I have been fostering a sweet, energetic male shepherd named Leonard, aka Lenny, from a very high kill shelter. I rescued him, sight unseen, about a month ago, after seeing his sweet face listed in a SoCal shelter. I already have my own shepherds, but I just could not let this sweet boy get put down 😢.
I thought he'd get adopted, but he was in a back kennel with almost no exposure, videos or publicity. He had to be in a separate kennel because he is so energetic he was actually able to scale their 6 foot fence! He has calmed down a bit since he was neutered (I heard it can take about a month for them to calm down a bit more after surgery) but he still has lots of energy to spare!
Sadly, all the dogs in the picture collage I saw him in were euthanized 😭 except for him, because I was willing to drive 4 hours south to a high kill shelter to go get him. Sadly, there are just too many dogs and not enough space, resources, fosters and adopters right now.
Something about Lenny's face really grabbed my heart. Lenny would be a great guard dog and I feel VERY safe walking him at night. He is always alert and looking around us to see what's going on. He is smart and eager to learn. Already knows commands for sit, stay, lay down and shake a paw, and could learn much more!
You can see a video of him here. Please note that I am purposely using a very SWEET voice with him, as he seems to respond well to it. I heard he was afraid of the male animal control officer who found him, so I think he had a bad experience but he was fine with my friend who is a guy (though it helped that he fed him rotisserie chicken. Here's the link for a video. Sorry you have to copy and paste the URL since Craigslist doesn't turn it into a clickable link:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qkUf-2wp7G8
Here he is on a walk:
https://youtu.be/9fKdZa7cpX4?si=KBuuC7mLjnBBy4W2
I would ask for a small rehoming fee just to ensure he doesn't end up being used as a fighting dog, and might use a formal rescue for his adoption, but could be flexible with the right person or family.
I think he would love to be with a young male or female who is willing to walk him daily and give him more training. He could possibly be a companion for another dog but I just don't know for sure. He wags his tail at my dogs but because he barked at one of my fosters, I was a little cautious about introducing him to the others so I have been keeping him separated. I would keep him if I didn't already have my own shepherds plus 3 foster huskies! You can see his pictures in this post. Please let me know if you're interested in meeting him.
Lenny does get restless and likes to chew things, but he's also recently neutered so I think he will calm down a bit over the next 2 months. He would make an excellent running companion.
You can see another video of Lenny, here:
If for some reason it didn't work out with someone I'd gladly take him back, he is a sweet boy who deserves a good life! I might also be willing to provide a training course for someone who might be willing to give him extra training. Just let me know if you have any questions.... click on the contact form on the right side of this blog. Thanks!!!
Laura
Laura