YETI (a.k.a. Pax)
Yeti (ADOPTED!), is a very loving, easy going, old soul, who wants nothing more than a quiet, calm home and his very own person. He is approximately 5 years old, weighs 90 lbs., and is just a big marshmallow. While he meets all people well, he seems to gravitate to women. He will choose his person, probably a female, and want to hang out near her, often following her from room to room. Yeti adores human attention and being petted and stroked. Sometimes if you are stroking him and then stop, he may use his mouth to take your hand and pull it back to tell you to continue petting him. Other times he is happy to quietly hang out on his own and rest in a preferred small space. Yeti is polite and friendly when meeting new people on the street, and meeting new dogs. He is curious about other dogs, and will meet and sniff them politely. Although he prefers the company of his people and receiving human attention, he is good around dogs, who are polite and not actively in his face or constantly running around or past him. He may avoid pushy dogs who rush up to him, or if they run past him, he may try to interfere as they pass, to make them stop. He wants to keep the peace.
Yeti is completely house-trained. When on leash, he walks nicely at your side and never pulls. He is very compliant and will try to do the right thing if you let him know what you want. Yeti is also extremely smart. When he was first fed alongside another dog, he tried to go to the other dog's bowl. When his foster gently touched his neck and told him to go back to his own bowl, he listened and returned to his own food. From that one time, he learned not to wander to the other dog’s bowl. If you tell him No, when he is showing unwanted behavior, he will stop immediately and come to you. After just two days in a temporary foster home, when a man he did not know entered the house on his own, and Yeti heard a strange voice, he immediately ran out and barked at that person. When his foster mom told him No, he stopped barking and turned towards her. He would be a great watch dog. We have not yet seen him around cats. Because he is easily stressed by fast and unpredictable movements, we do NOT recommend him in a home with young children.
Our boy was found as a stray by animal control officers. Based on the occurrences that trigger his fear and his watchful caution, we can guess how he was likely treated in his past life, and how he came to be stray. He is completely terrified when riding in a car and wants to lie up against a person with his head buried under your arm, or over someone’s lap for security. He will go into the car willingly, but once the car begins to move, he will tremble, drool, hyperventilate, and his heart will almost beat out of his chest. His extreme fear when in a moving car leads us to believe that he was likely driven somewhere and dumped. Anyone driving him, should have a second person in the car, as he feels the need to hug or be up against someone during a drive. The fur along the very tips of his ears has been eaten away by flies or cut away for some reason. At night, Yeti likes to have some light, and will go to a lit area or a night light. If he can, he will place himself in small protected spaces, such as a closet, laundry room, or a protected corner of a room.
Yeti will react when people reach to grab his collar, by resisting and struggling. However, if you simply attach a leash to his collar, he will easily come with you, even if he doesn’t want to. He is very quiet 98 percent of the time. We have only heard him bark on a few occasions when he was startled, and for a split second, scared for his own personal safety, and the other was the incident when a strange man let himself into the house.
The two times a startle reaction was triggered in him, that it was triggered by a man. During all other times, when he feels happy and secure. Yeti will be immediately more comfortable and trusting when meeting women. He is calm, but watchful when first meeting men. After a day or so of observation, he will begin to trust and relax around a man. He would love to be an only dog, and have all the love and attention of his person. He would also be good with another easy going, lower energy, female dog. He is mostly indifferent with a male dog in the house, but tries to control the movements of his submissive foster brother.
In summary, this dog has a wonderful, loving and gentle spirit, but has seen some hardship and trauma in his past. His adopter(s) will need to be aware of his desire to police male dogs and strange men in the home, and to teach him some basic rules. He will quickly obey his person.