Mike Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler & American Eskimo Dog Mix Grafton, OH

This is Mike. Formally he is Michael Rockne O’Toole, but really he’s just Mike. He came to us through “From Heaven to Earth Rescue” in New Philadelphia, Ohio. He was rescued as a new born pup from an unwanted litter to a working Amish farm dog. He was born on September 6, 2009. If I remember correctly, his Mother was Australian Cattle Dog. Speculation is that his father is American Eskimo. That makes him an Ausimo, or so we were told.

Mike’s generally at 37 pounds, but not by his choice. To be polite, he is food motivated. To be honest, he just loves to eat. He’s not really into toys. He loves hands on time. Scratching around his thick neck fur quickly transitions to a flat on his back chest rub. He’s good with other dogs. He’s not aggressive even a bit. He has active ears and will bark at unknown sounds. His bark is loud and people can be intimidated, but he’s a happy guy who just wants to be friends. He actually smiles. Once during a walk a little girl stopped me and said, “Your dog has a happy spirit.” Kids know. The meanest thing he ever did was when another girl waiting for a school bus asked her mom if she could pet Mike. With permission she reached out her right hand to pet him. Before she could blink the Eggo Waffle was gone from her left hand. She learned a hard lesson about a food motivated dog that morning.

Mike is a great traveling dog. Store to store or state to state, he loves riding in the car. (By our preference our dogs have always been crated in cars for their safety.) Mike can claim territory in 18 states. They’re all marked.

The only reason Mike is in need of a new home is because both his General Veterinarian and his Specialist have told me it would be best for him. My wife passed away in January and I can not meet Mike’s health needs on my own. Mike gets seizures. Initially they were single seizures, but now they can come in clusters. With his current medication he can go months in between, but no promises. He’s supposed to get pills 3 times a day, but right now he’s only getting them twice a day because I can’t be home from work. He’s on 3 different pills. We also keep valium for emergencies. We have never used it.

Mike has bursts of energy, but has not been exercised hard. If he has a lot of activity he sometimes limps on his right front paw; something in the wrist.

As a pup he was gated to the first floor only. Because of that the stairs are to be conquered with courage and enthusiasm to this day. From the days when I used to be able to take him on long walks he is afraid of garbage trucks. So much for the courage.

He is just as happy to be enjoying quiet time. He’s simply a good dog. Please contact June at 440-522-8558 if you can help Mike find his new home.