: )

Friends - please pass this and post this whever you can. Thank you! The pup has until this Friday, December 14, to find a home or a new foster home. Since his rescue, he has had all of his shots, will be neutered on Tuesday, and all of his vacinees. He has also gained some much needed wieght, and has shown a steady increase in pep and personality. We now get full body tail wags when we get home!Here is the full story:Over thanksgiving break, we found this pup in a parking lot in rural West Virginia. He was shivering, hungry, very timid and obviously beaten. After confirming with locals that his owner was unknown and that he'd been wondering around there for several days, we didn't have the heart to let him freeze to death. We have taken him to the vet for an overall checkup. He's roughly 9 years old and a mix of a Lab, Hound, and German Shepard, we think. In the few weeks we have had him now, he has shown nothing but a sweet, sweet personality. We have a two-year-old boy and a 5 year old high energy Yorkie. The dog spent a day with a friend with two four-year old boys. He's been to the vet, been poked, prodded, inspected, blood drawn, shots given, bath given, etc, and not once has he shown a single sign of aggression. The good: Incredibly sweet. Wants nothing more than to curl up on a sofa next to someone. He is so gentle with our little boy and our little dog. He tries hard to please. He now has his rabies shot, he is free of stomach worms and heart worms, and overall in decent health. He walks fine; my two-year-old walked him around the block with no trouble. He is housebroken and actually goes to pretty good lengths to hide his big business when he is outside. He does great on car rides, just laying down and sleeping most of the time. He went to the Staunton Christmas parade with us and was very calm through the noise and people. He either sat or laid at our feet. When around the office or around the house, he is never more than 5' from us. When our son cries, he tries to "help." He does not know how to play, but he likes to rest against whomever he can. He is free of heartworms, we just gave him his rabies vaccine and a deworming, and a bath went a long way to shine his coat. He has no problem with stairs (or getting on the sofa as you can see from the pics). He is a very, very quiet dog. We have heard him howl once when he thought he was alone, but we have not heard him bark, growl, etc. He sleeps through the night at the foot of our bed and doesn't make a peep. The bad: Needs neutered and has a loose tooth. Will need all the other standard vaccinations and flea/heartworm preventative treatments. He marks inside, which the vet said will go away with neutering and training. He is not trained, but he is slow, sweet, and patient so he's not really a problem. He has a stiff left shoulder, I think - he favors it when he first gets moving. Once warmed up he walks on it without a problem. He is skinny. Needs to gain 6-8 pounds according to the vet. He currently weighs around 43 pounds. He only likes human food, which has proven to be challenging He was likely raised on scraps. We've been mixing in some soft and hard food during his meals and he is eating well, but it's not as easy as "give him a bowl." He has a loose tooth that will need extracted, and his other teeth are worn - vet things from escaping his previous environment. The indifferent: He has a very timid personality and must be treated with a very kind hand and heart. If you trip over him or drop something, he thinks the worst is coming and cowers down. It's quite sad. But, after being around us for a couple of weeks now, his tail wags regularly, ears perk, and he eagerly greets us at the door. He just needs some TLC!Our family does not have the capacity to keep the pup permanently, but after all he has been through, we couldn't just take him to a shelter or another foster home. He needs a nice, safe, and loving home in which to retire. So, we are trying to keep him until a permanent home is found, but we need to find a home sooner than later. We are happy to loan him to a good home to see if you get along! We do request that it's a nice, sweet home for him though. He deserves it. The attached pictures show him in various environments, from the parade to the sofa to a walk with our son. Thanks for any assistance you can provide in finding this guy a home! Please contact me by Facebook http://facebook.com/peter.denbigh (Peter Denbigh) Thanks!