Nov 30, 2012:

Silver is a young, male, collie-mix, believed to be between 2 and 4 years old. Silver has had a rough time lately. He was a stray, found holed up under a porch, very underweight and with several severe injuries to his legs. We don’t know what happened to him but in the short time he’s been receiving medical care he has been healing well. One of his wounds is still very serious though. In spite of all this, Silver has a typical sweet, gentle collie personality. He loves people and is full of wags and kisses. He is very accepting and tolerant of all the wound care he is receiving. He is good with other dogs and would love to play. He is housebroken but is otherwise untrained although he is eager to please.

Silver will get all the medical attention he needs but what he really needs is a person or family who will love him, be kind to him, play with him and make him an important of their daily life. Silver needs a HOME. Silver will need to spend a while in foster care until he is healed, but we want to start looking for his new people now so all will be ready when he can go home.

 

Silver continues to progress and thrive in his foster home. He has a healthy appetite, and now weighs in at 65 lbs (a far cry from the emaciated state upon his arrival in our care - there was not much to him, just skin and bones). His physical wounds have completely healed, and his fitness level has improved dramatically. He enjoys one to two hour hikes in the woods. He loves playing on the beach with other dogs. He is an extremely athletic boy, who can easily clear 3 ft logs while he is running!

He now has good recall, so we are able to walk him off leash. When he is walked in the streets, he heels beautifully, not pulling on the leash and staying close to his handler’s left side. He loves to meet other dogs and people on our walks, greeting them with his tail wagging and what appears to be a big smile! In the house he is a total snuggler - he likes nothing more than stretching out on the couch, resting his chest/head on his foster Mom’s lap. Except during ‘play times’ he is quiet in the house and enjoys resting near his foster Mom. He sleeps through the night, without making a sound (he sleeps on a dog bed on the floor of a bedroom, which is shared by his human foster and one other dog).

Silver is ready for placement in his forever home. He will need an experienced companion, who is active, and can have him with them much of the day. He would do well in agility or rally classes - he is extremely smart and learns easily. Silver gets along well with other dogs, but can become overly exuberant with his play (his foster then calls him to her, calms him down and then allows him to resume play). He has shown some territorial behaviours with the female dog he currently lives with, but this has been improving weekly with training. He bonds well with humans, and is fine with meeting other canines on walks/outings for play. He has had limited exposure to children, but on the few occasions when we have encountered them he has been gentle and accepting of their pats. A household with small children might not be best, as he is a large dog and could easily knock over smaller kids while he is playing.