Duke
Black Lab mix | 2 Years | mALe | 56 lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Good with kids! ✔️ Potty trained! ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ Good in the car! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! 🧸Loves to play 😀Friendly
Check out these videos of Duke here! and here!
When Duke was listed as a potential foster, his bio from his southern foster simply said "happiest dog around." And wow, is that true. Duke is a true lover of life, and while I'd call him exuberant and pretty full of energy, he's also an incredibly easy dog to have around. He has the best temperament with both humans (of all ages) and dogs (cats unknown, sorry!). Duke is fully potty trained, house trained (hasn't chewed anything he's not supposed to, and learned off-limits spots quickly), and crate trained (he may cry for a few minutes but settles down quickly). I'm struggling to find more to say about how well-behaved he is, because the answer is just "he's a great houseguest." He isn't in my face all the time but also wants to be around me. He doesn't beg or bother me when I'm eating, he's cuddly but not overbearingly so, and he keeps himself occupied by playing with toys or goading the resident dog into playing. It's been wonderful to see Duke settle into our house over the past week+.
Duke is working on a few things, mostly related to walking. He pulls on leash, especially when he sees bunnies. He also doesn't like people on bikes or scooters, but that is improving with exposure. Still, he never reacts poorly to seeing other dogs (he politely wants to play) or humans walking/running (also mostly wants to play!). He does jump up sometimes when he's excited, but usually just once after being let out of his crate.
All this said, it's shocking Duke is the happiest dog around. He probably shouldn't be, so here I have to share his sob story. Duke was almost certainly hit by a car earlier in life or at least had some other serious physical trauma, and he did not heal correctly. His right hind leg is deformed, though healed. His lower lip is a little misshapen, too, though it has no adverse effects (he eats and drinks normally and cleanly, he just looks a little silly). Because of his injury, Duke tends to run on three legs only, he tends to tuck that leg behind his other leg when he's just standing around, and I walk him with a bootie on so he doesn't scrape the paw on cement during walks. Duke is under vet evaluation to see if anything more can be done, but mostly his adopters should know that he might never walk normally and he is expected to develop early arthritis. He is also on a daily joint supplement.
And despite all this? Well, have I mentioned Duke is the happiest dog?! He has no idea he's injured! He RUNS around the backyard, he chases the resident dog (which is what the resident dog wants), he wrestles, he does it all. The vet said I should never take him running especially on cement, but if he's running around without pain in the yard, then I should only let him self-limit his activity. And he is NOT self-limiting at all, so I can't imagine he's in any pain.
THE BEST fetch-playing dog I’ve ever had. Finds the toy every time, brings it right back, and politely drops it at your feet.
In short, Duke is a really good dog who definitely has some limitations that are 100% not his fault. I know his perfect adopters are out there, and can look past his injury and will have such a great dog if they choose him!
