Biggs

Adopted 3/20/10 to our volunteers Brad & Kim in Sacramento, and now living with Blanca!

Biggs is an extra-large, extra-special young male, around 2 years old, classic black & tan. He was an unclaimed stray from Modesto. He came to us with a tail that was broken, probably while still a puppy, and a definite roached back, probably genetic. He has little to no feeling in his tail and while he can lift it up a bit, he can't wag it. His x-rays reveal that the rest of his spine and hips are fine, and although he moves oddly, it doesn't slow him down at all. He can run and play just as fast as any other German Shepherd. 

Biggs is a very calm and laid-back fellow, unless a walk or a ride is on the agenda to get excited about. He's housebroken and has very good house manners. He's very happy to hang out in whatever room his person is in, and loves to lie on a cushy dogbed and gnaw on dogbones. Biggs is very well-socialized to other dogs and people, he likes meeting new people and tries to be careful around smaller children. He loves to play with other playful dogs, and is gentle enough to play with much smaller dogs as well as big and tough enough to handle the rowdiest rough-houser. He hasn't shown much in the way of prey drive, and seems uninterested in caged cats or critters, but he might give chase if one ran by him. He responds very well to verbal corrections, so he could probably learn to leave other critters alone.

This guy is huge for a GSD, very tall and very physical, and can be hard to ignore when he wants attention. While he has no thought of challenging human authority, he likes to poke his huge nose into your chest and squeak at you to pet him. If he gets really excited, he will occasionally pull at clothing with his teeth, but he's easily corrected. He knows how to Move out of the way, Go Lie Down and Get Out of the Kitchen. He'll Sit and Wait for his dinner and to go out the door, and is learning to walk on leash without pulling. He has a very impressive, very deep alarm bark and has learned to be Quiet when told. He's the first one to sing along with a siren and has a gloriously deep bass voice.

Biggs was extremely underweight when he came into rescue, and has had intermittent problems with diarrhea. While his weight is now fine, we're still trying to get a handle on his loose stools. He'll need someone willing to continue to treat his digestive issues until they're resolved and would do well in a home with a dog door.

This is a Level 3 Dog.

Added September 2009