Johnny

 Johnny was adopted in May 2016 by his besotted foster family.  Here’s their note:  Well the good news is Johnny is a darling and lovely dog with an amazing attitude and temperament we rarely see.

The not so good news is that Johnny doesn’t have cataracts and therefore there is nothing to be done that can restore or improve what sight he has left.

The best news is we are officially adopting him. We’ve foster many a dog over the years and have never kept a one. This time, we can’t and won’t let this amazing dog get away.

Here’s Johnny!

Wow, isn’t he absolutely gorgeous?! He is supposed to be 8 years old, but based on how playful he is we have to believe he may be a little younger. He is playful, gentle and as handsome as they come.

Johnny is listed as Special Needs because he has severe cataracts. He is blind for the most part, yet he can see shadows therefore is a PRO at getting around. He does not run into walls or furniture, and is careful about approaching staircases.

We are told that cataract repair surgery may be an option for him, though, as he is in seemingly perfect health otherwise.

Johnny came to us with a perineal hernia so we had that repaired 8 weeks ago. (read about that below) He is recovering nicely and is working on growing his hair back but it is a slow process.

The foster home is working on teaching him important commands (important for his safety) such as ‘easy’, ‘wait’, ‘back’, ‘this way’, etc..

Johnny walks nicely on a leash, takes treats very gently and crates very well. The other day on our walk he saw a couple of squirrels scampering across the road and wanted to chase them. So he does have some sight ability. German Shepherds are smarter than smart!

We are asking for a quiet home for Mr Johnny, with no children. Surprises, hugs and a lot of chaos are difficult to handle when you can’t see what is going on.

Another dog in the home is fine, as long as he/she is kind to him.  Johnny is very gentle with other dogs and loves to be near them, as you can see from his photo, but is easily pushed around due to his vision disability so we do not want him to go to a home with a dominant acting dog.

Johnny has a lot of love and probably a lot of years left to give to some lucky person, so apply to adopt Johnny today!

Johnny’s foster mom reports that he is spunkier, happier, more playful and acting like a loved dog should act since I’ve had him. He found the toy basket and picks out toys to play with. He seems to prefer the red ones. Maybe he can see them better? Even the red squeaky ball – if he drops it and it rolls down the hallway he is able to follow it and catch it.

He takes stairs like a pro. You would never guess that he is as sight impaired as he is. If I move too fast (which I often do) he is right on my heels, and sometimes he hits walls and things trying to keep up with me, but besides that is is a rockstar at figuring out where to go.  He is letting me pet him pretty much all over now without flinching. Up until now I always had to start with his face/head then could pet his body. Now I can reach down and touch his back, etc and he doesn’t flinch.

He nosed his way around the den and found the couch and jumped right up there. (see the photo proof above…). That really makes me think he has been in a home before.

We tried to do basic commands but he is clueless so apparently that is new territory. He takes treats very, very gently and he does not jump up on you, so those things seem to have been taught.   We are working on basic obedience and he’s catching on like a champ as all smart GSDs can do!

So progress wise – he seems to feel so very much better.