meeting Jax, please call us to make an appointment. 727-586-3591. Please plan to bring the entire family (including any dogs you have) for your meet and greet.
