Background Info:

Corndog is lucky to be alive. Thanks to the clinic at our local pound, they gave him more chances than he would have gotten otherwise. He was brought to them on his death bed by a good Samaritan who found him as a stray. The vets did two exploratory surgeries and finally found the cause for his illness - a blockage in his intestines that consisted of trash and corn cobs (hence his name!).

Health Condition:
As if his ordeal with the corn cobs was not enough, Corndog also tested positive to heartworm disease. Once he is through with his surgery antibiotics, he will begin heartworm treatment, which consists of keeping him very calm without allowing his heart rate to rise too high. He should be in the clear and ready to live his best life by late winter, early spring.
​
Note that Corndog can be placed in a local home before the end of his recovery if new family is willing to take him to our vet in the Northland for his injections. There will be no charges to the adopters as the treatment is paid for already.
​
Physical Description:
Short and tiny, Corndog is a small pitty (under 40 Lbs) with a muscular build and all the charm of a typical blockhead.

Current Living Situation:
Corndog is fostered in a home with a single woman. There are no children in the foster home but nieces and nephews visit regularly. Corndog's foster mom has an older female foster as well, but she keeps them separate, as the female prefers keeping to herself.
​
Corndog is adapting quickly to inside living. He has clearly never been a member of a family but is learning manners easily. Corndog sleeps in his kennel at night, even though he'd rather be in bed with his human. He wears himself out after a few minutes of whining and sleeps peacefully in his comfy dog bed. He accepts his kennel when his foster mom leaves the house but can't wait to hang out with her when she gets home.

There's a large yard with a 6' privacy fence. Corndog explores the yard but comes when called back inside. He likes outings and does great in the car. He needs additional leash training (his current leash skills include tangling his own legs and making his foster mom swerve all over the sidewalk since the smells are SO fun, haha!).

Personality:
Corndog is eager-to-please and looks to his foster mom for approval if he's testing the waters and gauging whether he's allowed to do something. Corndog is at a great age where he is past the hyper puppy phase but still has energy to play when appropriate.

He spends his days chewing on bones or napping while his foster mom works. He entertains himself independently but still needs reminders on what are dog toys versus not (he easily responds to direction and has a very good memory - once he is told 'no,' he never tries the same thing again).
​
Behavior with people:
​Corndog is calm and happy around people. He is friendly with everyone and wants to be the center of attention if he's in a crowd. Corndog is polite when he meets new people (although, he's so small that his occasional jumps are barely noticeable). He's not timid but not overly excitable either.

Behavior with children:
Corndog has met young children and was very well-mannered. He was interested in their attention but left them alone if they weren't petting him. We believe he would be a great family pet.

Behavior with other dogs:
Corndog was not introduced to other dogs while at the city shelter and his foster mom keeps him separate from her other foster. She introduced Corndog, through a kennel, to a puppy, and he didn't show any signs of aggression. We believe in very slow introductions, so she didn't let them play with each other, but his body language indicated that he likes other friendly dogs and we believe he has potential to live with a compatible female.

Behavior with other animals:
Corndog has limited exposure to other animals but has not shown a prey drive in the backyard.
​
Training:
Corndog knew 'sit' when he arrived, but we are working on everything else. He has quickly become housebroken and is improving on his length of time he can hold his bladder. When you're living on the streets, you don't have to worry about that! He is very treat-motivated and will be easy to continue to train.
​
Best Attributes:
Corndog has never been a pet and we are on a mission to show him the ropes. We can often tell when a dog has lived their life as a stray because they don't know the simple pleasures of being loved. For Corndog, he didn't know how to jump on the couch, he didn't know how to curl up against a pillow, he didn't know that comfy nook under his human's arms or how to snuggle. He didn't know that some bones come with yummy marrow on the inside, he didn't know to get excited at the crinkle sound of the treat bag or that pulling out the leash meant that it was time for a fun adventure. These are all things he's learning quickly and he's relishing every second of it. He now knows that when he comes inside after pottying, he gets to sit for a treat. He knows to wait for an invite, but that cuddling on the couch is a high-value prize after a long day of slumming it on the dog bed. He has been introduced to squeaky toys and can't hardly contain his excitement. His enthusiasm for learning all about family life is contagious! Watching Corndog become a pet has been SO FUN and we can't wait to find the perfect home that will keep spoiling him.
​