From Elko's current home: I have an absolutely beautiful, fun loving 5 year old herding mix named Elko. Unfortunately we have come to the heartbreaking decision to find a new home for him.
My husband and I have been his only owners, adopting him at 10 weeks old from Idaho and bringing him home to Bend, Oregon, where he has lived most of his life up until this past fall when we moved to Whitefish, Montana. We had a baby 2.5 years ago and sadly his world has gotten slowly smaller and smaller since then.
From a very early age, puppy class, he has shown reactivity signs toward other dogs. We have gone through numerous trainers with him and have made huge strides, especially with e-collar training the past year. While nothing has happened, we know his signals of when he is uncomfortable in a situation so well that we have never trusted him around our kid, or other kids for that matter. To afford to live in Whitefish we had to downsize homes, which has resulted in Elko having to be by himself in a room while our daughter is up to keep both of them comfortable and safe. This is not the life we want for him and we hope to find someone that will give him the life and attention he deserves.
To say we love him like family is an understatement. Elko has lived an incredibly full life thus far and we want him to continue to. He is most joyous when he can be by your side for whatever that day's adventure is. He absolutely loves playing in snow, bounding along forest trails, swimming, playing fetch, and is a star frisbee player. He loves going on car rides, playing with toys, or curling up on the couch for a cuddle. He is loving, loyal, empathetic, and has the silliest personality.
He is completely up to date on all vaccinations, neutered, and is microchipped. He has been used to monthly grooming and daily exercise.
An ideal situation for Elko would be a home without other dogs or kids. We have had success with him getting used to other submissive dogs though. While I’m sure he would thrive somewhere with land, such as a farm or property, he really doesn’t need it, he just needs someone that has the time to give him the attention he deserves. Perfect situation would be an active owner that is looking for an adventure buddy.