Berney

Berney is a super sweet, happy-go-lucky pocket pittie pup about 27 lbs light and less than a year old. He is neutered, UTD on all vaccines, and is sure to brighten every day you spend with him. Berney came from the euthanasia list at a dangerous shelter, and went through a major heart surgery recently. Berney currently lives with his foster mom, and is super sweet and happy with her. He has met lots of other people, and while he can be a bit bashful at first, he is friendly with everyone, especially if cuddles and treats are involved. He has briefly met a few kids, and was curious and happy to make small friends. Berney came to Strong Paws with a heart murmur. He saw a cardiologist and was diagnosed with pulmonic stenosis. That means the valve from his heart to his lungs wasn’t functioning well. He has since had surgery and a balloon valvuloplasty, which opened that valve, and seems to have dramatically improved his heart’s functioning, but he is still taking atenolol for his heart. Cardiologist report came back great and he is expected to live a full life! Berney is in a foster home with two big dogs. He loves to play, wrestle, and cuddle with his big foster brother, and he understands that his senior foster sister doesn’t really want to play with him. Berney has met other dogs of all sizes on walks, and is always happy to make new friends. He has silly puppy energy, so gets along with just about any other dog that likes to wag, wiggle, and maybe even wrestle. Berney has spent time with two different cats. He is friendly and means well, but may be a little more curious and playful than some cats would appreciate. He could do well with cats that are confident around dogs, but would still benefit from supervision and guidance as he learns a cat’s boundaries. Berney rides well in the car, asking for attention at times but settling down pretty quickly. He did get carsick once, but seems to be getting used to riding. Berney prefers to potty outside, but since he’s still a puppy, he needs a good routine with regular potty breaks each day to make sure he doesn’t have accidents. He’s doing a really good job with potty training, just needs a consistent routine to keep up the good work. In his foster home, Berney is kenneled overnight and whenever his foster mom can’t supervise him. Lately, as he recovers from surgery, he’s had to spend a lot of extra time in the kennel. If he’s really bored, or right when foster mom leaves for work, he can be vocal and bark in his kennel, but if he’s had a good play time and has a snack or chew toy to work on, he does great settling down in his kennel. He occasionally has had potty accidents in the crate, mostly when foster mom is working long hours away from home. Due to Berney's condition, he can be exercised moderately. He has two main modes - couch potato mode and wiggly goofball mode. He spends A LOT of time in couch potato mode, and his foster mom thinks he overall has lower energy than most pups his age. But that being said, when he’s in puppy goofball mode, he’s super wiggly! He loves to prance and explore on walks, and then play wrestle his doggy foster brother, or do zoomies through the apartment. Out of concern for Berney’s heart, his foster mom tries not to push him and instead let him set his own limits for exercise and playtime. She usually just takes him on short 1-2 block walks, and then afterwards, let him have playtime in the apartment until he decides he’s tired. He’ll spend another maybe 10-20 minutes wrestling, zooming, zooming, or being wiggly after the short walks, and then usually settles back into couch potato mode. Don't think that couch potato Berney is just sleeping though! He loves to cuddle and work on a chew toy, and even if he is napping, he makes sure he's napping right by your side! Berney’s favorite activities are cuddling with his person and playing with other dogs. He does also appreciate a good chew toy, plush toy, or any sort of puzzle involving food! On walks, he loves to find treasures (mostly pinecones but sometimes sticks) and carry them around proudly. Berney is enthusiastic about walks, and does pull on the leash. But he recently learned “sit” and practicing that on walks is helping him to focus a little more on the human walking with him, and a little less on zooming around the block looking for pinecones to chew on. Berney is an adventurous foodie, and loves trying new foods. Of course he loves classic doggy treats like peanut butter and hot dogs, but he also likes blueberries and vanilla ice cream! That being said, he mostly eats dry kibble, and he likes that a lot too! Despite the obstacles he’s faced, or maybe because he’s so overjoyed to have overcome those obstacles, Berney is just the goofiest, happiest pup you can imagine. His heart is a little bigger than the average dog’s, but he makes the most of it by giving lots of love to anyone lucky enough to be part of his family! **Please apply to adopt Berney on our website: www.strongpawsrescue.org**