(Puppy) Heath

Adoptable puppy Heath loves a good snuggle. He sure is a photogenic little dog. Heath is 24 weeks old and he weighs 34 pounds.  This young dog is wonderful and we can't stop gushing about him. He sleeps through the night in a wire crate and has been doing wonderful with potty training. Heath has grown up in a foster home with a playful dog and two savvy cats. He's still inclined to chase cats while on walks, but he knows and trusts the cats in his foster home. Now that he's past that bitey puppy phase, he'd make a great companion for a young child. We don't advise that Heath live with a senior pet until he has attended training and learned more skills  and impulse control because he's not wonderful at picking up signals from other dogs and we have learned that senior dogs don't really appreciate his enthusiastic attempts to encourage play. Heath wants to be included in everything that his humans are doing (he'd be miserable as a backyard dog!). He settles nicely for nap time and he can really snore! It's quite loud when Heath sleeps and really cracks us up. Heath tends to wander and explore if given the opportunity so he's not reliable off-leash and needs humans who will be mindful of this until he's learned a solid recall to keep him safe. At this age, we are doing our best to make sure he continues to have as many positive experiences as possible and his learning is almost entirely about the prevention of bad habits. We want to send each puppy to their forever home with nothing but good habits and we ask his adopter to carry on this hard work of setting them up for success. 

His litter of pups was left in a cardboard box at a grocery store parking lot so we don't have any information about their parents. They have been with us since they were just 5 weeks old. We expect that Heath will be a medium-large dog when fully grown. Two of his adopted siblings have had DNA tests done and both of them came back as 100% American Bully. Before applying to adopt, it's important to verify that this pup will be welcomed by your landlord and homeowners insurance, regardless of breed. 

We ask that all WCAL puppy adopters commit to attending a 4 week-long reward-based training class with their new puppy (we'll help you find a qualified, dog-friendly trainer near you). This is the best way we know how to help you bond with your new pup, give you access to current training techniques and ensure that your new dog becomes a well-rounded member of society. We believe in being proactive and know from experience that the best time to train a dog is NOW! It's important that the dogs we rescue get the very best start to reduce their chances of being surrendered to a shelter or banished to a backyard as an unruly, untrained adolescent who is no longer cute and small. If you don't have time to attend training classes with a puppy, please consider choosing an adult dog or waiting to adopt until your schedule is more flexible.