Bruno

Hello ladies (and gents)! I know you are all mesmerized by stunning handsomeness, but try to calm yourselves for a few moments while I tell you a little about myself. First, let's address the obvious- the gorgeous smoky charcoal color of my coat. Not quite black, not quite gray, sometimes chocolatey in the sun. Its beautiful, its plush, and my foster mom and her friends can't stop petting me. It doesn't hurt that I love to lay my head in their laps and look adorable when they come by, either. Although this is not a traditional GSD coat color it looks amazing on me.

Now, I'm sure you noticed I'm 70 pounds at 9 months old. You should know I'll probably get even bigger. That's right, I'm going to be a big scary looking GSD when I'm all grown up! However, my personality so far has not matched my looks. I'm kinda star-crossed about my humans. I haven't barked at any and I've given everyone lots of love and kisses. I've met neighbors, friends, and the Jason's Deli delivery guy and been pretty cool with all of them. Does this mean I will never be protective or bark at people? No. It simply means so far I've been pretty cuddly. Remember as I grow to my adult size physically i'll also be growing mentally, and my final personality is still developing. 

Other dogs have been interesting for me. At my foster house I have a resident female and a resident male. We are all under 2 years old! (Someone give my Mom a hallelujah and an aspirin!) When first introduced I was very growly and unsure. After about 30 minutes I learned that I can play with the male dog just fine, although we engage in a lot of dominance play, and that I'm a lovesick submissive fool for the female dog (omg she's beautiful and has long hair and snaps at me sometimes but I don't care I love her so much omg). So if I go to a new home with another dog a female would be best, but I can (probably) make it work with another male if my new owner is confident and understands dog dynamics very well. 

I do love people of all sizes but I am still a rambunctious, obnoxious, crazy puppy so there is a high likelihood I will knock the wee ones into walls and furniture. Sometimes I knock adults into furniture too! I love toys and playtime and hate my crate (although Foster Mom says "too bad, so sad" when I get grumpy about going in). Mostly I just want to be where my human is. Right under her feet especially! Well, I'm done telling you about myself, but Foster Momma has some things to tell you too, so read below and then come visit me! 

Foster Momma- hi everyone, Bruno has definitely made a big splash in my circle of friends and neighbors. He's absolutely beautiful to look at, and has been very sweet with people. However, he came to me with zero training and terrible puppy manners. It's apparent he was allowed to run wild and loose with his original home because I've had to start from scratch with training. The good news is he is highly trainable because he's smart and wants to please his human. But it will take consistent work by his new adopter to help transform him into a well-behaved adult dog. Bruno did not know how to even sit still when he got here. He jumped on people, furniture, counters, everything. If he knew you were upset with him he would dart away and try to turn things into a game of chase. Anything on the ground and some things not on the ground became toys for him. Does all of this sound terrible? It was! BUT, he is learning. I taught him "off" for the furniture very quickly- although he still tries to initially jump up sometimes. He no longer jumps on me and has improved significantly with others. He's learning sit and down, although he has a lot of puppy energy so it's tough for him to stay still. He's also learned that not everything is a toy, although often he will still try new things until told no. Bruno is going to be an incredible dog for the right someone. I'm going to recommend a home with no small children just because he is so big and puppyish In addition, it is mandatory his new adopter takes him to an obedience course within 3 weeks of adoption. Obedience classes are for people more than dogs. They teach the human how to confidently and smartly train and control their dog. This is very vital for dogs like Bruno, too, who is learning manners he should have learned as a 30 pound, 4 month old and not a 70 pound, 9 month old dog. Bruno was rejected by his original owners for having "too much puppy energy". Any GSD owner will know this a normal phase of adolescense for dogs, and be prepared to give the dog an outlet for that energy (walks, playtime, training, or a job like scent work or agility training). If your heart has been captured by this puppy as much as mine has please put in your application and let us see if he's a good fit for you.