Donovan

In April 2004, Donovan, who was only about 9 months old then, was stranded by one of the infamous flooded creeks in rural northeastern Kentucky. ENTER a compassionate couple across the flooded creek. Since Donovan could not cross the high water to safety or food, this considerate couple diligently threw vittles across the creek to him until the water receded; and, of course, he had plenty of available water albeit probably contaminated in these "har hills." Upon trying to coax Donovan across the creek after the flooding subsided, they discovered what a timid boy they were trying to befriend. After "capturing" this scared fellow and trying to locate his "owner" for a couple of weeks, they took him to the local shelter in hopes his owners would find him there. As is typical in the Appalachian region, no one was looking for this little fella. In addition, he did not attract any adoption interest in the pound because of his stand-offish behavior with the few shelter visitors--all of whom were probably looking for instant gratification from a dog. Like so many offspring of indiscriminate breeding (one-of-a-kind mixed breeds AKA designer dogs) in Appalachia who never get any human interaction because they are unwanted and uncared for, Donovan did not know how to relate to human affection--consistently playing keep away (coming up close, then backing off). ENTER foster mom. His foster mom pulled him from the pound and worked with him over several months to try to assure him that it is okay to touch and be hugged and otherwise loved by people. But progress was not really made until she "captured" him and forced him to sleep in bed with her for about a week. "Force" had to be used for about two nights. Then, he started overtly making himself available to be picked up and taken to bed. Within days, he had worked up the nerve to crawl from the far bottom corner of the bed to the top of the bed and put his head on the pillow next to his foster mom. With that momumental progress, his foster mom started seeing spots before her eyes all day long...because of his newly self-appointed position as her 24/7 velcro dog. It is a good thing that Donovan is just as happy sleeping on a plump pillow beside the bed because there are so many "special needs" dogs who occupy the king size, overcrowded bed with her. He has made it very clear, however, that sleeping in the bedroom with his person/people is a must. You would never know at this point that he had been so timid and scared of people. Though he still likes to play with other dogs, this wonderful boy would now even forego having canine playmates just to have lots of love and affection from people. In addition to being an important safety tool (sit, stay, etc.), basic obedience training greatly enhances the human-canine bonding process and should be undertaken as soon as Donovan goes into his permanent home. While Donovan has the appealing freckles and spotting of a Dalmatian and the cute, smaller size of a Terrier or Beagle, he has none of the typical rowdiness of any of these three breeds. He is a very laid back and quiet little fella though his facial expressions loudly speak volumes. And he smiles with his whole face just like hound breeds do except that HIS smile looks like the guy in the TV ad who is gargling Listerine for 60 seconds. When he was neutered 5/13/04 at 9 months of age, he weighed 28.7 lbs. Fully grown at just slightly over a year of age (though he officially will be a puppy until 2 years of age), he weighed 36.6 lbs. 10/4/04, stands 19" tall at the top of his shoulders, and measures 17" long from the base of his neck to the base of his tail. Maybe this handsome fella is not "small," but he just looks too small to categorize him as a "medium" sized dog. Donovan gets along fine with all the dogs (ranging from 5 to 85 lbs.) and the cats in his foster home. He would be fine with considerate children of elementary school age but probably would have to be taught how to play ball and other games because he seems more into loving and lounging than playing. But obedience training will lay the groundwork for all of this, as well as to make him comfortable walking on a leash. He is not leash walked in his foster home which includes 9 acres which are securely fenced because his foster mom is not only too busy but dumb when it comes to obedience training. When she took him to the vet for a current weight on 10/4/04, she bought him a small, plain hamburger (AKA bribe) which usually buys a dog's soul...but not Donovan, who was probably worried she might be taking him somewhere to dump him. Rather than struggle with him on a leash, his poor ole 62 yr old foster mom just carried him into the vet's office to get a weight. Donovan has come a long way and will progress even faster when he is adopted into a one-on-one situation with a family eager to work with him to reap the reward of his love and trust. Donovan has been heartworm tested, started on heartworm preventative, vaccinated, and neutered in readiness for his new home and new life. Be sure to check out the 3 additional photos of Donovan on the other listing for him on this site. This dog is being fostered in Kentucky. For more information, please call Kim Perry at (606) 638-0512.