Contributed by Sumitra Shinde, Animal Care Dispatcher
Kevin is a year and a half old chow chow mix. He was found as a stray and quickly adjusted to the other dogs he temporarily lived with. Kevin does have a hard time adjusting to new people though, especially men. He can react very fearfully, or be quite protective of his human. Once Kevin brings you into his inner circle, he is quite the snuggle bug!
Since being at the shelter, Kevin has grown far friendlier with people. He’s met a lot of new faces, and he warms up to people much more quickly than when he arrived here. Once you are Kevin’s friend, he will want to play chase, tag and ball with you! He can be quite boisterous, and will require some training with not jumping up on people and with inside manners. Kevin can also be very vocal when there is something that he wants, or if he hasn’t gotten enough exercise. When approaching Kevin’s kennel, he will usually greet strangers with growls and barks. Being part chow, Kevin may think he needs to protect his territory.
Ask a staff member to assist you and give Kevin a chance by visiting with him outside and in one of our visiting rooms. An ideal home will be one that understands Kevin’s temperament – affectionately playful and suspiciously protective. Strange and new people always coming into Kevin’s territory will keep him in high alert and protective mode. He would likely do well with controlled and supervised socialization outside of his home territory, but will need to be either kept restrained when visitors arrive, or he will need training to teach him more proper ways to protect the home and his family.
