*Winston

About *Winston

After 4 months in foster with two adults the foster reports: What makes your foster delightful/special? All of him! Winston has had a special place in my heart since I was volunteering as a dog walker. I knew we had to foster him! He is generally a super easygoing guy, affectionate, and also has some silly traits that make me and my husband laugh. He is the first dog we have had in our home, and he has made it so easy. In addition to being a pretty chill guy, he is very loving. I love sitting next to him while he leans his head in my lap. Every once in awhile, he has some rare old man zoomies that are pretty funny.Cute things your foster does that could be endearing, or a personality point that would make people want to meet him/her? -A lot of times when you walk past him lying down, he will flop over and look at you almost saying `you cannot pass without petting me`. Same thing when I am sitting on the couch, he leans his head over for pets and will stare at me until I pet him.-When he is excited, he lets out a scream yawn which makes me cackle.-If there are loud sirens nearby, he will howl with them and it may be the cutest thing I've ever seen.-He does `gentleman mode` where he crosses his front paws lying down.-He is so good around people!! What kinds of routines and activities does your foster like most? Winston loves his walks, and it is the first thing we do in the morning. He really likes sniffing around and taking nice strolls. He also loves anything food related. He enjoys food enrichment (frozen licky mats, shredding cardboard to get kibble, NoseWork, etc..), training with treats, and bully sticks. He is not super toy motivated, but very food motivated. He also likes his relaxation time. In between walks, watching a movie, in a meeting...he will curl up right next to me in his bed.Is your foster potty trained? Crate trained? Are you able to leave them loose in the house and/or the yard alone?Winston is potty trained/housebroken and crate trained. We do not have a yard, so we are unsure about leaving him in one. When we leave, normally we put him in his crate, so we have not tested him loose in the house for more than 10min. He has not been destructive, and has not had accidents in the house so I think he would be ok! However, he does very well in the crate so we just use that. Is the dog vocal, quiet, or in between?Winston is generally a quiet guy! When he is excited for a walk, sometimes he lets out cute whines or `scream yawns`, but otherwise he is pretty quiet!Describe the dog’s behavior on a leash.In our neighborhood, Winston generally walks very well on leash! He will rarely pull, and most the time walks loose leash or right next to me. In new places where he is more excited, he can pull some, but it is nothing crazy. What help does your foster require? Winston needs some help getting used to other dogs! When some dogs are too close or surprise him, he has gotten growly/some barking. He has made progress through desensitization and place training at the park. When he looks at a dog from a distance, he gets a treat! He is doing great with this, and we have seen progress with consistency and patience.We are also working with the Vet team to understand Winston's limp that is likely due to an injury he had prior to entering the shelter. He came in with a healed hip fracture and has a slight limp in his walk. With the Vets office, we are trying some medications to see if that helps his limp. Did your foster interact with any other dogs/cat/other animals? How did the interactions go? Winston has not interacted with any cats, so we do not know how he would do around them. Winston seems to prefer not to interact with dogs, so we try to respect his boundaries. How social is your foster with new people?He is great with new people! He has met strangers while on our walks and loves to go up and get some pets and sniffs with a wagging tail. He has also met strangers in our home. We just had two additional people stay at our home over the weekend that Winston met for the first time and he did great! I have never seen Winston have a negative interaction with a person, he loves humans (new and known). With known people? Very similar as above, he loves people. He gets gets all cute and wiggly when he sees my friends that he has met before. After he has had his fill of pets, he will go back and lie down on his bed. Has your foster met any children and if so what ages? What was the dog's reaction?He has met VolunTeens at the shelter and has done well! He has only met one kiddo out and about. He wanted to sniff them mostly. He likes sniffing/licking peoples faces, so I would just be aware of that for kids that are face level. At the park, he is not bothered by kids of all ages running past us or kids on scooters/bikes.Describe THE ideal home for your foster?Winston is a chill `older` guy, so he would do well with someone that understands he isn't a high energy dog. A home that can give him casual walks, love/attention, and structure would be great for him. He will likely need to be the only dog in the home, and perhaps someone who can give him the support he needs to continue his training in understanding that dogs can be ok! @haleys_hotdogs Winston (A871844) was in the shelter for 237 days. As a volunteer, I got really close to Winston. He was always my favorite to walk and spend time with… so my husband and I decided to foster him. He came in as a stray and no information, so we wanted to get to know him outside of the shelter and give him a quiet/safe space. He has now been in foster with us for 50 days. Winston has been amazing in our home. He is a pretty lowkey gentleman. Just like at the shelter, he loves being near people, getting pets, snuggles, and kisses. He loves going out for walks and sniffing the fresh air and then sitting next to you at home after. Winston is looking for his forever home and he will make his family feel deeply loved. More info on Winston: https://animalservices.venturacounty.gov/viewan-2/?ida=A871844. #adoptme #rescuedog #germanshepherd #dogsoftiktok #ventura ? TO BUILD A HOME - Estef Berm?dez