HANK's story

　　Hank is a very loving, sensitive, sweet soul, who is wonderful meeting other dogs. He weighs around 43-45 lbs. and we estimate he is 2-3 years old. Typical of cattle dogs, Hank is a great companion, who is longing for his own person to hang out with. He is very respectful when meeting other dogs. Once he gets to know a dog, Hank loves to play. If another dog wants to be left alone, he will respectfully keep his distance. We have only seen him around a cat once, and he very calmly looked at it without any desire to do anything more. Since he likes to chase birds for fun, we suspect that if a cat ran, he would want to chase.

　　At home, most of the time he has a very quiet, low key nature. He is extremely sensitive to his living situation and the people around him. Hank truly needs a calm, balanced home situation, and consistency. He is not for a busy household.

　　When meeting new people, Hank needs time to observe and decide for himself that he can trust them. If he is comfortable at home, he will meet new people in a relaxed, happy manner. If out of his element, Hank may seem unsure about new people. Humans need to go slow and allow him to approach when he is ready. Once he feels a new person wont harm him, he will give himself to you with all his heart. Hank will show you how much he loves you, by putting his front paws on your lap so he can enthusiastically give you kisses.

　　He wants to follow his person from room to room, waiting for whatever you are up for. He is good company without constantly being on top of you, except when he checks in, to show you much he loves you with eager kisses.

　　Once he knows and trusts you, he is attentive, listens well, and wants to to please. Hank is extremely intelligent, and a quick learner, who wants to do the right thing. He walks fairly well on leash. He may pull a bit when there is something he is anxious to check out. In a car, he rides very quietly in the backseat, watching the world go by. Hank is housebroken and knows how to use a dog door. We are working on crate training him. He knows Sit and Down, but could use some additional basic obedience training.

　　For the most part, Hank has very good house manners. He will quietly wait for you to let him know that it is time to do something. However, he appears to be a pro at napping on the sofa, and hopping up on the bed at bedtime to curl up for the night beside your feet. When happily greeting people, his first impulse is to jump up on you, with his front paws on your chest. While mostly quiet, Hank will bark when he hears something out of the ordinary outside. He seems to give out alarm barks, especially after dark, when odd sounds scare him the most.

　　Hank is only now learning about treats and toys, and he is loving them. However, he loves them so much that he does sometimes guard toys and the treats he has been given. His current fosters are starting to work with him on this behavior. He is very smart, and wants to please his foster mom. Because of this current tendency, and the fact that when he wants to show you his love, he will jump up on you and push his way to your face to give kisses, sometimes nibbling your chin, Hank would not be appropriate in a home with young children.

　　Hank is a complex combination of being a soft, very loving and sensitive dog, who is insecure around new unknown people and their intentions. He will need people who have successfully worked with, or are willing to work with resource guarding behavior in dogs. His new people need to provide him with loving reassurance, introductions to new things at his pace, and not push him into new situations too soon. Additionally, to help Hank feel secure, his adopters should have a calm, easy going style that exudes confident leadership.

　　If you are interested in meeting Hank, please begin our pre-approval process by completing our online adoption form at this link: http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt . Email us at [email protected] or call us at (707)

　　with specific questions.