Fosters make it possible for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue to save and care for homeless and abandoned dogs! To learn about fostering dogs like Ellery, please contact us at luckydoganimalrescue@gmail.com!
Name: Ellery
Breed: Labrador retriever / Whippet mix (your guess is as good as mine!)
Approximate Age: 2 – 2.5 years
Approximate Weight: 45 lbs.
Currently Living at: Foster home in the DC area. Please adopt or sponsor Ellery!
Ellery is a strikingly handsome brown dog. We've listed him as a lab / whippet mix but he is best described as a brown dog. He has truly touching soulful deep brown eyes.
Ellery is a "work in progress" in the best possible way. He came to the shelter as a stray, clearly having lived through unspeakable hardship. He was cautious of people, hiding in the corner when a person entered the room and was all around terrified.
Ellery is now a certified lover. HE LOVES OTHER DOGS and learns from them how to lay on the couch, cuddle in bed, beg for treats, and even play outside. As Ellery is still learning, and he uses other dog's confidence as his crutch when he gets nervous, he will be placed in a home with another, confident dog. Ellery switches off between deep cuddling with his foster brothers and then wrestling and boxing and jumping. I call Ellery my little jumping bean because when he gets excited he does jumps and circles in the air!
Ellery is gaining trust in people. He is very friendly with the people in his household and is beginning to trust visitors who come in the house. At first, he trusted no one. Then he began to trust people in his home. Now, Ellery has progressed to even liking strangers at adoption events or guests in his home. He especially enjoys women and will be adopted to a home where he will have a female as a primary caretaker (though he lives with boys now, he loves his momma the most!). The most amazing gift that Ellery can give are his very special Ellery kisses. They are few and far between….but man, when you get one… it is better than gold! See a video of Ellery accepting pets from his foster momma at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh0zHxGBRuM.
Ellery does enjoy his time with people. We also recently learned that Ellery LOVES kids. At adoption events and on the streets, Ellery walks right up to kids and then plops down in front of them. Without any of the shying away and nervous he shows around adults, Ellery accepts love, hugs, kisses and pets from children. He would do great in a home with children over 6 years old who are experienced with dogs.
He is making AMAZING progress on his leash walking. At first, he shyed away from the leash. Then, he learned to like walks with his foster siblings so if he got nervous he had doggie comfort nearby. Now, Elly loves to walk all on his own. He prances and explores and feels the air on his ears. He still might get nervous when a big truck comes by - but, hey, I do, too! He should be adopted to a home with a fenced in yard so in the time that Ellery is transitioning to his new home he can still go to the bathroom comfortably.
Ellery is now going to dog parks. He loves playing with the other dogs. Though he doesn’t fetch balls or get sticks, he loves chasing the dogs who do. He loves to wrestle and play and get in the mix. Because Ellery is shy, he is a high-flight risk. Going to the dog park is important to his socialization but also a risk for his safety. Because of that, Ellery only goes to very safe official dog parks with double-doored entries and high fences. He will NEVER be an off-leash dog.
The bond you form with a shy dog that learns to trust you is very special. Help us show Ellery that people are good, nothing to be feared; AND, most importantly, that there is a special human out there who is willing to be patient, kind and loving with Ellery and show him all the love and SAFETY that a forever home can provide.
Because of his training needs, and because shy dogs are such high flight risks, Ellery will be placed in a dog-savvy home with a fenced in yard and another more confident dog to keep him company.
Ellery does VERY well in his crate and enjoys the crate as his place of comfort and safety. He also does VERY well with housetraining in his foster home though any change in environment could throw a wrench in the training for a short time. Ellery completed his heartworm treatment over a year ago, his recovery period is very much over, and he is now on regular, monthly, heartworm preventative. He shows no effects from the heartworm.
See some more VIDEOS of Ellery in his foster home at:
The adoption fee for this dog is $350, which includes the cost of routine vetting, including vaccinations, spay/neuter, and heartworm treatment, already completed. If you are interested in adopting, please download our
Adoption Questionaire and email it to Michelle at michellef@luckydoganimalrescue.org.
Thank you for contacting Lucky Dog Animal Rescue and helping to save a life! Please visit us online at
www.luckydoganimalrescue.org.
BE A SPONSOR!!!! Sponsors help Lucky Dog support the many dogs we save. To learn more about sponsorship, please contact michellef@luckydoganimalrescue.org.
