4/10/12: Foster update: Winchester (aka: Win or Window) is a sweet and loving dog and loves to prance around with his tail wagging a mile a minute! He loves attention and will paw at you to get it. If you are petting him and stop he will paw at you to keep going. If it gets too obnoxious, he will stop when told to quit. He is getting more brave and will come to get attention and to play. While he doesn't necessarily like to come to you when called, he will sit and stay in one spot (most of the time) when asked.

He loves to play! Any kind of play he enjoys, including simply waving your hand around, which excites him and he feels may be the best thing in the world. He loves to chew on and play with toys, and has never once tried to chew on anything other than a toy. He loves to play with the other dogs and also steal their toys.

He still loves to snuggle and is now obsessed with being under a...

4/10/12: Foster update: Winchester (aka: Win or Window) is a sweet and loving dog and loves to prance around with his tail wagging a mile a minute! He loves attention and will paw at you to get it. If you are petting him and stop he will paw at you to keep going. If it gets too obnoxious, he will stop when told to quit. He is getting more brave and will come to get attention and to play. While he doesn't necessarily like to come to you when called, he will sit and stay in one spot (most of the time) when asked.

He loves to play! Any kind of play he enjoys, including simply waving your hand around, which excites him and he feels may be the best thing in the world. He loves to chew on and play with toys, and has never once tried to chew on anything other than a toy. He loves to play with the other dogs and also steal their toys.

He still loves to snuggle and is now obsessed with being under a blanket. I actually think he feels safe under the blanket, because sometimes if he gets scared he runs to the blanket and calms down. Part of me thinks he believes no one can see him under there so it is a safe hiding spot.

He is great at teeth brushing and nail trimming, allowing it to be a one person job rather than a big production. While he is getting better with baths, they are still hard on him as the water seems to scare him. When he is talked through it and is told how well he is doing,he does pretty good.

He is wonderful with his crate, going in well and always keeping it clean. He is about 95% housetrained, and thrives with consistency. He does not appreciate inclement weather, so he may be reluctant to go outside to potty. So, it is still a work in progress. If you expect a dog to be instantly housetrained, Win is probably not the guy you are looking for (he may potty inside 1-2 times a week if not consistent and weather is poor). He is sensitive and may submissive pee (and possibly poop) with raised voices, though not directed at him. He is getting better with this as he gets more comfortable at his foster home.

Win loves his food, so he can not go anywhere that free-feeding is allowed. He will eat his own measured amount of food, and go to his foster brother's bowl to see if he can 'share' the rest of his food. He likes to have water when he wants it, and if water is not available in his bowl, he will go to another source of water (ie. toilet) to get a drink.

He is doing really well on a leash and has started to get excited when he gets to go on walk or other fun places. When leash walking, he does tend to want to walk behind us, so this is a work in progress.

He will bark occasionally, especially if someone is coming or leaving the house or he hears a doorbell (real or on TV). He also barks when he plays and when the other dogs bark, but other than this he doesn't really bark much.

He isn't going to bother you with licking your face, but may lick your hands. He also loves to get really close to you to sniff your hair. :) He appreciates being with people, so if you aren't outside with him, he will likely prefer to be in. He originally only wanted attention from women, but has now started to go to his foster dad for playtime also. It will be imperative that Win be with a home where all members are very patient and understanding as he learns to trust you. Once he gets used to frequent visitors, he feels comfortable and attempts to get their attention and will snuggle right up next to them. If there is a large group of people, he tends to stick to his more confident foster brother.

Winchester is handsome, and a very special boy . He is looking for his permanent forever home, where he can trust the family members and gain confidence as days go on.

First bio: Winchester just turned two, and is a lovely, tall blue and white boy weighing 14 lbs. He came to us from an irresponsible breeder, but has started a new chapter of his life and is leaving the past behind him!

Win is more on the timid side, and his foster home is working on socialization with people. If he is approached on his level and spoken to gently, Win responds well, and is improving daily. He is curious and wants to investigate, and this overrides his shyness. He likes snuggling with his foster parents on the couch, as close as he can get to them, even if it means sitting on top of one of his foster siblings to get a better spot! Win is making excellent progress with housetraining and follows the lead of his foster sibs. He does well with nail trims and toothbrushing. He has made huge progress in under a week with crate training, and will crate quietly and keep his crate clean overnight. He plays well and gets along with his foster siblings.

Win is current on vaccinations and neutered. He is being fostered in the Twin Cities area.

If interested in donating to the many dogs that need extensive care in IGCA rescue you can donate via Chip-in below. The Chip-in was set up by MN/ND but benefits IGCA dogs in all states.

Any donation is greatly appreciated and is tax deduction as IGCA is non-profit and has their 501(c)(3) status.