Scruffy came to us after a concerner person found him wandering the streets. It seems Scruffy was wandering the streets for at least a month too scared to come up to people..finally after cornering him in someone's back yard, they brought him to us. Poor guy is painfully shy for about 24-48 hours but after some string cheese treats and some gentle petting he has come around...he is great with cats and my other dogs..he loves to play and run around the back yard. he does have a premature cataract in his left eye but his vision is normal otherwise!

 

Foster update 1/7: Scruffy is such an amazing, loving, fun, gentle pet!  We think he is TRAMP from the Lady and the Tramp movie and he looks like a cross between a bear and a wolf!  His bark (when someone knocks on the door) is deep and loud giving a very misleading signal that he could be highly dangerous to intruders!    He is totally housetrained, kennel trained, cat & dog friendly, intuitive, surprisingly fun and puppy-like.  A portion of my wooden fence broke and he got out, yet only walked around to the front yard and didn’t run away.  He has also slipped out the front door wanting to go bye-bye with my 17 year old and again didn’t run off either.  If you think you are done petting him, he gently tries to pull your finger, hand, arm back over to him.  Takes treats very gently as well and is not food, child, kid aggressive in the least.  My 1 year old nephew crawled into his kennel which caused him great concern so he paced back and forth.  When my nephew tried to reenter it, Scruffy pulled him back several times by his pantsleg.  Yes he was very gentle, but I was very cautious with the baby and Scruffy and hope his new “parents” are as well.  I don’t think he will hurt the baby, but am concerned that he thinks he is a dog that should play with him.  He also gently nips at the back of your leg or ankle get you to turn around and play some more.  When I have strangers over, he will approach them, but will stay arms-length away, but doesn’t bark or show any aggression toward anyone.  He has a lot of playful puppy in him and plays ball, carries my slippers around (does not chew them up though), rolls around the grass with my other two smaller dogs (westies).  Sometimes you see a dog that exemplifies the image of a “boy and his dog” and Scruffy just needs his boy

 

Foster update 1/26: Scruffy has been in my home since Christmas and continues to do well with adults, children, small children, dogs and cats.  He loves to play with the dogs and will reach out and grab a sleeve as you walk by to encourage a little petting.  He is bouncy and prances when he walks and he practically twists when he is playing!  Scruffy’s manners are impeccable - he continues to be extremely gentle when taking food, when playing with the smaller dogs and even leaves when the other two bark at each other over a bone.  He certainly knows his way to the couch now, but he also curls up on the medium sized dog bed in the living room and bedroom.  While Judy’s may have lots of puppies available, isn’t it better to adopt a dog that you already know is smart, well behaved, kennel trained, house trained?  I certainly think so.  This is a wonderful, friendly, playful dog just waiting for a family to adopt him.

Foster 3/18: He is doing so well: he still likes to eat in his crate, but doesn't spend much time in it.  He likes to go for walks, but only potties in the fenced yard.  He is very playful but well-behaved, he would love a dog his size to play with.
He loves to run around in the yard. He has not bothered the cats, and is great with the little dogs.  He sleeps in my bed or my older daughter's bed at night.
I hope the people will not be gone all day. He is such a loving dog, he really deserves a lot of attention.

 

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Miniature Schnauzer is reportedly a result of crosses between the Standard Schnauzer, the Affenpinscher and perhaps the Poodle. He is originally a German breed, named after the German word for muzzle, "Schnauze." The Miniature Schnauzer excels at killing rats, but today it is mostly a popular and esteemed companion. Some of the Schnauzer's talents include: hunting, tracking, watchdogging, competitive obedience, and performing tricks. Very perky and bright-eyed. Loving and intelligent. Energetic, affectionate, and obedient. Playful, happy and alert, they like children. The Miniature Schnauzer enjoys time and companionship from its owner. Without the proper leadership, it can be feisty and fairly dog-aggressive - putting on a show of superiority without necessarily intending to fight. This can be fairly dangerous for the Miniature Schnauzer, who will challenge even large dogs, sometimes bringing more trouble on himself than he really wanted. Socialize this breed well with other dogs when it is still a puppy. If properly introduced, and if the dog does not see himself as pack leader, the Miniature Schnauzer will get along with another dog. They make good companions and family pets. Schnauzers tend to bark a lot, but it does not have a yappy bark it sounds like a low carried-out voice, howl of a voice. They make good guard dogs and mouse catchers. They are excellent watchdogs and are great to travel with. Some can be reserved with strangers, but most love everyone. Socialize well. Do not allow this little dog to developed Small Dog Syndrome, a human induced behavior where the dog feels he is pack leader to humans. This can cause a varying degree of behavior problems, including, but not limited to separation anxiety, willful, nervous, barky, guarding, bold and sometimes temperamental, not hesitating to attack much bigger dogs. A mentally stable dog, who gets enough mental and physical exercise will have a totally different personality. These are not Miniature Schnauzer traits, but rather behaviors brought on by the way the dog is treated by the people around him. It is all up to the humans. As soon as the humans start being true pack leaders, the dogs behavior will change for the better.