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Adopted

Grandpa Staffordshire Bull Terrier Mix Newton, NJ

  • Senior
  • Male
  • Large
  • Gray / Blue / Silver, White / Cream

About

Characteristics
cuddly, sweet, laid back, adventure, explore, super senior, quiet
Coat length
Short
House-trained
Yes
Health
Vaccinations up to date, spayed / neutered, special needs.
Good in a home with
Cats.
Adoption fee
$175.00

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Meet Grandpa

Grandpa *special needs-medical*
Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix 8-10yrs neutered male
DEAF (partially hearing impaired or completely deaf)

Gramps is a senior pittie and a big ‘ol guy with hopefully a lot of life left to live. Gramps was neutered and two masses were removed from his scrotum and biopsied. The masses were mast cell tumors, however our vet stated they were graded as "2a" which typically is a less aggressive cancer, but not the least invasive. Since there were large margins removed around the tumors, our vet hopes that the removals at these sites were effective. We are happy to speak with interested applicants about this.

He seeks affection and enjoys petting and belly rubs. Gramps loves exploring the yard at his foster home. He was recently neutered and his prime activity currently is smelling all the other dog pee-mail messages in the yard and leaving his own message. He could be out there sniffing away for 30 mins! He will come up to the back door and whine when he’s completed his mission! We think he’d enjoy roaming a yard and exploring the smells as well post-neuter. We’d love to see this super senior in a home with a yard for his exploration adventures, but it is not a requirement. Gramps is a very quiet guy and rarely barks though he can't see too much activity from his foster's yard or windows.

Gramps met many people at the shelter he was previously at and no issues were reported. He has met several people in foster and seemed friendly or neutral towards all. During two meetings he became very excited and jumped up on them and seemed to nibble or mouth their arms. He did stop when the person turned and ignored him. We don't see this behavior daily, but it could be too intense for a small child. We don't know how Gramps would feel in crowded, busy environments such as fairs or parades, but we think he may love all the attention this cutie would undoubtedly receive.

He’s stocky and short, but don’t underestimate his strength. When he wants to go a certain direction, he is bringing you with him! A front clip harness is a must for this muscle man. He seems non-reactive to people/dogs on walks. In the vet lobby, Gramps did pull toward and bark at another dog continually for several minutes but we have not seen him react to dogs in this way on walks or when dogs pass his crate (he was unneutered at that time and dog he barked at was an unknown female dog).

Gramps was cat tested and seems ok with cats. During a separate meeting with a cat that was afraid of him, he barked at the cat a few times while it sat high on a counter. Gramps met a neutral tester male dog and seemed ok with him. He was eager to follow him and sniff his rear which the tester dog found a bit overwhelming. When Gramps was held on leash in this interaction he whined at the tester dog. Gramps may be a fit for a home with another dog, but we are not sure yet. We will update his bio if we learn more about Gramps interacting directly with other dogs. We are unsure how he feels about an animal coming near his food or toys. However, feeding time can easily be managed by feeding dogs separately.
Update 12/29: Gramps consumed a very small stuffed bear which was quickly recovered through induced vomiting at home. He may not have access to any soft toys for this reason. We also feel he was a bit tense with a soft toy at one time and might growl to keep a soft toy. Trading with treats works very well for Gramps should he have an item that he shouldn't in a nonconfrontation manner and is the best approach to ensure he remains happy to trade. Gramps likes to rip apart his approved hard rubber/plastic toys, but seems to leave the plastic pieces on the floor.

Gramps loves food and treats. Despite being deaf, he can easily be lured to follow you by making a treat in your hand gesture. He has been introduced to a vibrate only collar as his cue to come find his person/recall which we can continue to teach an adopter how to use properly as a CUE only.

Gramps cannot currently get on a couch or in a car himself but is happy to be lifted. He has loved cuddles on the couch. His adopter should consider if they can physically lift this short-stack guy or be willing to purchase pet stairs/ramp for couch cuddles and car rides. He has ridden well in the car, but should ride in a backseat as he will attempt to co-drive.

He had a lot skin inflammation and irritation especially on his front paws when he came to us. His ears and eyes had discharge and debris and his coat was filthy. He received a bath and vet care. His skin issues are believed to be allergy related. Since arriving to Foster he was put on an ultra premium kibble and seems to be doing better because of the food change. He will likely need to remain on high quality food or better for life and only eat certain treats/snacks. The allergy/skin issues could be environmental in addition to food. He is currently on Apoquel daily and his adopter should continue to partner with their vet as time goes on to determine if he should stay on this med for life. He had a second bath with whitening shampoo to restore his rust white patches and it seemed to brighten his coat. It seems the symptoms of his allergy (ear infection/scratching) did a number on his ears especially one ear. It is very permanently swollen and seems scarred inside. We don’t think he can hear very well because of it. We feel he hears some things/loud sounds, but not everything; that ear could also be more impaired than the other ear. He had meds for his ears which he seems to not need anymore. His eyes had yellow discharge and were crusty. He had eye meds daily. We have since tapered off using them since his eyes seem to not have such discharge anymore. Gramps leans in to petting and will rolled on the ground to scratch his back and let out his gargoyle grumbles. We are unsure how itchy he may or may not feel. We will continue partnering with our vet to keep him as comfortable as possible and his adopter should do the same.

Gramps is crate trained, UTD on vaccinations, and was neutered with masses biopsied.

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Grandpa

Grandpa

  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Senior
  • Male