Ernest
Mix | male | 2 Years Old | 40 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Loves to snuggle! ❌ No cats! ❌ No kids under 7 years old!
Updates
Ernest (Ernie) is happy, friendly, super sweet family guy. He loves his people and greets us with a toy in mouth parading around the house, wagging his tail with excitement when we come home. He knows lots of commands and is very polite at home. He is super smart and trainable. He still gets a little overexcited with new people whom he greets with barking, tail wagging, and sometimes jumping, but after the initial greeting, loves people.
He gets along well with many dogs but is reactive to most of them at first encounter and occasionally is too rough with submissive dogs. He goes to doggie daycare and does great there as well as with a few playdate friends. He would probably do really well in a home with another dog with whom he got along well. He does well on walks with a gentle leader.
Sadly, he does not do well with cats and that is why he needs a new home. He has a strong prey drive that kicks in with two of our three cats who run from him. Training has helped tremendously in controlled situations, but this instinct still surfaces at other times and means he must be in his pen always when we are not home and we have to keep our household entirely segregated. He mostly leaves alone our third cat who sticks up for himself but Ernie occasionally chases him too and we have no way of keeping these two apart. Ultimately he needs a home without cats where he can be his best self free of his cat obsession.
He does well with our 9 and 7 year olds, but should not be in a household with kids younger than 7 as he is strong and his excitement can easily overpower smaller kids. He also seems confused by very small children and sometimes growls at them.
He is super healthy, up to date on vaccines, heart worm test and preventatives, and just had normal blood work. He has anxiety at the vet but does fine with premeds. He is currently owned by a veterinarian so we’ve been practicing.
At home when not worried about the cats, he is a lazy couch dog and values his snuggles with his humans whenever available. He is an awesome dog who would absolutely thrive in a household with no cats, likely another dog, older or no kids, and loving people with dog experience.