Bucky (ADOPTED!) is 2.5 years old, and weighs 50 lbs. He is a happy, playful, even tempered, calm, super affectionate guy. He has been great with all dogs and people he has met. Bucky is happy to meet new people and be petted by strangers. He greets men and women with equal enthusiasm.
Having the cattle dog velcro nature, he loves being near his person/people, and he can always be found him hanging out within 5 to 10 feet of one of someone. He loves cuddling with his people, getting belly rubs and being petted. When his fosters are watching TV, he will often crawl between them for petting and stay there for hours. He likes to lick your hand or arm as you pet him to return the favor.
When you walk in the door, he comes running over to greet you, tail wagging, but does NOT jump up on you. Also, he has NOT shown any tendency to nip at heels or feet. We have not yet seen him around any children or cats.
When meeting other dogs, Bucky has always been well mannered and appropriate. He does the normal circling and sniffing meet and greet, in a relaxed and polite way. After a minute, he may invite the other dog to play by wagging his tail, and taking a playful stance. He and his cattle dog foster sister play quite a bit everyday. Also, while visiting two dog neighbors, they all played well and even took naps together. Bucky loves to play tug with rope or stuffed toys with another dog or a human.
Our happy boy likes chew toys, bully sticks. He only chews his toys/treats, and does not touch household items. Bucky likes to carry a chew toy around the house, and will frequently drop it in front of you, to invite you to play with him. He also enjoys fetching, both, stuffed squeaky toys and balls. He will retrieve and drop them at your feet.
Bucky is a moderate energy guy, who is fine self entertaining with toys, or relaxing on the couch, the floor, or in a dog bed when inside. However, he does not like being in a crate and tries to avoid it completely, especially if people, who could shut the door on him, are nearby.
Bucky is completely housebroken. He does know several commands (sit, down, come, stay, stay back), is very smart, attentive and learns quickly. Bucky is also very eager to please, and is quick to respond when you ask him to do something. He will heed you if told to “Stay back,” accompanied by a hand signal. He has not tried to bolt through the door or gate.
Bucky generally has very good manners in the house. The only time he ever leaps up in the house is when he is panicked about being leashed. Once, he did take a hunk of freshly grilled steak off the counter after humans placed it there and left the room. Clearly they didn’t want it, right?! When at a park, if you stop and sit on a bench or picnic table, Bucky will hop up and sit next to you. If there is a bench seat situation in the house, he will do the same. Very sweet, actually.
He adores treats, and can get a bit too exuberant and mouthy with delicious high value treats. Bucky needs to learn to be gentle with his teeth when being given very tasty food. He does NOT resource guard or have any issues with food while near other dogs or people.
We were told that Bucky’s original person worked with him using punishment based correction measures, and that our boy may not have received the TLC that he craved. This has helped us to understand the root of some anxieties he has in various situations.
From his past life he developed anxieties about leash walks and busy streets. He is very nervous and overly stimulated in anticipation of a walk, and getting out the door can be a challenge. When his fosters begin leashing him, he will bark, spin in circles, and lunge at the door. Once out of the house, he will bark during the first 30-40 feet, and then settle down and be fine. We were told that his original owner used a prong collar on him. We believe that he is associating the act of being leashed, with pain and negative treatment he experienced on walks when he was a pup.
Once his initial anxiety about getting out the door has passed, Bucky is calm and happy walking in quiet, calm areas or at the beach. He will walk easily at your side, about a step or two behind you. Once he bonds with his new people he will likely be fine off-leash, as long as he is in a calm environment. He has done very well hiking on trails in the woods, and at a beach. However, he is a nervous wreck in busy/high traffic, urban areas. When crossing busy intersections or anyplace with a lot of moving cars, he becomes highly stressed, and will wildly leap straight up, trying to grab and bite through the leash. Once he is out of the busy traffic scene, Bucky quickly settles again.
Currently, his fosters are avoiding any such situations that overstimulate him or cause him to become anxious. In just a few weeks, without the daily dread of being taken into a situation that triggers his panic, he has mellowed quite a bit more.
As with many rescue dogs during the first several weeks, Bucky was upset for the first few minutes, when people left the house for work. Very recently he seemed to figure out the family routines, and his separation anxiety has subsided quite a bit. Now, he doesn’t react at all when people leave for work.
Bucky will need experienced cattle dog adopters who can understand and eventually help him work through his anxieties about leash walks, and being in high traffic areas. We believe that he needs a home situation where he can avoid these stressful situations, at least for awhile, to help extinguish his panic in these situations. We would urge his new people to consult with a professional (positive only) trainer to get started in the right direction. Since being leashed is a challenge for him, Bucky will need a home with a yard to allow him to go out to do his dog business without being on leash. He would love a home with access to a large yard or property, where he can run, play, and enjoy the outdoors. He has potential to be a great frisbee and ball fetcher.
If you If you are interested in meeting Bucky, please begin by completing our adoption form, by clicking on the "Adopt" option, above, near the top of our home page, or use this link http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. Please download and print the form to be completed. If you have questions, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a message at (707) 583-9583.
