We’d like to introduce you to Berry, an adorable young golden boy who came to us from Turkey after his family could no longer care for him. Berry is approximately 1 year old and quite petite (44 lbs currently, but should be closer to 50 lbs).

Berry is an incredibly sweet boy who loves being petted. He is mid-high energy, and thrives with consistent daily exercise and mental stimulation. He loves learning and is very treat motivated. His foster family has taught him a bunch of commands such as ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘touch’, ‘leave it’, and ‘come’. Berry loves his walks and gets excited when he sees his harness. He is currently getting 3-3 1/2 miles of walks a day, plus lots of zoomies and play. He walks well on leash, but will bark at some dogs he sees to try to get them to play. He can easily be re-directed with a treat, or by creating space as you’re walking by. And like many dogs, he will pull when he sees a cat or squirrel on a walk.

Berry LOVES other dogs and is desperate for a playmate. However, his social skills are a bit lacking and he will nose/grab a paw/bark/nip at other dogs to initiate play. He takes correction from other dogs beautifully, so a playmate who will correct him would be ideal. Berry is not a dog that should go to a dog park as it will overstimulate him and his lack of social skills can get him into trouble. One of Berry’s favorite things is to pick every toy out of the toy basket. He loves all toys, but especially antlers and plushy toys. He can be a bit tough on plush toys, though, so durable ones are best.

Berry sleeps beautifully through the night, and is currently being crated at night at his foster home. He goes potty on command, and with access to the yard he will usually take himself out. However as he is settling in a new home he will need to learn where to go potty, be taken out consistently, and get praised when he goes in the right spot.

Berry is still very much a puppy, and has a couple things that his forever family will need to commit to work on. First, he does lick and put his mouth on your arm/hand. He does not bite down, and this is in NO way aggressive. This is done to get your attention and to ask for you to pet him, but will need to be consistently re-directed. Because of his mouthing, we will not be placing Berry in a home with young kids. Second, when he gets frustrated (ex. if a dog won’t play with him) or bored he spins/barks/chases his tail. In the evenings (after dinner but before bed) he has a bit of a ‘witching hour’ where he needs mental stimulation or will do this spin/bark/chase his tail behavior. Giving him a lick mat, a filled bone, or a frozen Kong or Toppl are great ways to distract him and give him something to focus on. Soon after that ‘witching hour’ he crashes like a puppy and is out for the night.

Berry will be an amazing addition to his future family. He just needs someone committed to give him the exercise, love, play, and  of course guidance and patience he needs to thrive.

If you’re interested in Berry, please complete our adoption application. Questions can be directed to nancy@roversretreat.org

NOTE: Berry’s adoption fee helps offset the extremely high cost of international transportation, extensive vetting done in his home country, and the CDC’s requirements for importing dogs.