Red Stick German Shepherd Rescue
We like Ike! We think you'll like Ike too.
Ike appears to be a hunky German Shepherd. He appears likely to be purebred (occasionally purebred German Shepherds have shorter muzzles and big heads like he does). Without knowing his parents, we'll never know for sure, but our educated guess is that he's likely full-blooded.
The shelter's vet estimated that Ike is probably around 5 years old. He has the demeanor and physical presence of a strong dog in the prime of his life. (Shepherds sometimes start getting a little "snow" around their muzzles as young as 3--just like early gray hairs popping up on not-so-old human heads--so it's very hard to guess the age based on the muzzle.)
Ike is a housedog who loves human and canine company. He currently lives with two young, playful GSD females, and he's delights in playing with the younger dogs. He's happy to let them playfully "gang up" on him and run around the house or yard. In fact, he'll cheerfully roll over and give up his belly in play, even for dogs half his size. He's a real gentleman with nothing to prove when he plays with other dogs--it's all good fun, as far as he's concerned. He would love to share a home with other sociable dogs.
Ike is also the "favorite" of the neighborhood kids who live near his foster home. Kids drop by to visit him and play with him, and he loves the attention! He's been terrific meeting lots of different kids, so we think he would enjoy living with a family with children.
Ike's very strong on walks, so we recommend that his adopter commit to a positive-method obedience course to help Ike learn how to channel his natural intelligence. Adult dogs thrive in good obedience courses--they keep learning all through their lives, and fun obedience exercises are terrific ways to bond with German Shepherds of any age! Ike loves to please so he'll be a marvelous dog to train.
Ike tested positive for heartworms, but he hasn't exhibited any symptoms -- which is a great sign. He is starting his "slow-kill" treatment in foster care. His adopter simply needs to keep him on Advantage Multi as a heartworm preventative once a month, which costs under $15 per month, to continue the treatment.