Featured Animal

Jill E. Bear
Akbash (medium coat)

​

We're not sure how Henry first landed at the shelter, but the folks there listed him as a Border Collie mix. Thanks to that description and his photos, Henry was tagged for rescue by an Aussie rescue group. They were shocked to find he is almost twice as big as the average Aussie. They reached out to us, thinking that maybe Henry is a Great Pyrenees/Aussie mix. Pyrenees would certainly account for his size, but his personality and build are really not very much like a Pyrenees. Henry is very active and playful as most Aussies tend to be, and his beautiful coat looks like his family tree could have an Australian Shepherd somewhere down the line. But his high-strung nature, his sight-hound build, and his large size made us choose other breeds for Henry's listing here. Truly, it's almost impossible to know what kind of dog breeds might be in his DNA, unless we do a test, and that's just not in our budget. But if you are curious and would like to donate a DNA test, we'll be glad to submit the sample!

Henry is house-trained and crate-trained and has been through basic obedience training, but he gets so excited that he sometimes has a hard time remembering NOT to pull on the leash. But with a strong leader, he performs well, and can always be counted on to sit before meals and for treats.

Henry has an estimated birthday in September 2012, so we can't blame his excitability on being a puppy. In other words, his high-strung nature may be traits of the breeds that make up his DNA, so don't adopt him expecting him to change as he matures. He might, but he might not. Henry will do best with an active adopter who will commit to take him on daily walks to help use up some of his energy. And we think maybe a home with adults only would be best, because in his excitement, we wouldn't be surprised to see Henry knock a child down without meaning any harm.

We would love to introduce you to this big athletic boy and see if he might be the right match for you.