Teddy (MS) was born mid-August 2024 into tough circumstances. He is one of 6 surviving siblings  from an original litter of 12 (likely GSP mixes), and he entered rescue malnourished and underweight with multiple intestinal parasites and ringworm and recovering from fleas. During his time in foster care, he has absolutely flourished–tripling his weight to 15 lbs., regrowing a thick, healthy coat, and making great friends of his older foster siblings.

Teddy is an exceptionally well-behaved little guy. He gets up to typical puppy antics but is very responsive to verbal correction from his foster humans and to social cues from his foster siblings (a 10-year-old GSP and 7 year-old English setter). His house training is progressing really well: he rarely has accidents outside of his crate (and when he does, it’s because his humans were not paying attention to his cues) and hasn’t made any messes in his crate since his first couple weeks in rescue. He loves spending time in his crate and will sleep there overnight without making a peep. During his humans’ workday, he typically spends 3-4 hours in his crate, followed by lunch and another 3-4 hours of crate time. He loves going into his crate for a treat and quickly settles in for a nap! When it’s time to get out and play outside with his friends, he often lazes around a few more minutes with the crate door open, stretching and warming up for play time. He also eats all of his meals in his crate and runs to sit in it as soon as he hears the food bag rustling. He definitely recognizes it as his place to relax!

He’s a smart pup and his food motivation makes him a quick study! He knows “come”, “sit”, and “kennel” and walks well on a leash with positive reinforcement. He also loves bath time. To help him grow a healthy coat, he’s received a bath every 2-3 days for the last few weeks and sprints to the bathroom when he hears the water running! He won’t need frequent baths going forward given the successful recovery of his coat, but he wouldn’t mind being pampered with a spa day every now and then. He doesn’t enjoy getting his nails clipped, but he has gotten pretty comfortable having them filed with a dremel tool.

He loves following his foster siblings around the house and yard and competing with them at fetch. Although he would probably do just fine as an only dog, he would really thrive with a playmate or two that are willing to be patient with his puppy energy and continue showing him the ropes of being a good friend. He hasn’t shown any behavioral red flags, like toy or food guarding, and he often parades his toys past his friends in attempts to get them to play. When the other dogs aren’t interested in playing and he’s worn himself out, he loves to curl up next to them for naps. When he’s really tired but isn’t quite ready to sleep, he can often be heard softly “talking” to himself–one of his most endearing habits. He can be a velcro GSP at times, sitting and giving puppy eyes to the nearest human until they drag a bed closer to them for him. He is the sweetest cuddler and would rather nap in your lap than anywhere else if given the chance.

Teddy would love to join an active family that can keep up with his GSP energy as he matures and can spare the time to continue his training in the short term. He would really enjoy having a sibling and a fun yard to explore. Despite the short straw he drew at the start of his life, he is already blossoming into a sweet, smart, loving pup who will make a great best friend for the right person or family!

If you are interested in adopting Teddy, please complete an Adoption Application (if you haven’t already) then email his foster mom Avril at [email protected].

P.S. Teddy is not neutered but he must be neutered immediately after he turns 1 year old.  He is a 3 1/2-month male, and his adoption fee is $800 with a $200 refund once SEGSP receives proof of his neuter after he turns one year old.