Teddy, who is about 3.5years old, has been with the rescue for a little while, healing from his prior life and being treated for heartworm disease. He is well on his way to recovery now and so here he is!! Teddy was found wandering on a major highway in the south, in shock, injured and bleeding. He was literally rescued from that situation by someone who worked at the local shelter. She knew why he was there-he had most likely been a bait dog in a local dog fighting ring and she felt that he was simply allowed to wander off to die. Fortunately for Teddy and his future family,he found his way to his angel and she had him seen by a vet who took care of his injuries and began his heartworm treatment. He went home with this lovely lady to await the day when he was well enough to come north to rescue. She kept him safe, even when the original owner came to the shelter looking to get him back-no way that was happening! The first four pictures on his page are from that time. When we saw him, we knew we had to save him and get him to a place where he would be safe forever.
Fast forward to today! Teddy is now healed in body, mind and spirit and little remains of the sad, dejected and hurt boy who first arrived in our rescue. The one thing that seems to remain in his psyche from that time is his fear of most other big dogs. If the story about his beginnings is true, it is not surprising that he is unsure of another dog. It is for that reason that we feel Teddy would be most comfortable as an only dog in his new home. Teddy is a big guy. In those first photographs, he weighed about 75 pounds but was quite thin. He now weighs between 90 and 95 pounds and I think his two favorite things are breakfast and dinner!! He's not fussy! Most anything is good with Ted as long as it's food. He has very few upper teeth. We are not sure if they are worn down, or as is common in bait dogs, they have been deliberately ground down. He has no trouble eating kibble even with few teeth, but he cannot manage a hard treat like a milkbone and instead, he gets cheese or liverwurst or a soft dog treat-all of which he simply adores!! Teddy loves his crate! He will lay down in it when he wants to nap and sleeps all night in it. He is the most securely house-trained dog that I have ever fostered. Never an accident of any kind and when I say that it's time to go out, off he goes happily to take care of his needs. Teddy would be best suited to a family where someone is home for part of the day or where folks work opposite shifts or perhaps part-time. His dream would be someone who is retired or doesn't work more than a few hours. I have not been able to expose him to children, but he is a gentle soul and I do think with supervision and guidance (for both dog and child) he would be fine with children who are older than 5 years of age.