Buckwheat

ADOPTED! December 13, 2016

Buckwheat is a young adult Plothound/Lab Mix. He is around 45-50#, estimated to be 2 years old and he’s great with other dogs. Buckwheat arrived from a West Virginia shelter via our volunteer transport team and has done very well among a pack of dogs. Hounds are typically great dogs for families and children. Buckwheat has been tested with cats and he showed no interest in the cats in the home he tested in.

Buckwheat is moving to a foster home so we can learn more about his in-home behaviors and manners. We will provide a full report soon.

If you are interested in adopting Buckwheat please email us at rescue@secondhandmutts.org.

FOSTER HOME REPORT

The Good:
Temperament. Wow! He is such a sweetheart. At first he was really nervous around the girls, but he has totally relaxed now and plays fetch with them and tug, lays with them on the floor or the couch (losing battle there) and covers them with kisses when they let him. (They adore him.) He is also so good with other dogs. We’ve met lots of the neighborhood pooches on our walks, some of whom are pretty snappy and irritable, and he is gentle, tentative and respectful until he gets acceptance and then he want to romp and play. (Two years might be a stretch… He seems younger to me.) He loves being petted, scratched, brushed, even just personal proximity makes him happy. He definitely wants to please and responds to correction -most of the time.

House-training: We have only had one accident in the house (pee, on the carpet in Stephen’s office. Both other dogs we’ve had have also gone in there so I think we need to have it professionally cleaned with some enzymatic stuff). His poop is getting more solid. ( Commands. We’ve been working on Sit and Drop It with some success. He’s def more motivated when treats are involved but he also responds well to just petting and lots of praise. He understands No! (and *usually* respects it).

Challenges:
Chewing! Boy, is he a chewer! We have bones, antlers, toys and chew sticks but he gets bored with them and then starts to look for other things — especially shoes (and leashes!) He needs a family who is willing to really doggy-proof his surroundings or keep a VERY close eye on him. Maybe more exercise would also help, but he’s already getting a 3+ mile walk with me in the morning and some fetch sessions in the yard — he’ll still walk away from a bone and go for a magazine or the lid to a trash can… We’ve gotten more vigilant about leaving shoes out!

Crating: Getting him in is a struggle. To be fair, he hasn’t had to go in it too often, so he hasn’t gotten a lot of rewards for it either. It’s on my list to work on for this next week since we’ve got school coming up soon and will need to keep him out of trouble (and harms way) while we’re gone. He howls pitifully initially, but we’ve always come back to find a chill dog, with no destruction of the bedding in the crate.

Barking/Howling: He IS a hound and he’s got the pipes to prove it. Fortunately, he doesn’t feel the need to exercise them non-stop. His woofs are usually set off by hearing another dog bark, hearing people he can’t see clearly who are talking in their yards, or late-night dog-walkers.

People Food: He’s not a horrible food theft, but he’s clearly had it and knows he likes it better than dog food. And he’s not above paws-on-the-counter to see what’s within reach. Again, supervision and correction help avoid problems.

Overall: He is going to be a fantastic pet to the person/family who is willing to put some time into his training and understands that his nature requires care in managing his surroundings.

We are not a traditional shelter, we are a cage-free facility. All dogs are temperament tested and must get along with other dogs to stay here. Appointments must be made in advance to meet our Secondhand Mutts. Please call 216-664-9660 or email rescue@secondhandmutts.org to set up a time. We are closed on Sundays. We prefer to adopt to local families but will consider long distance adoptions.

Adoption Fee $200