ARGUS is approximately 10 years young, 54 pounds and best guess a Shepherd mix. He is in excellent health., has been very loved and well taken care of.

Unfortunately Argus' home life has changed when a baby (now a toddler) joined the family which has proved to be too stressful for Argus and with heavy hearts and professional guidance, the family understands that Argus would be much happier in a home without the stress of a toddler's energy. We asked his family to write about him so together we can find him a perfect family for him to join, share his loyalty and his later years of adventuring with...

Argus is a good boy in so many ways. We’ve had 10 wonderful years with him. We’ve put in countless hours of training, confidence building and relationship building to help Argus be his best self, and he has come so far.

Over the years, our favorite ways to spend time with Argus are chilling at home and off-leash adventures in the woods. At home, he just likes to be in his own space in his crate or up on the couch, usually somewhere he can see us. We love when he decides to come and sit right next to us, but we let him do this on his terms. We like practicing tricks (he knows: sit, down, stay, paw, touch, spin, weave, speak, place, off, leave it), and we often incorporate these into his meal times. For off-leash adventures, we love going to places we know are generally quiet and with few people. He has reliable recall. He has attended weekly off leash “doggie camp” since he was 11 months. In the woods with his family, he stays within eyesight, stops to check in, and comes when called. I have even called him off of deer chases. While he positively loves off-leash freedom, he is a nice on-leash walking companion around our neighborhood as well. While something busy like Burlington’s Church Street sets his nerves on edge, he has no problem walking around any other part of Burlington. He passes bikes, runners, skateboards etc. with no concern.

He is very nose-oriented. He loves being outside to explore interesting smells, and that can occasionally cause some delay to his recall (ie “Just one second mom, I’m busy using my sniffer!). We’ve enjoyed several Nosework classes together, at which he excelled. He loves the opportunity to explore, build relationship, and build confidence in these types of settings. And he is VERY food motivated! He will do nearly anything for a treat, and he is not picky!

Physical space is a very important resource for him - he needs space to trust new humans and dogs on his own time. When he is not afforded space from those he is not yet comfortable with, he will dodge, or occasionally snap. This is the only reason we are rehoming him, given the safety concern for our toddler. While Argus does take time to warm up to any new humans and dogs (ie. many intros where he is afforded space to just be), once you are inside his inner circle, he loves fiercely. He has a close inner circle of humans and dogs that he has been granted the opportunity to get to know over time and build trust, and he gets SO excited to see them.

For humans and dogs not in his inner circle, we just do our best to ensure he is given physical space. An example of this is a service worker coming to our house - we tell the person to not pet Argus and to ignore him. Argus barks when the new person knocks at the door, is very eager to sniff, and then just wants to go lay down by himself. When he passes an unknown dog on trail, we either leash and go around or do a very brief greeting and move along. On leashed walks, we always make space between ourselves and another passing dog, and Argus responds to this beautifully.

At home, Argus is very chill. He doesn’t ask for much. He is not particular about his meal times. He likes to chill on the couch or in his crate. (Our current set up is an open crate as a safe space, within a gated area of our house due to our toddler.) He sleeps a lot. He’ll bark if someone comes up to our door; in general, he is a very quiet dog. He loves working on a bone or peanut butter Kong. He’s often the last one out of bed in the morning. He likes it when he can see his family, e.g., he’ll follow us up to the 2nd floor if we’re hanging out up there. We do know he does not like to be shut away and then left. The handful of times we’ve needed to crate him and leave the house or put him behind a door and left, he has barked incessantly. He’s had run of the house up until our recent toddler transition, and he’s never disrespected that freedom. Aside from his very early puppy stage, he’s never chewed, destroyed, or gone to the bathroom in the house when left alone, even up to 8-9 hours when we were at work. He’s spent all his life in a house with access to a backyard, where he spends time sniffing and using the bathroom. An apartment would be another adjustment for him. Though nervous, he tolerates vet visits, nail trimmings and baths (with ample treats!). Aside from unfamiliar faces, the only other consistent stressors are thunderstorms, fireworks, and snow falling off the roof (he trembles, but can be distracted with treats).

Argus loves adventure. Even as a wee puppy, he’s loved the car and car rides. He’s even done a cross country road trip and tolerated 10-12 hour car rides like a champion.

An ideal living situation for Argus would be one or two adult humans that can provide consistency, and ideally someone who can spend time at home with Argus while he acclimates. He will need someone willing to be very patient and give him space, as Argus will need time to build trust and confidence with a new person. He would love a quiet home without lots of unfamiliar faces coming and going. He benefits from mental and physical exercise, but nothing excessive. He definitely needs a home without children and without other dogs. (He has visited with cats before, but we would suggest a home without cats as well since it will just be another stressor.)

Argus is in Burlington, VT ready to meet you.

Please apply here:
https://longtraildogs.org/adoption-application/