RubinFTA

4 yr. old Fawn Male
65 lb. Owner Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
Neutered and UTD
Being fostered in NH
Adoption Donation - $250

6/6/07 - Rubin is pending adoption

5/25/07 - Due to some very unfortunate circumstances at home, I feel that another family would be better suited to give my beautiful boy a wonderful home. It breaks my heart to give him up, but I feel that it is the best thing for him given my situation.

You can read all about Rubin in his postings below. He has come a long way since the last posting this summer and continues to make progress on all fronts. He is fully crate trained now too, so he is in the crate when I'm not home and therefore stays out of trouble when I'm not home. This has worked splendidly. He has also gotten quite good at recall, and now a sharp "hey!" is enough to pull him back to attention when he's distracted. He's off-leash a lot and never runs off.

Rubin would be best-suited for a high-energy family, as he does need good exercise and stimulation. A fenced yard would be great, though I don't have one and it's been fine. He loves to trail run / hike and enjoys running on-leash too. He needs a somewhat strong leader. He behaves very well with dog-savvy people.

7/15/06 - Rubin is about a year and a half old now, and he has really made some huge improvements since we got him almost a year ago. He has calmed down a bit, though still fun and energetic. His manners have shown remarkable improvement. We like to think it's our doing :) but I'm sure a lot of it is just due to growing up a bit. At any rate, he has gotten MUCH better on recall and is now allowed to be in a lot of unfenced areas without a leash - places he NEVER would have been allowed off-leash before. He continues to shine with all other dogs, really just loving to play with any other interested dog. Yesterday he had a playdate with three new staffordshire friends, and today he met a new boxer on a home visit - he's always great with new dogs, especially other high-energy ones. He's doing much better with barking at strangers, and in fact has shown vast improvements at home when friends come over. All in all, we are very happy with the progress he's made, and are excited to see him continue to improve.

5/9/06 - It's been awhile since I've posted an update on Rubin. He is happy as a clam now that spring is here - he comes with us on hikes and runs and just loves being outside. His fear of strangers seems to be getting better on the whole, however he still has plenty of scared (and somewhat scary) moments. Distracting him from strangers can help deter him a bit, but that's not always possible. Rubin is getting quite a bit better at recall, and his arsenal of tricks now includes long periods of sit + stay, shake, down, and even some calm-ish walking on the leash. All his tricks depend on the level of distraction around him, but in general he is making improvements. He's filled out quite a bit since we got him. He looks a bit thicker and is weighing in at just a shade under 50lbs. Willow's updated page should have a photo of the two of them playing together, so go to her page to see the latest of Rubin! Rubin now has an older sister, as we adopted Willow, an adorable 5-yr-old BAR dog. They love playing together and are really enjoying each other's company.

12/18/05 - It's been awhile since I wrote an update for Rubin. All is blissful in his life. He is doing great, happy as can be. He is getting MUCH better with strangers coming in the house, even big, burly, hat-and-jacket-toting men. He quickly wins the hearts of new people. We even had a lady roll down her car window a few weeks ago just to tell us how beautiful our boxer is! My mom was walking her lab w/ us, and she was a little jealous that her girl didn't get the same treatment! The really cold weather has been a bummer, as he can't stay outside long and the salt hurts his paws, so he's found some inappropriate ways to occupy himself in the house when we're gone. But we are starting him in doggie day school next month so he will have lots of wonderful stimulation there. We're looking forward to our first Christmas w/ our "baby"!

11/1/05 - Rubin is our best buddy. We couldn't ask for more love, quirky as he may be sometimes. He has taken very well to having our foster Charlotte in the house and really seems to like the company she provides. He has finished obedience training and did quite well there. He is doing much better with strangers, especially those that come to the house. Most people just aren't that scary to him anymore. We are delighted with his progress.

10/4/05 - Rubin is doing very well. We have really been working to make him into a gentleman. We're into week two of obedience school and he goes to doggie play group several times a week. He loves every single dog he meets and is getting much much better with men, depending on the situation. Last weekend we had 8 guests over to our house (half male, half female) and once they were already in the house, we let Rubin into the living room (versus other visits from friends, when Rubin is inside and the visitor rings the bell from the outside). He was a little unsure of what everyone was doing in his house, but he was a good boy with everyone. It was such a relief and a HUGE change from previous visitors. He has really made progress. He does have a terrible shoe fetish and even seems to know which ones are most expensive! We have started hiding the shoes, as we would hate to take away his free range house privileges when we're not at home. The dog-lover community at school is just gaga for Rubin. He came to a huge Oktoberfest party with me last weekend, packed with distractions (people, dogs, children, food, beer) and while he was adequately distracted, he was also a good boy and very well loved by strangers, all without a growl or bark. We continue to just adore this sweet boy. He has made me already think about fostering/adopting another boxer!

9/11/05 - Rubin has been here two weeks and is a real part of the family now. This past week has been a little more frustrating than the first week. Rubin has warmed up and feels comfortable here, so I think his previous bad habits are starting to resurface. He is still responsive to our firm "no"'s but is certainly more curious than last week. This week he decided that running out of the yard unleashed was a good idea. Needless to say, he's back on a leash full-time now, until he can really come when called even with distractions. His increased fear/skepticism of people, namely men, especially those that enter our house, is particularly surprising to us. He has lunged at a few people with his growling bark but hasn't actually gotten anyone. Not sure if he would actually bite- I can hardly see him being like that. But doggie play group starts this week and he will get out and about with the neighborhood pups and their people. Hopefully that will remind him not to be so fearful of people he doesn't know! He is fine once he gets to know someone but he is very frightened and frightening at first. At any rate, he is wonderful with us and is really the love of our lives so we will continue to work with him on his quirks and get him comfortable and well socialized.

9/2/05 - Today is Rubin's 6th day here and he continues to do very well. He has settled in really well and is such a joy to be around. He is still 100% accident-free with bathroom duties! All the good things I wrote about last time still hold true. He is all love, and a total nudge for attention. We'll start obedience class with him in a few weeks-- he is in need of some manners! He is pretty good in the house alone while we're gone-- we let him have free reign (but put most items away in drawers/cabinets), as I don't think Rubin is really a crate guy. His curiosity has gotten the best of him a couple times, but he certainly doesn't have destructive tendencies. Doggie play group starts in a week or two also, so he will get some really good socialization & exercise there. Stay tuned for more!

8/29/05 - Day 3 with Rubin has been a real delight. He is starting to answer to his new name. He continues to love being near both of us, following us from room to room. He whines when we're not in the same place at the same time! We were worried about separation issues, but left him alone for about an hour today, loose in the house and came home to find that there were some footprints on the couch and a scarf pulled off a shelf, but nothing else. He is such a good boy and a quick learner. He is a perfect gentleman with food. He will counter surf if given the opportunity but if the food is in the possession of people, he approaches very gently. He takes food out of hands more gently than almost any other dog I've ever seen. He is a sweet, submissive boy who wants only to be loved and cared for. He is fun and goofy too-- we have had some good romps with him. He loves to get into excited play with us but is never scary or too rough. And when you tell him it's over, he quits. He is perfectly housebroken-- no accidents at all and no close calls. He will even whine a little bit if we are overdue for taking him out. He is eating and sleeping very well and has since the night he got here. He needs some manners and we are looking into different obedience classes right now. He knows sit pretty well but not much else. We have a Sporn harness on him and he is a saint to walk when he wears it. Thank goodness b/c he was quite a handful with the standard collar and leash! He needs lots of socialization. He is fearful of many things. When we first got him from Tina, he barked at us out of fright and later was scared to enter the Petco. He is now fine to enter strange buildings and has gotten much better meeting new people. However, he is still incredibly fearful of some men, usually larger guys, especially those wearing hats or large, dark, and/or baggy clothing. He warms up fast but is still pretty standoffish and occasionally a little frightening at first. He has been to a couple outdoor campus events and is getting much better at accepting large strangers but it will take some time. He is a bit wary of smaller children as well but turns into a big mushy pup instantly as long as his bark doesn't frighten the child away. We are delighted to have him and plan to keep him forever-- this boy is a real angel.

8/28/05 - Hi! Things are going wonderfully. We renamed him Rubin and he seems to like it. He has been a real gentleman in the house. When we catch him "surfing" (countertops, trash), the stern "no" and hand clap works beautifully. He is incredibly gentle with food. He is such a love with us, already following us around all the rooms in our house. He is quite wary of some men (but not Dan!), particularly those that are large and/or wearing hats. With some coaxing and socialization I think it'll go away, but it does make me think that he may have been mistreated. Other than that he's been great. Two pet store visits in two days, along with a campus visit yesterday have allowed him to meet lots of people and dogs, and for the most part he's been really good. We adore him!!