Neptune
Labrador retriever mix | male | 2 years Old | 55 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Housebroken! ✔️ Can free roam when alone! ✔️ Good in car! ✔️ Walks well on leash! ✔️ Could live in an apartment!
✔️ Kids over 12 yo ! ❌ No cats!
Updates
Officially adopted on April 14, 2021!
PUPDATE 6
Neptune had a great weekend! We took a long walk around picnic point where he saw lots of other dogs enjoying the beautiful weather. We even walked by a flock of about 10 turkeys and Neptune was so curious - he just stared at them though. He was slightly more interested in a pair of ducks swimming by.
He had another nail trim at the pet store and this time I did not go to the grooming room with him - he was so brave and did great! As a bonus to this, he met another dog in the pet store and had the best reaction that I've ever seen from him when getting up close and personal to another dog. They were nose to nose and exchanged some more sniffs - his tail was tagging the whole time!
Because being the bestest doggo was Neptune's goal for the weekend, he came with us to hang out on the patio of a wine bar in Middleton and even got treats from the owner for being so well behaved.
For his 3rd Fetch Pack walk, I noticed he was pulling slightly less than last weekend. I hope this means he's getting more comfortable with other dogs walking near us and will continue to improve on each pack walk.
PUPDATE 5
It came as a surprise the other day when Neptune successfully fetched a tennis ball! He hadn't shown much interest in chasing things until then, and it only took a couple of practice tries for him to get it right :)
He gets distracted from the game easily by all of the smells outside, and any other people or dogs walking by. Neptune joined a second Fetch Pack Walk last weekend with similar results to the first - he does fine walking in close-ish proximity to the other dogs, he just pulls more on the leash possibly due to excitement or being a bit more alert with the other dogs around.
Neptune continues to work on his imitation skills with trains and sirens - he will even howl at videos of other dogs also howling at sirens. He's joining a virtual pet pageant next week to hopefully show off these skills!
We're excited for the warm weekend coming up - we plan to do a walk to the pet store for another nail trim, and maybe another picnic point adventure!
PUPDATE 4
Neptune has had more opportunities lately to be around other dogs in closer proximity than we normally are on our walks. He joined a Fetch Pack walk with some of our Fetch friends and did well walking among the other dogs. He still gets visibly nervous about other dogs, but he responds well when reminded to sit or not stare so intently at them.
Last weekend we did a walk with some new human friends and 1 new dog friend - again, he does fine being introduced to people but would need more time in close proximity to another dog before feeling comfortable (this is just my prediction).
We've also been working on learning a new trick! In just two days time, Neptune has learned to catch stuff animal toys in his mouth.
We are both happy the elevator in the building is working again - 4 flights of stairs many times per day was starting to get tiring for both of us!
PUDPATE 3
We drove to Milwaukee over the weekend and visited a couple of my family members. Neptune did great with all 3 separate visits! He got to explore some new apartments and made some new human friends. He needs to be introduced to new people on his own terms - it worked well having them not pay much attention to him and let him come up to them when he was ready. Of course he was willing to accept treats from everyone!
We went a long walk on a bike trail in Milwaukee and we saw a lot of dogs since the weather was so nice. Neptune got barked at by quite a few dogs but he was good and did not bark back, even though he was very nervous. I've noticed that if other dogs don't seem interested, Neptune tends to reflect that attitude and not get as nervous or as interested in them.
It's finally warm enough to open my balcony door and Neptune is excited about all the new smells being "outside" while inside. A new building is going up next door but the construction noises don't bother him at all.
PUPDATE 2
Hi, Neptune here! I want to tell you about some of my favorite things!
· Peanut butter! By itself or on any toy – bonus points if it’s a squeaky toy! This is also the best way to help me settle in if you’re going to be out of the house for a bit.
· Howling at the trains that go by! Currently I live right next to the train tracks. While all the trains going by don’t bother me, I love to pretend I’m a train and howl along with their horns.
· Belly rubs and back scratches! They’re the best!
· Cuddling and napping on the couch! And the best part? I’ve proven I can handle the responsibility of hanging out on the couch rather than getting into mischief if you’re away.
· Pretending I’m a small lap dog. It’s easier to snuggle this way!
· Sticking my head in the shower and licking the water. Hey, we all have our quirks, right?
· Walks and new smells! There are so many new things to explore every day! And my favorite part is when I receive compliments from other humans that I’m “very cute” and “such a nice dog!”
· Hanging out on Mom’s yoga mat – what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine?
Recently, I’ve started getting to go to a few pet-friendly places. We took a trip to a pet store for the first time ever and I was on my best behavior! I can be really nervous when it comes to having my nails done, so after we wandered around the pet store, we came back another day and had a successful pawdicure. It really helped being able to have my foster Mom with me reassuring me everything was okay while the groomer trimmed my nails. I'm also okay with being brushed at home - I need to start getting rid of some of my winter fur!
Have I ever mentioned how good I am in the car? I always fall asleep in the car when we drive on the highways – there’s not much to look at. I have gotten a bit carsick driving around city streets too close to breakfast time, but highways are no problem!
PUPDATE 1
Neptune has been in his foster home for just over 2 months now and has settled into a good routine. We’ve been taking our longer walks (15-20 minutes) around 11 a.m. and again around 3 p.m. – the weather has been so nice and Neptune loves getting out in the sunshine and stopping to sniff at every tree. We also go out after breakfast and dinner and again right before bed. He’s still timid when approaching other dogs but he doesn’t bark at them – even if they bark at him! I’m hoping with the warmer weather and more people being out and about he will get even more comfortable seeing other dogs outside.
Neptune had a bit of an unsettled past – bouncing from a home to the shelter, in between a couple foster homes, and spent some time gaining confidence with Jake from Enlightened K9 before settling into what we’re hoping will be his last foster home before meeting his forever family. He was slow to warm up and all the new experiences were very overwhelming at first. Patience, trust, and consistency have proven to be the way into Neptune’s heart. He is looking for an adopter willing to show him this same love and patience and give him time to settle into his forever home, too.
He has shown a lot of improvement while being in an apartment. When he first arrived, he used to get pretty nervous and scared throughout the day even while I was working at home, but now he rarely barks at hallway noises or even when he hears other dog noises. I've noticed some improvement when I leave the apartment as well - he used to start barking when I closed the door but now he does not bark. He still wishes his people could be home with him all the time, and he likely waits by the door until I get back, but I try to keep him distracted with peanut butter filled toys for some of the time. He also enjoys sleeping on his pillow at night and has learned the command to go to his pillow if he starts getting anxious about a noise outside. He is a very quick learner and knows shake, sit, and lay down, too. He will let you put a treat on his paw and tell him to stay - sometimes he will balance it on his nose but this is more difficult! He is definitely food motivated.
Another improvement in his living arrangements as he’s gotten comfortable here has been not barking at or attacking the vacuum cleaner while free roaming! This is significant progress as I previously needed to crate him while vacuuming and he barked the entire time. He still doesn’t love the vacuum cleaner but he gets a treat after not barking.
He continues to be very happy to nap away the days or cuddle on the couch in the evenings. He is a very laid back dog once he is comfortable with his surroundings. He loves howling with/imitating the trains that go by each day; which will never stop being hilarious. Aside from harmonizing with the trains, he's become a pretty quiet pup. If he barks these days, it's typically because he wants to play or has the zoomies.