Ollie is a 4 year old, 50 lb. neutered male ACD/Terrier mix in Millsboro, DE
**Medical Needs:
None
**Housebroken:
Yes!
**Crate trained:
No, but loves being in his crate when it’s left open.
**Good in the car:
Kind of, he readily gets in and stays in the back without much effort to deter him from going up front, but whines constantly while driving. Ear plugs are helpful!
**Good on a leash:
Great on a leash with the prong collar.
**Energy level:
Low – Medium, spurts of energy ~2x/day
Need a fenced in yard: Probably not 100% needed, but encouraged. He’s used to having a backyard to run in when he gets the zoomies at ~5:30ish at night.
**Dog Friendly:
So far friendly with all dogs he’s been around, except one which had attacked him previously. Does not do well meeting dogs on leash though. Tends to like less energized dogs most. Doesn't seem to need another dog in the house to be happy.
**Cat Friendly:
No cats in the house, so unknown.
**Kid Friendly:
Not much experience with kids, but he plays kind of rough so I wouldn’t recommend any younger than a teenager. (13+)
**Special traits that make Ollie special or that you'd want to know about him?
Ollie is a solid companion pup. He’s loyal to his chosen person and will want to be around them, either curled at their feet or next to them on a couch. (Given the chance, he loves sitting in laps as well.) Be warned though, he isn’t much of a traditional cuddler unless he’s super sleepy (which is adorable).
He has some unique qualities that I haven’t seen in other dogs. One morning, he wouldn’t stop whining until someone noticed that the other pup in the house had an infected wound in her armpit – once Ollie knew this issue was noticed he immediately stopped whining. I thought this was especially caring and spoke to the character of the pup. Another unique moment was when a video of a purring cat laying on a chair was on the tv and Ollie wouldn’t stop staring at the cat. The other pup in the house didn’t seem to care about the cat, but Ollie was enthralled and eventually whined at it to play, which was cute.
Ollie has some typical “Good Boy” qualities as well- he’s enthusiastic to greet you at the door and when he’s in the mood (about twice a day), he loves playing tug of war, tearing up toys from hide-n-seek games, and play fighting, where he often turns into what’s affectionately known as “the donut.” (Seen in one of the pics below when he's between my legs.)
Being part terrier though, Ollie does have a stubborn streak. He knows many tricks, but if something catches his attention, he might not care to perform them. He is heavily food motivated though, so he can often be convinced to cooperate. He’s been trained on a prong collar and has some basic training with an ecollar as well. In the near future, he’ll be trained with a bark collar, which should help with the barking he does outside (and at times inside, he really doesn’t like to hear neighbor’s car doors).
It should be known that for the first year and a half of his life Ollie was brought up in an abusive home. He was subjected to yelling daily and was pinned down by a man on more than one occasion. He’s been out of that atmosphere for a good 2.5 years now, but still has some issues with men, which he typically expresses by barking at them when first meeting. He also, justifiably, has issues with being pinned down/his movements being constricted. He has never hurt anyone, but he will wiggle a lot and mouth at the hands moving him. He was also attacked by a dog once, which has left him more wary of dogs than he was prior, where he would just be friendly and walk up to them. (Poor pup has lived quite a hard life so far.)
With all that being said, Ollie is a sweet and loyal pup who deserves to have a family that gives him continuous love and attention. In his current home, he lacks the attention and time outside that he would benefit from most and as our lives continue to grow this will likely only get worse for the pup. Because of his need for more attention and time outside, I believe he would be an excellent companion for a retiree couple, someone who’s single working from home, or potentially a family with teenage kids. He might need a little bit of work, but believe me when I say, this pup is certainly a diamond in the “ruff!”
**Why am I rehoming such an amazing ACD mix?
I’m rehoming Ollie because of 2 main reasons:
1. Ollie’s current living situation isn’t ideal.
I don’t think his current living situation is as ideal as it could be. When I was single and living with my mom, Ollie had access to a doggie door w/ a fenced in yard, another pup to play with (Lily, a 65lb lab), and he would snuggle with me each night on the bed. My circumstances have changed, I live in a suburb now with my fiancée, which is great for me! But this means Ollie no longer has access to a doggie door or nightly snuggles (neither of which will change in the future). He also lost access to his dog buddy (which I don’t think he’s that sad about, but sometimes I think he might be. They see each other about twice a month now.) I feel like I haven’t been able to allot enough attention to him either.
2. Possibility of kids in the future.
I already don’t feel like I have enough time for Ollie, and that will reduce further if my fiancée and I decide to have children.
I also need time to be unattached for soul searching. I’d like to have some time unattached to a dependent to do some soul searching to see if I want to have kids. Some people can do this and have pets, some people can’t and I have tried and I can’t. Ollie takes up time from my day and while I love the pup dearly, I feel like this is something I need to do. I’m 90% sure we’ll go the kids route anyway and I would like to have Ollie settled with a new family prior to hormone craziness too.
**What am I looking for when it comes to potential adopters?
Someone who will have the time to pay attention to the pup, who understands the pros and cons of having an ACD/ACD mix. They're not for everyone, but they can be highly rewarding dogs to have around. I know when I was single and had the time to care for the pup, it was one of the most rewarding pet/owner relationships I've experienced. I hope someone else can have such a magnificent bond with this pup too.
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