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May I introduce Diesel who we are told is 6 years old. Unknown if microchipped at this stage and no vaccination record. Still entire. This is what our volunteer had to say about this lovely lad:

“When I rang the doorbell, no noise or barking. When I entered the house, Diesel was very friendly but not overbearing. He did not bark.  The first thing I noticed was that he is a very large handsome dog. He allowed me to fuss him and I was able to rub his ears and haunches, with him displaying no sign of discomfort.  He struck me as a dog that would enjoy cuddles.  He attempted to sit on the sofa with me but quickly stopped when Jaki told him not to.

Jaki explained her reasons for not being able to keep Diesel; she had taken him for a walk but he lunged for a husky that crossed his path, to such an extent that Jaki was pulled flat to the ground. This has caused Jaki to be very anxious now when she exercises him, mainly that he will run off into traffic or be injured in a fight.  Given the size of Diesel compared to Jaki, I can see how this would be a problem for her.  She now only takes him out very early and late at night to avoid other dogs. He displayed no aggression indoors, and does not appear to have any toy or food aggression.  She said that he doesn’t seem to know how to play; he has toys but not that interested in them.  However, he does appear to enjoy his food and she currently feeds him on a mix of tinned meat in jelly mixed with dry food, which he appears to enjoy.  She is not aware of any allergies or dietary problems but she’s only had him since beginning of the week.

Diesel’s original owner had committed suicide and he had put the dog out on the balcony beforehand, where he remained for quite a long time before the body was found. The deceased’s girlfriend agreed to take the dog and he has been with her for about 4 weeks but she has to go out to work and feels she can’t look after him.  She observed him remotely using the Ring system and after initial barking etc, Diesel would settle down ok.  Jaki hasn’t yet felt confident about leaving him indoors except for the briefest of times.

Through a friend of a friend, Jaki became aware of Diesel and thought he would be what she wanted.  She has previous experience of GSDs and hoped he would be a dog that she could take on the long walks however, due to the incident with the Husky, she does not feel confident with him outside. Jaki has been told that Diesel is ok with children but has not experienced this herself.  She was aware that he had been on a stop-over with another dog and was ok with that.

We went for a walk with Diesel along the main high street and then quiet side roads.  He was not at all interested in other people.  He wears a halti type and clearly hates it and was constantly trying to take it off.  The main issue with Diesel is this reactiveness to other dogs (and other animals) in conjunction with his size and strength.  Whilst on our walk, we became aware of a fox and so we crossed to the other side of the road.  Diesel pulled a bit but was otherwise ok.  I thought he walked quite well behaved and hopefully the reactiveness can be resolved.  I thought his overall condition looked good but I wasn’t able to inspect his teeth.  He seemed to be of good weight and his coat was thick with some shine.

Jaki said that he is really placid indoors and is no trouble.  However, she felt sure that he has no recall.  He obeys basic commands such as ‘sit’ and is fully house trained.  I thought he was a very well-mannered dog. Jaki was particularly keen for Diesel to be placed with someone with GSD experience to help him through his dog reactiveness.

In conclusion, I think Diesel is a lovely dog and will make a great companion for someone who is willing to train him.”

Diesel just needs a GSD experienced home please who can handle his size and strength whilst giving him the lead training and socialisation with other dogs he needs. A super dog in the right home!

Diesel has been taken in by another rescue.

Location:

Kent - IN HOME

Sex:

Male

Age:

6 years

Neutered:

No

Good with children:

Yes - Older Only

Good with other dogs:

Selective

Good with cats:

No