Butch Rat Terrier & Beagle Mix Palatine, IL

FOSTERED IN: Frankfort, IL 
ESTIMATED DOB:  2015
WEIGHT: 12 lbs
KIDS: No
DOGS: Yes
CATS: Unknown/Unlikely

HISTORY: 
Butch was surrendered to an open admission animal control facility for nipping. at children and men.


ABOUT:
Where are our chihuahua/terrier lovers at?  Butch is a cute little buddy who is a great houseguest at his foster home.  He is housetrained and makes it very obvious that he has to go outside to go potty. He will jump around and bark until you ask him if he needs to go outside.  Then he will do some zoomies around the house to show his excitement for the successful communication as you make your way to the door.  Butch is quite the couch companion in his foster home.  If he has any indication that someone is heading towards the couch he will enthusiastically jump up and get ready for you to join him.  Butch sleeps in bed with his foster mom and likes to burrow, either under the covers or under a blanket of his own.  He is learning about toys, but seems a bit confused as to what he is supposed to do with them.  As he is figuring it out he’s starting to show off his playful side.

Butch has been fostered with another small dog and they generally got along well.  The resident dog didn’t appreciate his occasional hump nor his pre-potty zoomies, but they put their differences aside to curl up in bed together.  We do not have any experience with Butch meeting cats, but he wants to chase all the small animals outside so we think a home without cats would be best. 

Butch was surrendered to a shelter for nipping.  From what we can see it might be a fear-based behavior.  We have seen it when he meets new people and new dogs. When he was brand new to his first foster home he got royally tangled in his harness and got a little nippy when she tried to untangle him.  His foster mom slowed down and talked to him calmly as she continued to untangle him.  Once he realized she was not going to hurt him he had no problem allowing her to handle him and untangle him.  Sometimes he barks at men, and others he loves right away.  He will just need patience meeting new people at times, or in new, potentially scary situations. It seems like he just needs a period of time to be sure that no one is going to hurt him and then he’s all about being your buddy.  Because he can default to nipping if he’s scared, we will require a child-free home for Butch. Visiting children will likely not be a problem as long as the owner controls the interactions and introductions.  He will likely not appreciate rambunctious or unpredictable toddlers. 

During his time in his initial foster home, he did get loose twice in one day and bit two dogs who were much bigger than he, and everyone was ok. The first time was the leash not being held tight enough and the second time, we were told his harness came off. We have since bought a new harness and had him assessed by our trainer who feels that he acts out in fear, and just really needs a savvy owner who has had small dogs like him in the past, and has knowledge on how to handle him. Once he decompresses, trusts, and knows his routine, he is a very easy, low key dog.

He would love a yard to roll around in the grass, but it is not required. He cannot go for long walks because he does have an old injury or birth defect in his left hind leg. When he runs, he runs on three legs, and is pretty quick!

He does currently stay in a kennel when no one is around, and is not happy with it. There was a lot of barking in the beginning, but after a couple of weeks, he accepts it. When left outside the crate alone, he did scratch at the door. He really loves being with his human companions, and is a good buddy.

We were told he was a Rat Terrier, Chihuahua Mix, but we also think there may be some Beagle and/or Miniature Pinscher in there somewhere.  Butch will join you for a good howl if you initiate or if he is sad because everyone left him.