Augustus German Shepherd Dog Adult Male for sale in Greensboro, North Carolina

Augustus's story
AUGUSTUS ~4 years old.  Kids, dogs, and cats TBD.
GSRA adopts to residents of VA, NC, and SC only
Augustus is a handsome young boy with a truly heartbreaking backstory. When came under GSRAs care in early November 2018 he was the closest thing to a walking skeleton that Ive ever seenhe weighed a mere 45 lbs, had lost most of his hair, and every bone in his body stood out in sharp detail. On top of that, he appeared to have raging skin, ear, and urinary tract infections. If ever a dog needed GSRA, it was Augustus. We got to work addressing his health needs and Im delighted to report that hes WORLDS better! The first thing we did was get him some fleece pajamas! Yes theyre cute, but also necessary for a dog with NO body fat and NO hair over much of his body. Next up: regular food, and lots of it, has brought him up to 64 lbs as of mid-December. Although hes still scrawny at that weight, he continues to gain steadily and is well on his way to his healthy weight of 8085 lbs. Then, the UTI: what we originally thought was a urinary tract infection didnt respond to antibiotics, and further investigation through ultrasound showed that he had two large bladder stones blocking his flow of urine and causing all kinds of irritation to the walls of his bladder. The stones were removed surgically and even the very next day he could eliminate far more normally than Id ever seen. Big as those stones were (1/2 each!), he must have been living with them for a very long time. Now, his skin: still a work in progress but his hair has started to regrow, so were making good progress there, too.
As Augustus has gotten healthier weve learned a lot about his behavior and personality and discovered a few things that need a bit of work before hell be the awesome companion we know he can be. First off, hes pretty aloof socially. Hes friendly with people but not really interested in interacting with them, except as the vehicle for giving him food. This means time and patience will be needed to get past that barrier and help him develop a bond. Related to that, and most significantly, he guards resourcesmeaning food and toys, or anything else he doesnt want to give up. This shows up as first a warning growl if a person or dog approaches when he has something of value, but will escalate to a bite if hes pushed. This is completely understandable given the deplorable condition he must have been living in, but its also behavior thats reinforced by many years of evolution so is not likely to just go away on its own once hes had plenty to eat. Dogs absolutely CAN get past resource guarding, and the guidance of a skilled trainer will help this happen most quickly. We have a trainer lined up to help Augustus with this starting in March, whether hes still in foster care or living with an adopter.
With other dogs Augustus is equal parts aloof and socially clumsy. :-) Hes completely uninterested in other dogs he encounters out in public. At my house, he initially did a lot of mounting of both my female and male GSD, but it seemed more like behaviors he was trying on rather than something he was really committed to. Over time hes lost interest in my female but continues to pester the male. This will likely ease over time (its only been 3 weeks since he was neutered), but hed probably do best as either an only dog or with a confident female dog.
If you have the time and patience needed to help Augustus become his best self and would like to go on his training journey with him, you will be rewarded with a handsome, funny, devoted companion. Please consider opening your heart and home to Augustus.
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