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Rogers, a four-year-old male shepherd mix, is looking for his forever home.
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But it needs to be the right home because while Rogers is great with humans, he tends to be reactive with other dogs.
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“He’s a huge softie, loves to snuggle and climb on your lap,” said Toronto Humane Society spokesperson Jessica Harwood.
“Rogers is a very social dog but he prefers to be around people once he warms up to them. He doesn’t really tolerate his own kind,” she added. “So with that in mind, the ideal home for Rogers would be perhaps out of the city, like in the suburbs or a rural area, so he doesn’t have to deal with the pressures of being in a busy environment.”
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Harwood said after being transferred to THS in December 2021 from southern Ontario, Rogers was adopted two weeks later. However, he was returned three months after that.
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“We’ve had him since March 2022 and he was surrendered due to instances involving being around other dogs,” she said.
“In the shelter environment, Rogers displayed fearful behaviours with other dogs so we placed him in a foster home with foster parents who had experience helping other dogs like Rogers through positive reinforcement training techniques,” added Harwood. “So while he was with his foster family, his behaviour tremendously improved and he became comfortable with wearing a muzzle while going for walks. He’s great for hikes and stuff like that. He’s generally good on a leash when there’s no other dogs around.”
Harwood said Rogers previously was “a highly stressed boy and overwhelmed by moving to the big city. He is much more mellow now.”
UPDATE: Dexter, the one-year-old male Siberian husky-shepherd mix from April’s Forever Friend column, is still looking for his forever home and receiving medical care.