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JAEGER ~2 1/2 years old. Good with dogs. Kids & Cats TBD. Needs a companion animal.

GSRA adopts to residents of VA, NC, and SC only.
 

Let me introduce you to Jaeger. He is a sweet, gentle boy who is looking for a very special family.  I’m not sure what happened to him before he came into the rescue, (and honestly I hate to imagine) but it resulted in him being very fearful and anxious toward people. When he first came into the rescue, he was borderline feral - he refused to come inside the house, viewed everything with suspicion and showed no interest in forming relationships with people or other animals. It was like there was a wall inside his head (and heart) that he refused to come out from behind. In order to get him to come inside, he had to be herded into a corner of the yard where he couldn't escape. Only then would he give up and sink to the ground in defeat. If you put any pressure on his collar he would scream in fear. Human touch was absolutely no comfort for him, but despite this, he never showed any signs of aggression. Not one snap, not one growl, not one lip curl. To be that terrified, yet that gentle, showed us that he was a very special dog, and it gave us the resolve to try to reach the spirit inside of him that we suspected wanted to come out. 

Fast forward one year and Jaeger is basically a completely new dog! However, to those that never knew him before, he still comes across as very shy and fearful. The difference though now is that he will make eye contact with you. He will watch you with interest and respond to kind touches. He will eat treats that you offer for him and he is willing and capable to form new bonds with people and other dogs. Given just a couple of days and he will start to wag his tail when you talk to him. He might even do "drive bys" where he will give you a quick lick of the hand or allow you to pat his head. The biggest difference in him though is that you can now clearly tell that he WANTS to trust and be loved and be a part of a pack. Even so, it takes some time for him to know that he is safe in order for him to let down his guard. This is why Jaeger is going to need a very special family, one who is willing to give him the time, love and patience he requires in order to be assured that the world can be a warm gentle place filled with love. This is also where his Foster Sibling Sage comes into play.  She brought out a side of Jaeger that no one has ever seen.  Sage, for lack of a better term, is Jaeger's 'Emotional Support Dog'.  

Since Sage came along J aeger now exudes happiness and confidence that he never showed before. He initiates interactions with his foster parents and actually asks for pats and hugs. He wags his tail (something he never used to do), he begs for food, he gets up to mischief (stealing stuff from the house and burying it in the yard!), he comes when he is called. In short, he acts like a dog!! When Sage is not around (she has been boarded a couple of times) Jaeger doesn't totally regress, but he does hang back more. He will still come to his foster Mom when she calls him, but there is a hesitancy in his eyes that is never there when Sage is around.

Jaeger's blossoming into a "real" dog has revealed some wonderful new aspects of his personality. For instance, he LOVES going for walks and hikes where he can get out to explore new places and smells. Car rides are still a work in progress. He is beginning to learn that they can take him to new and exciting places, but he still suffers from car sickness, so it's understandably not a fun experience right now. Hopefully, in time and with lots of good outcomes, he will relax more and his car sickness will decrease. He is now completely comfortable in the house and has proven to be very trustworthy when left alone, uncrated, for extended periods of time. He never chews or destroys things, but he is a bit of a thief and likes to take things outside where he deposits them around the yard. Hard or soft, if it can fit through the dog door (which is very adept at using) it may end up outside. This is just one of the adorable quirks that Jaeger has and which makes him a fun and interesting companion to have.

We know that Jaeger ticks MANY adopter's boxes. He is young (approximately 2 years old), healthy, handsome as all get out, a great size at 75lbs and wonderful with all dogs (no cats though!). However, we also know that Jaeger will only be happy in a specific type of environment. He will require a quiet home, without a lot of visitors coming and going. He will need a fenced yard and preferably a calm, laid back canine companion to help show him the ropes of being a family dog. But most of all, he will need a family who is willing to continue his journey to learn to trust and allow to be loved. More than anything, Jaeger needs a family who has endless patience and understanding of where he came from, and where he has the capacity to go in life. Jaeger will most likely never be a "normal" dog. He will probably always be easily startled by new things and not a fan of lots of people or activity around him. However, what he WILL be is quirky, gentle, loving (in his own special way) and eternally faithful to those who choose to share his journey on this earth. 

So if you have a big heart, lots of patience, and love to give to a pup in need, then maybe Jaeger is the one for you. And for Jaeger to truly succeed his new home must also be willing to adopt his biggest supporter, the beautiful Sage. 

Link to Sage's Bio

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