Flea needs a foster home!
Flea has been with Dogs of the 9th Ward since July, 2010. He has now been treated for heartworms, fully vetted, and is ready to go! Flea is a really fun boy who just needs work on his manners so that he can be a great dog. Flea was found by a group of high school students from New Jersey who were volunteering in the Lower 9th Ward. He was extremely underweight, had a bad skin infection, and heartworms. He was still extremely friendly with people and just wanted to be loved. Flea adores people and is good with most dogs.
About Flea
Basic info:
- Breed: pit bull
- Sex: male
- Age: adult,about 3.5-4 years
- Weight: 55 pounds
- Coat type: short
- Coloring: white with black spots
- Type of intake: abandoned (abuse/neglect)
- Location: Lower 9th Ward
Overall Personality:
- with adults: extremely friendly and excited
- with children: great, but might be too excitable for small children
- with other dogs: dominant but friendly. Good with some dogs, not so good with others.
- with cats: not good (wants to chase them)
Energy and exercise requirements:
- Activity level: active to very active
- Exercise requirements: a walk or play time will be fine
- Good running/jogging partner?: yes, excellent -- loves to run and is very well-behaved on runs
- Good dog park candidate: probably not
- Good doggy day care candidate: probably not
Behavioral in certain situations:
- in cars: good
- in the house: good, but gets overly excited about things like people coming to visit, etc.
- house training: house trained
- crate trained?: yes
- leash trained?: pulls on leash
- in kenneling/boarding situations: does well
- at the vet: does extremely well
History of aggressive, possessive, or territorial behavior:
- ever shown any aggression?: never towards people, but minor aggression towards some dogs and cats
- possessive of food: no
- possessive of toys: slightly with other dogs
- territorial/protective of house/yard: good watch dog, but loves everyone once they're allowed in the house
More detailed behavior with other dogs:
- play style: very rough
- over all: friendly but dominant. Does best with submissive females. Flea would do well as an only dog or with a compatible playmate.
- dominance level: dominant
- any behavioral issues with other dogs: dominance aggression, humping
More detailed behavior with cats:
- chases cats?: yes
- aggressive towards cats?: unknown
- playful with cats?: no
- rough with cats?: probably
Health:
- current health conditions: already treated for heartworms, skin infection, and malnutrition
- long-term health concerns: Flea's teeth have significant tartar and may need to be professionally cleaned in the future
Training/behavioral issues:
- behavioral issues: dominance with dogs, over excitability
- areas of training that need work: basic manners, self-control when excited
- chews on inappropriate objects?: no, but might if left unsupervised
- digs in the yard?: yes
- pulls on leash?: yes -- needs a lot of work on this and an owner who can control him
- jumps up on people?: yes, when excited
- mouths/nips at people?: occasionally but improving
- urinates/marks things?: no
Any special adoption criteria: Flea is not a good match for families with cats, dominant dogs, or small children. Experience with pits or similar breed dogs is required.
Please contact D9adoptions@gmail.com for more information or call 504.222.3686.
