Ricky Lee-adopted

Ricky Lee, a 4 year old mix, is looking for that special someone to give him a safe, loving home. Ricky came from Arkansas 2.5 years ago as a foster, and was adopted by his foster family who found him to special to give up. Since then, a baby has joined the household and Ricky is having a hard time feeling comfortable with an active toddler. At the recommendation of the family vet, Ricky Lee needs a home without children to be happiest.

Ricky had a very tough start to life, and when he came to Maine, he had never been inside a home or had a family of his own. He was terrified of stairs, cars, doorways, vacuums - you name it! The end of his tail was actually worn off from being confined in a too-small, concrete enclosure for too long. Ricky made rapid progress and found himself incredibly happy to have a family of his own.

Ricky Lee is funny, loving, silly, and sweet. He is also easily frightened, will never respond to sharp discipline, is still nervous of leashes, and wary of strangers and noisy crowds. He greets each day with incredible enthusiasm, and is a loving companion. He is at his happiest when the house is quiet; he has a warm bed, and some nice pats.

Ricky is: a homebody, a lover, happy eater, will alert you to any intruders, nervous of new things, curious, lazy, and protective of his loved ones. Ricky is NOT an animal for an inexperienced dog owner, a young family, an active lifestyle, or frequent traveler. He needs space to explore and exercise, but does need help staying safe. He does best with a fenced yard or underground 'invisible' fence (he has one now). He feels safest with an adult woman as his primary caretaker, though he has bonded well with both adults in his current house. He always wants to be nearby! Ricky is used to having someone with him, as he is in the enviable position of having owners who work from home. He is happy to lounge on his bed for much of the day – a real couch potato if left to his own devices.

He currently lives with another dog. Ricky should meet any resident dogs in a potential new home before an adoption. Ricky is great friends with cats – both in his current home and 'daycare'. Ricky Lee is mainly white with tan ears and is a lean 45 pounds on his medium height frame.

Ricky is an endearing dog, and will make a steadfast companion for the right owner. Ricky Lee comes with a solid 2+ year health history, excellent care, and has a current owner that is happy to talk in detail about all his quirks.

Ricky's previous listing:

Ricky is a small shep mix, maybe Aussie, only about 40lbs, 2 years old and he arrived on 2/10: This is what his foster Mom has to say so far:

This dog is heartbreakingly sweet and gentle. He’s led a very “sheltered” life so far (he has been in a shelter for a full year or more), and everyday domestic things are clearly very new to him. For example, reflective surfaces interest him (he’s gazed at himself more than once in the oven door) and he doesn’t seem to know what to do with stairs (he’s flummoxed by the two leading to our door, but we’re working on his fear of going up and down). He’s very willing and able to learn, though, and is clearly enjoying the comforts of being clean and warm and having his own bed and bone and getting lots of affection and having space to stretch out in.

It’s a real pleasure seeing him begin to relax more as he becomes familiar with his new surroundings and realizes he can trust us to be kind, and his tail is now more often out from between his legs and wagging happily.

QUICK FACTS:

PERSONALITY: Exceedingly sweet, gentle, and polite. He has a tendency to be timid but is beginning to relax more and absolutely soaks in whatever affection he’s given.

CRATING: He’s very comfortable in his crate and goes in at bedtime with no complaints.

HOUSE TRAINING: He’s begun learning how to “go potty” outdoors only, and is coming along nicely.

OTHER DOGS: He gets along very well with other dogs.

CATS: He shows absolutely no interest in our cats, only to gaze at them from across the room.

CHILDREN: We haven’t seen him with children, but he has shown absolutely no inclinations toward any behavior that would present a risk.

WALKING ON-LEASH: This is very new to him — at first, he cowered and flattened himself to the ground, but quickly started getting the hang of it and tenses up only if a car goes by or he’s startled by something. He’ll be getting a lot of practice in foster care.

TOYS: He loves chewing on his rawhide bone and tennis ball.

Won't you give sweet Ricky a new home he can call his own?

Poor Ricky, sweet as can be, and keeps getting a stay of execution because everyone just likes him so much. He lives to please. He loves people and gets along with the cats in the shelters office. He is about 2 years old and came from another shelter where they ran out of room and time for him. He loves all the dogs he has been penned with and has been a model prisoner. He is about 45# and we do not know if he would be good living with kids as his history is unknown. Because the shelter is so full, Rickys time is now very, very limited. His heartworm status is currently unknown.

Please apply quickly, time IS of the essence.

All known information is listed here. If it is not listed here, then we do not know if this animal is good with cats or kids. Before sending an inquiry, please read the How To Adopt Page & FAQ pages of our website. http:www.almosthomerescue.net. This dog is available unless it is marked as Pending. For PUPPIES: SEE BELOW

This dog is Urgent because the shelter it is in is in Arkansas and is overfull, therefore dogs and puppies alike are on the euthanasia list. Please do not ask local shelters to take this dog in, there are many reasons why they cannot. Please also do not send us nasty letters about why we euthanize, this is not our choice, we do not euthanize, but the shelters we work with do. We are a rescue and we pull as many of them as we have foster homes and funds for. We, like the shelter, do not have unlimited resources. Please, please: foster, adopt or sponsor a dog to help save their lives.