Badger Great Pyrenees Kiowa, OK

"Badger had me with those eyes and freckles right from the start! He is a resilient puppy. Based on his condition when he came to the rescue, I can only guess that his previous life was pretty rough. Despite his past, he is such a sweet little guy. He likes to have his people near and loves attention. We have really focused on giving him time to heal, so he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to be a puppy. We have kept him separated from the big dogs but do give him a chance to mingle with them briefly a couple of times a day. He loves toys and we engage in calm play, but I can tell he wants to run and play so bad, and I believe he will be such a fun boy when he heals.

Badger's ideal home would be a playful home with another dog and kids. I do believe he would be ok without this if his owners were attentive and active."

From Badger's foster mom ^
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live a different life? To escape the pain, the loneliness, and the never-ending sadness? I have. My name is Badger and I am a 6-month-old, 40lb male Great Pyrenees mix, and this is my story.

The first few months of my life were not good. I am not sure exactly what happened to me, but I remember being timid and unsure of people. I remember letting my down guard and being caught and brought to the animal shelter. I remember being there for a few weeks. I wasn't very outgoing and tried to make myself small...so no one ever paid me much attention. I remember the strange feeling I felt when a shelter volunteer came to get me and told me that I was being bailed out. I had never thought that anyone would ever want me...I don't think I had ever been wanted...even when I was just a little pup. I remember meeting a nice lady and her helping me into this thing called a car. I remember trying to once again make myself look as small as possible. I had no idea what to expect and was trying my best to not get my hopes up. Whatever was happening to me...it couldn't be good. Good things didn't happen to me....

I ended up in a very loving foster home. I tried to hold out, but when another happy dog came to say hello I really started to perk up. I started to open up and started to actually let myself enjoy life. I started getting a sense of the routine and realized that being pet and loved on by people was actually really awesome. My happiness only lasted for a bit because suddenly the adrenaline wore off and I went downhill. I ended up getting a bad upper respiratory infection and started showing signs of limping more and more. I got so sick that I had the runs and was absolutely miserable for a few days even on meds. Once I got over my bad URI and started to return to normal, the vet could figure out what was going on with my limp. Another vet visit revealed that I actually have a fracture in my right elbow. No one knows how it happened, but it definitely hurts. The good news though is that it will heal on its own, and until then I am on pain meds. That also means that I have to be kept quiet though and cannot run and play with the other dogs like I really want to.

At this point, I am so ready to finally be a puppy. From having a rough life to being in the shelter to starting to perk to getting really sick, to getting better than finding out I have a fracture, to now having exercise restrictions...it has all been so much. Thankfully, I am in a very loving foster home though, and no longer on the streets. My foster mom tells me that things will just keep going up from here, so I guess a few more weeks of activity restriction is okay. Because soon I will be with my forever family, and will no longer have a single worry but to be my playful and loving self. I finally feel like I belong, and am living a life that I never thought would be mine.

While I have not been able to play as much with the other dogs I would like due to my injury right now, I do believe that I would be moderately playful with them. I think if my new family were both active and interactive with me, I would do fine as an only dog. However, I do believe that I would very much enjoy having another moderately playful dog in my new home. I am being fostered around cats and don't really pay them much mind. I have been around young kids and have done well, but I am a playful young pup so may accidentally knock over the really young kiddos.

The few car rides that I have been on I rode really well. I tend to just chill in the backseat. As far as public places go, I have only been to the vet but did well there. I do believe that once my injury has healed and I have gained more confidence that I would enjoy going places with my new family. I have done well around strangers and am friendly and don't jump on them. I have also done well meeting new dogs. I greeted them appropriately and didn't get overly excited. I have not been on any walks yet but do think I would enjoy them once I am all healed up. Same goes for going hiking with my new family, I think that could be really fun. It is hard for me to say right now if I am a social butterfly that would love to always be out and about or if I am more of a homebody that prefers to stay mainly at the house. If I had to choose, I would say I am a mix of both. I really like being with my people.

Due to my injury, I have not been able to play fetch yet so am unsure if I like the game or not. I do love all types of toys. I play with plush toys, chew bones, and rope toys. A ball is my favorite right now though. I am unsure if I am a water dog or not right now. I think that I will be a good mix of playful and calm once I am off exercise restriction.

Given my personality, I do believe that I could handle apartment living if my new family exercised me enough. I am potty training but am still not the biggest fan of the kennel right now. I am not a huge chewer but I am still young. Right now, I will sometimes try to chew on the rugs, but am learning not to do this and respond well when given a toy to chew on instead. I have been in rescue for almost a month now and so far my foster has not heard me bark. I know...crazy right?! So far, the only noise my fosters heard from me have been snoring and soft whines when I want something. When my foster family is away, I am baby gated to a certain area of the house and do well.

If you are interested in offering me forever, you can apply to adopt me at
https://www.pyrpawsandfluffytailsrescue.com/adoption-app

Once this app comes in, it will be sent to my foster family. This is to help ensure that not only am I a good fit for you but that you are also a good fit for me! ?

I am currently residing in McAlester, OK. If you have fallen in love with me and are out of state, how about a road trip? I won't go on a long transport, so the only way I am relocating to another state...is if we are in that car together ?

My adoption fee is $250.
That will include my DHLPP, Rabies, and Bordetella. I will be micro-chipped, have a fecal done, be de-wormed, be spayed/neutered, and will be current on heartworm and flea/tick prevention.