Shadow
Lab | male | 1 year Old | 40 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Potty trained ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ Good in car! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ✔️ Could live in an apartment! ✔️ Can free roam when alone!
Updates
On a typical day, we wake up around 8am and go potty in the yard, then have breakfast. This guy LOOOOVES food and has quickly gotten the hang of a lot of enrichment toys. Then we go out on a walk around a quiet part of the neighborhood where he gets to sniff around and learn some leash walking skills. On a weekday, I go to work and he stays home. He's fine being crated or splitting the bedroom with my dog. After work, we might play in the yard, learn some fun tricks with dinner, or he'll play a bit with my dog. Then it's usually cuddle time, and we'll just chill on the couch together with a chew. Shadow is a top notch cuddler. He loves to be near you, in your lap, or curled up against you. He's such a sweet, affectionate, goofy boy and I'm going to miss him when he goes.
Shadow warms up to people super fast and likes everyone I've introduced him to, but he seems like he hasn't met a lot of people in his life and doesn't quite know how to feel sometimes at first. Out in public, he's very neutral among crowds and happy to explore and work with me instead. I've also had several people over, and he warmed up to them in about a minute and was cuddling them on the couch. When people first appear or act like they're going to touch him, he sometimes gets flustered and will do one or two barks. No aggression. Not territorial. He doesn't strike me as a nervous dog in general. I just call him over and he's happy to come do stuff with me instead of that. It's rewarding to watch him make friends and get to know people.
I've only seen him with children once, which was out at a foster event where he met all sorts of people. He was the same with the kids as he was with the adults.
Shadow is pretty much medium energy. He’s a fun, happy, playful guy, but he also loves to settle down and cuddle with a nice chew or just chew a toy on his own. He's been an easy keeper. He gets all his food in enrichment toys or as part of training, and he would love to go on regular walks. He definitely has the enthusiasm and energy for someone who likes to be active, but he also won't go crazy if has some chill days. He’s also an experienced tripawd. When it’s time to sprint, he SPRINTS. He loves playing chase with my dog out in the yard and you would not believe how fast and agile he is.
Shadow loves other dogs. He loves playing with my dog and has liked every dog he's met, even if they don't always like him. Super friendly guy. He can get a little amped when he sees other dogs that he's not going to meet, but he's easy to handle and I haven't had issues with him.
I haven't seen him interact with any cats. He saw a couple cats at the vet's office and his reaction was pretty similar to his reaction to dogs. He was very interested and whined a bit to get to them, but easily followed down a different hallway.
Shadow is fine alone. I work 9-5 and he always stays home and I can see on my camera that he just naps through it. I usually give him half the bedroom while my dog gets the other half, and he hasn't destroyed anything.
He does have a bit of FOMO, so he might bark if he thinks you're off to do something fun without him, especially if you take another dog with you. If I give him his food with an enrichment toy before I leave, he doesn't make a peep and we're good.
I'm just gonna put out there that he's happy to wear clothes. He’s very food motivated and has been easy to train. He learned to take a break from playing with my dog on cue, sit to ask for things, recall, and give his paw while lying down. At the same time, he has excellent manners when people are eating. He’s trying to figure out how to catch treats, although right now he mostly just makes a VALIANT attempt. He’s kind of clumsy, but he does his best and bounces around without fear.
This guy loves to chew and would love to have toys like benebones available all the time. He's generally been very good about not chewing things that aren't his.
He’s also a winter dog?? This single-coated, short haired boy is a true Midwesterner, born and raised. He’s perfectly happy to go on walks in well below freezing weather and I don't know how that works.
Shadow was pulled from an overcrowded shelter with a deformed front leg that didn't slow him down; he just drug it around with him. He was evaluated by our vets once he got to Wisconsin, and determined amputation was the best route to take. He's basically been a tripawd all his life, so he recovered uneventfully from his surgery and doesn't seem to realize he only has three legs.