#13-091 Apollo, age 2

Weight: 66 pounds

AVAILABLE ~ 8/23/13

Updated: 08/15/13

New photos: 08/20/13

In classical Greek mythology, the sun begins its daily course only after it is hitched  to a chariot drawn by solar steeds and steered by the god Apollo. Once secured, it begins its stately progress across the sky…

Whoops! It’s noon. What happened to the morning??

…Huh?? Did the sun just go down ALREADY??

Oh! Now it looks like it’s around 10 AM. What the…??

All right, we admit, our young Apollo started out a bit short of  “stately progress”—but hey, anyone, no matter how celestial in temperament, would bounce up, down, backwards and forwards upon release from “jail”!  Now that he’s had a chance to un-kink those long legs, Apollo is making amazing progress & will be a champion charioteer in no time. “While there are times he pulls, he has been easy to correct. He’ll even maintain a heel position if you remind him. In fact, leash walking is pretty much a breeze already, as long as you let him know what you expect.” Getting high in the sky won’t be a problem, that’s for sure – Apollo can go airborne with the greatest of ease. He’s incredibly light on his feet, with an astonishing vertical leap. “When we were moving him into his crate in the bedroom for the night, we turned our backs and—boing! He easily landed right in the middle of the bed.”

And overall, this handsome blond’s behavior is, well, truly divine. Just listen to what his foster mom says:

Apollo is a wonderful, very sensitive dog, so eager to please. He’s recovering from his neuter, so he has to endure that tedious “crate time.” Of course he would rather be out loose with the humans, but he’s easily ushered into his crate. He has kind of squeaky voice he uses to get your attention but has only barked once. When he is called or sees us, he makes eye contact and  wags his tail furiously! His whole demeanor suggests that at one time, he was likely a house dog. He has not had any accidents; if he needs to go outside, he whines or acts restless to give us the message that hey, it’s time to take care of business.

He’s a few pounds underweight, likely from his time on the road. He’s not a picky eater and enjoys his extra portions!  He has a very soft mouth and takes treats wonderfully. Once, our pup tried to steal the sweet potato treat that was in Apollo’s crate, and Apollo briefly warned him, but that was that. He doesn’t really seem to “guard” things. He’ll be off exercise restriction by early next week, and then we’ll really be able to see how he does with his young foster brother, who’s also around two years old. They’ve been nose to nose through the crate & on leash and boy, do they want to play. (My older dog can be snarky at times, and Apollo has been excellent there, too. No flare-ups.)

Today, Apollo grabbed a squeaky ball and made it sing, so time will tell if he loves to retrieve.

If someone is looking for a therapy dog, I bet he’d be a good candidate. More to come…