Pets, Shelter Dog Spotlight

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Shelter Dog Spotlight: Scotch

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Adam goes over to the Spotsylvania Animal Shelter once a week to run with a few of the dogs to let them stretch their legs and release some pent up energy. One dog in particular stood out to Adam because he had a ton of energy in the kennel and showed badly at the shelter because of it. First impressions should really not be based on kennel behavior since animals are highly stressed and understandably, many times do not act like themselves. When people see dogs running in circles and barking loudly in their kennels, it’s typical of that dog to be immediately written off because of it. But if you take a chance on them and just see how they behave outside, oftentimes you’d be very surprised.

Scotch was one of those dogs that Adam would try his best to run each time we’d go in because he had a ton of built-up energy and knew that he was being overlooked because of it. It was very likely that his ability to become adopted was reduced from the first impression he leaves being amped up inside of a kennel. With the suggestion made by another local photog/amazing human being and dedicated volunteer over at the shelter, K Pearlman Photography, Adam and I decided to take Scotch to the park to see if we could learn more about him. I joined alongside and snagged a few photos of him while we were there. Sure enough, he did so amazingly well that we decided to take him home to see how he’d do there. We have three pups of our own (one of which is Abby, a former Spotsy Animal Shelter resident and an uber sweet beagle) and Scotch and Abby played and hopped and loved on each other like they were long lost best friends. Scotch seems to be completely housebroken so far and has been doing great with other dogs. We have not introduced him to our foster kitties at this point because we don’t want to overload anyone since he just arrived yesterday and it’s always smart to take it slow, but so far Scotch has been incredibly well-behaved and is doing spectacular. Since he does have higher energy than most dogs he will need a fenced in area and would be best in a home without children because he will jump up on people from time-to-time. He just needs someone to work with him to learn a few manners (not to jump up on people when he gets excited), but from what we’ve seen so far he minds well and would be a quick learner.

Scotch is a 2 yr old (approximately) american pit bull terrier/lab mix, incredibly handsome, and a loyal best friend. Scotch would love a doggy-sibling of comparable size who has moderate to high levels of energy who would not mind romping around and playing with him. Scotch absolutely loves to play, but it would be best for him to have another dog who he can handle his size since he’s a big boy who can get fairly rowdy when playing. When he plays with our older beagle Abby, he sometimes will excitedly knock his body into her as he’s hopping around, so another large dog would be best as a playmate. He is submissive to all dogs we have seen and even with his high energy, if another dog gets irritated with him, he will not get agitated. He has been fantastic with every single dog he has met so far (male or female and of all sizes) and is also very sweet on all people he has met. He does not have any issues with cats either, but does not understand how to give kitties their space, so if you have a cat in your home, that cat needs to be cool with having a big boy following him/her around and possibly trying to play. Scotch truly thinks he is a tiny lap dog and will slowly crawl into your lap on the couch because he loves to snuggle. He is the kind of dog that will stay close by and will either be sitting with you or at your feet. He still needs some leash work while walking in neighborhoods, but he has made great strides since we’ve had him and we are happy to say he no longer tugs on the leash with his mouth in excitement! He does learn very quickly and with some more patience and time, he will eventually learn not to lead and pull on walks. Surprisingly enough, he doesn’t seem to pull on a leash when we go to the park and walk through the woods; he walks incredibly well there – perhaps because it’s not as familiar to him. Since we’ve had the pleasure of fostering Scotch, he’s learned sit, shake, down, up, and stay. Feeding time is his absolute favorite time of the day, and he could not love balls, frisbees, or sticks more than he does. He does not yet understand how the game “Fetch” works, but he would rather run around in the yard with said toy and play “You Can’t Catch Me”! He WILL need an active family that loves to hike, go for walks or runs, and have playtime with him because he’s still such a young, lively, happy-go-lucky boy. Scotch has SO much potential, is a very fun, funny and sweet boy and we would really love to get Scotch some exposure to show how great he is and hopefully he will be able to find his forever home. If you have ANY questions at all or would like to set up a meet-and-greet, please contact me at sara@wolfcrestphotography.com or you can reach me on my cell: 757-812-1245. Here’s to Scotch!

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

Scotch Adoptable Dog Spotsylvania Animal Shelter Fredericksburg VA

  1. Such fun photos! I absolutely LOVE the very first one!

  2. Kim Kravitz says:

    AW! He is such a handsome guy!!

  3. Sammie says:

    Yes, yes, yes! Scotch is adorable! I’m sure he will not have any issue with adoption after this fun session! Who doesn’t love a sweet ole foster pup?!?

  4. Scotch is so adorable! 🙂 These are really cute pictures of him, too! I hope he gets adopted super soon!

  5. Tosha says:

    Awwww, just love these photos! We got our little puppy last November and I never imagined loving a four legged creature so much! 🙂

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