Judge is a sweetheart: a loving, exuberant, (just) neutered two-year old Australian Shepherd, possibly with a touch of another large breed. He is playful and boisterous and loves the great outdoors (though must live inside). He has a sunny temperament and is crate-trained. Judge loves his food and is highly treat-motivated. He has a very good “Sit!” His house-training has been perfect. He loves to be brushed and to snuggle. In fact, he’s a 60-pound lap dog. (If he likes you, he sits on you. LOL) Judge is Love Incarnate…the best possible project for an experienced dog owner. He very much needs obedience training. A commitment to this training will be a requirement of his adoption.
On October 8, 2022, Judge came into my rescue (Sheltie Rescue Alternative, Inc., though he’s not a Sheltie LOL). I took him because of his irresistible personality and his predicament: he was stuck in a Los Angeles City kill shelter, where he had been dumped with a necrotic/infected jaw. His previous owners informed the shelter vet that poor Judge had been attacked by a big dog when he was a puppy; their vet had inserted a metal plate and screws into his jaw at that time. Unfortunately, the jawbone became terribly infected from the plate. (That was his condition when left at the shelter.) He needed a major medical procedure to remove the plate, extract several screws, pull some teeth, and save his life (not to mention his jaw). Luckily, my rescue was able to get our wonderful veterinary dentist to perform the surgery (which was deemed too complex even for a specialty surgeon!). Judge recovered beautifully and never missed a meal. He eats normally now. (By the way, the veterinary dentist did the entire procedure from the inside, so there isn’t even a scar.)
Judge loves people and other dogs. However, he can be highly reactive on a leash. He also pulls on the leash — not always, in fact he’s rather relaxed when walking on a slip lead now — but at the sight of a bird or a squirrel or dog, he’s excited!!! We have just started walking him on a Gentle Leader/Halti type collar/leash, in the hope of maintaining better control over his excited moments. I suspect that if he were in a home where he got more exercise, he would be calmer in general — he is, after all, a young herding dog.
Judge has a confident, manly bark. He is a good watchdog. He does seem to be terrified when meeting new people, though warms up quickly with treats. He is rambunctious, so probably not suitable around little kids - his affectionate leaps could knock someone down. He needs a very solid fence as he will leap and climb in gleeful exuberance. He was petrified when he first went to our vet but now loves going there and has become very popular with the staff. (He kisses them.)
Judge has been polite and appropriate with the other dogs here. However, one of them (half Judge’s size) has picked on him from day one, so he has been kept separate. (The bully is a very macho neutered male senior American Eskimo. Go figure.) When allowed out with the others, Judge has been mannerly. Of course, they were all introduced carefully, through a tall baby gate that kept Judge in a separate gated room for the first week while the others smelled him - and vice versa.
Judge is a magnificent dog with a great heart. He is ready for a family of his own. With the right home and training, he will flourish. He will repay you with more love than you could imagine.
P.S. Since arriving in rescue, he has of course had full bloodwork with chemistry, X-rays, urinalysis, heartworm test, thyroid test, fecal. Based on these tests and as of his most recent exam (on January 18), he is healthy. He is on Frontline Plus (fleas/ticks) and Interceptor (heartworm preventative). He has been eating a mixture of kibble topped with something else: sometimes home-cooked meat, sometimes wet food, sometimes Just Food for Dogs (commercially-prepared cooked fresh food).
Meet Judge!
JUDGE HAS BEEN ADOPTED!!
