Rescued Male Kerry Needs a Home

UPDATE!!! Kerry has been placed. More information on his placement will follow.

A very nice male Kerry is ready for a permanent home.

Shay, as we are calling him, has been with us since August 20th, having been taken care of by the staff at Tufts University Veterinarian SchoolHospital (Massachusetts), since August 6th when they found him roaming their grounds. He was very popular with the staff during his stay. Much effort has been made to find his owners, but no one has come forward to claim him; after our required 30-day minimum stay in foster care, he is now free for adoption.

We have found him to be extremely well-behaved in the house, in our yard, in the car. He is very good on a lead, pulling only when he wants to smell something up close. He loves taking walks. He is crate-trained.

Shay is a handsome boy, (Picture will be placed on the site soon.), with an expressive, friendly face. He has at least one truly adorable mannerism: when heis sitting at your feet, if you tap your knee, he will sit up on his haunches and gently place his paws on your knees and stay like that while you pet him. He very much wants to be with people.

It seems that when he is not lying at my side, he is in a play bow position. The only toy I’ve found him to really want is a tennis ball; he will play soccer with himself for a few minutes and then lie down next to you.

Because he was intact when we first brought him home, we were very careful with him around other dogs and children, and watched him closely in our yard and house. He is not at all dog-aggressive; he was very gentle with my old girl. I took him to a local show and he was just fine, with both the Kerries there and all the other breeds. He seemed at home at the show. He was calm and friendly to the several kids we encountered; however, with no children in my home, I have not been able to evaluate him completely. Tufts staff thinks he doesn’t like cats, though.

Of course at the show, he wanted to mark frequently, but a gentle word and a tug on the lead got him moving. He has not tried to mark in the house, despite the presence of 3 other Kerries, one a neutered male. He is not a barker, except when I’ve had to leave him behind closed doors alone; he barks his resentment for about 30 seconds and then he is quiet for as long as he is left. He likes to bark when he goes into a play bow, but doesn’t seem to want to bark otherwise. In the yard, he likes to walk around withme, sauntering off to a spot to see what’s there and returning to me. He has learned to sit on command. He doesn’t jump onto people or furniture.

He is a beautiful dark grey with lighter areas on his tail and face. He is alittle over 40 pounds, around 20 inches, muscular, lovely gait, beautiful head. He is quite agile. His coat brushes easily, and he is experienced being on a grooming table and being scissored and clippered. Even slickering his face doesn’t annoy him. For a dog that might be 5 to 8 years, his skin is remarkably free of sebaceous cysts or other growths. Perhaps he is younger than we think?

He is not fussy about being fed. He eats what I put down for him and relishes it. He doesn’t guard his food bowl. He loves water. Literally. The more on him, the better he is. He probably would go swimming, if I let him go in over his knees. He also thinks drinking out of a hose is a lot more fun than out of a bowl: he makes watering the garden interesting!

He is remarkably free of phobias: no nervousness about thunder storms, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, traffic, large trucks.

This week, he was operated on for the only medical problem that had surfaced after complete tests were run: bladder stones. He will be on Hill’s Prescription Diet s/d, or similarly-restricted diet, for life. He was neutered during this surgery. He will need to see a dentist in the near future.

His apparent age is the only thing that I can see that might make him hard to adopt out. Since he is so good, and might be younger than we think, he would offer someone excellent companionship for 5 or perhaps many more years. As there are no certainties in life, Shay is a dog worth taking that kind of minimal chance on.

Please contact me, Anne Marie Flynn-Fierke, foster home, at the email link provided or at(508)435-7113,if you have questions, would consider adopting Shay, or know of someone interested in him. With the shows in PA in two weeks, he would probably be able to go to a home almost anywhere, especially on the East coast or in the mid-West, if transportation can be provided and if the home is approved.

Last Updated: 10/20/2008, 9:07 pm