This big, handsome, Doberboy came to us from the home of loving parents where he had gone when their son had to move and couldn’t take him. (The son had been living with friends in different places, and the last move was to a home without a fence, so he was going to take the dog to the shelter.) The parents had a lot on their plate already but didn’t want the dog to go to a shelter, so they kept him and tried to make it all work.
Here’s how they describe it: “Sutler belonged to my son, who had to move out of his previous living space and did not have a way to keep him. He was such a good-tempered dog, that we decided to keep him for a time and try to get his allergies under control to make him more adoptable. (What they thought were allergies turned out to be bacterial and fungal skin infections which have since been treated with antibiotics. ed.) But we are fostering three young children and are active in our communities. As a result, he ended up spending a lot of time in his crate. He’s a great dog, but we don‘t have a lifestyle conducive to having a large dog. We never intended to keep him, but did want to get him on the right track health wise before trying to get him adopted.”
Carol add to that with these observations: “He’s handsome as can be and just as sweet. He takes meds for seizures which are controlled for the most part with the medicine.”
From everything we can tell so far, this is a loving, responsive, interactive, good-natured Dober who is eager to please and really glad to be out of the crate and doing things again. He pulls on leash due to the fact that the son had trained the dog to pull him on his skate board, so basically he thinks he is a sled dog!
He’s a bit overweight, but exercise and diet will shed a few pounds, and his meds keep the seizures from being an issue. (While infrequent, this is not unheard of. One of my Dobers had infrequent seizures all his life, and he lived happily and actively to the age of 14!)
Observations from our volunteers:
“Sutler is the latest gentle giant to call DRT his home. He has a laid-back personality that makes him such a likeable fellow. He’s definitely a favorite of the staff, as he is a pretty low-maintenance Dobe. I was very impressed with his temperament this past weekend when he got what I would call his "deep cleaning initiation" into DRT. There were three volunteers working on getting his ears cleaned out, and he remained calm and trusting the entire time despite all the poking and prodding. I think he will absolutely thrive as a companion rather than as just a pet.”
“We did walk and interact with Sutler, and he is as sweet as can be - kisses as soon as you meet him. He likes to put his head in your lap right away, and is looking for affection. Growing up with a boy made him used to some playful roughhousing. He will need more leash training, because as Carol mentioned, he was used to pulling the skate board and pulls on the leash because of it. Although it gets better when he tires out a bit. Some good, frequent walks will fix that and will get a couple off pounds of him, which he can lose to make him even more handsome.”
“Sutler is a dog provisioned to bring his new family countless happy moments during their journey together in an easy package. He is past his puppy years, with an abundance of life and love to devote to his new family. The first time I met him, he without hesitation greeted me with several friendly kisses, then unobtrusively stood by waiting to see what was next. He also greeted my husband with sweet kisses and placed his head in the lap, waiting patiently for the return. He is a non-fussy, alert-and-relaxed, well-dispositioned Dobie. And HANDSOME when he smiles. He grew up w/a boy, so probably has some rough-and-tumble hiding in him, and needs some leash work. But past that, this is a non-ruffled, balanced, good-tempered dog that likes humans, other dogs, and cats alike. Easy-peasy!”
If your heart and home are large enough for this big boy, make an appoint to meet him once your application is approved, and come see in person what a terrific fellow he is.
The California Gold Rush began when gold was found on the property of a man named Sutter. The name may be slightly different, but we suspect you’ll “strike gold” too, if you decide to make Sutler a part of your family.
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