ASKAN

Gender: Male
Age: ~10.5 months (approx. DOB Feb 12,2018)
Size/Weight: 42 lbs (still underweight)

Color: Charlcoal & White

Breed: English Setter

Good with Children: There are no children in Askan’s foster home, but he is playful and loving with everyone, so I think he would be fine with children.  He is a bit uncoordinated and goofy, so he would need to be carefully supervised with young children who he might run into and knock over.

Good with Dogs: Yes. Askan LOVES other dogs.  He lives in a foster home with 8 others and is very friendly with all of them.  He wants to play with everyone and doesn’t understand why his older furry sisters aren’t interested in playing with him.  His foster brother Sozo is his best friend, and they will chase and wrestle for hours.  Occasionally, they get too energetic about things and one of them will yelp and I will have to break them up for a few moments, but then they are immediately ready to play again. He thinks everyone should love him and isn’t always good at reading signals, so his older fur siblings sometimes get annoyed with him, but he just kisses them anyway.  He loves other dogs and would really benefit from another friendly and energetic playmate in his new home.  

Good with Cats: Unknown.  There are no cats in Askan’s foster home, but his rescuers in Greece reported that he is good with cats.  

House trained: Mostly.  Askan does not ever mess in his crate, but he does drink TONS of water – more than I have ever seen – and he will occasionally pee a lake on the floor if he has gulped a lot of water and you miss his signal that he needs to go out.  If you get him out regularly after drinking and make sure he goes, then he does well inside.  I do limit his water intake right before bed, and he does fine through the night.

Crate trained: Yes, but he doesn’t like it.  Askan will go into his crate for a treat and for his meals, but he need enticement to go in.  He sleeps calmly through the night, but tends to fuss first thing in the morning and any time he is crated and can hear people in the house.  He does settle eventually, but he really does not like to be crated.

Leash trained: Somewhat. Askan has mostly had free roam of the fenced yard in his foster home, but I occasionally have to leash walk him.  He tries to chew the leash and sometimes just sits down or rolls over.  He will need more work on his leash-walking skills, but he does not pull.

Activity Level: Typical setter energy.  Askan is a young setter and he loves to run and play.  He is a big, goofy boy, and he is a lot faster than you think.  After a good long run around the big yard, some high speed chase with his foster brother and a good wrestling match or two, he will settle in well in the house and chill out.  He does love to cuddle.  If his person is in the room with him, he loves to snuggle up in your lap on the couch.  He needs a good amount of exercise but also has the cuddly setter nature indoors.

Fence: Very Strongly Preferred.  Askan doesn’t expend his energy fully when on leash and really needs a safely fenced yard to get enough exercise.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Askan will need a 6 foot high privacy or aluminum fence to be safely contained.  He has proven that he can climb/jump the 5 foot chain link fence in his foster home, so he is closely supervised when out in the yard.

Training/Behavior: Askan has not had a lot of training yet, and he is a big, overgrown puppy.  He still chews things if foster mom is not watching (he particularly likes to steal the bedding out of his brother’s crate and he likes to chew on the carpet runners).  He is also a counter surfer if given the opportunity.

Askan would definitely benefit from doing an obedience class with his new family.  He has some learning to do, but he is extremely sweet and eager to please.  He is also very sensitive and needs patient and gentle training and reinforcement.  He flinches from raised voices and was probably mistreated in his past.

Medical History: Askan is healthy, UTD on all vaccinations, and is on flea/tick and heartworm prevention. Before coming to the USA, Askan was intentionally poisoned with rat poison that had been tossed into his yard.  Fortunately, his Greek foster realized something was wrong right away and got him to the vet immediately.  He was very ill and in critical condition for a number of days, but he was given excellent care and pulled through.  It has been more than 60 days since he was poisoned, and he is not showing any signs of illness.  A full CBC was run in his USA foster home - he had slightly elevated BUN and PHOS levels, but the vet attributed those to his age and diet, and she was not at all concerned. He did have some intestinal bacteria when he first arrived, but that has been fully treated and resolved. 

Askan originates from Greece where Leishmaniasis is endemic. He tested negative before coming to the USA, but the parasite can remain dormant in the system for many years, so potential adopters must be willing to commit to annual testing for the next 7 years.  Typically, the test needs to be sent to a special lab, but any regular vet can draw the blood and send it to the lab.  The test typically costs $120-150.

        
Foster Comments:
Askan is a stunningly beautiful and very loving dog.  He is friendly with everyone and just wants attention and love.  He doesn’t really understand the concept of personal space, so he needs a family who doesn’t mind a 50 pound lapdog.  He also really needs a furry playmate in his new home.  He wants to run, play and wrestle outside, then chill and snuggle on the couch inside.  Askan is a world-class cuddler and he would really love a family that would welcome him to sleep in bed with them.  

Askan had a really hard start to life.  I don’t know a lot about his background, but he was found when he was about 7-8 months old on the streets in Greece as skinny as a skeleton.  He is also missing a piece of his right ear flap – you cannot see it because the hair has grown over it, but you can feel it when you pet him.  He is a little timid as a result, but quickly warms up to anyone who is gentle with him and will pet and cuddle him.

Askan is a wonderful boy, and he deserves a home that will give him all the love in the world.  

Adoption Fee: $395.00

Foster Location: Temperence, MI

Volunteer transport can be arranged in the Continental US within a 1,000 mile distance between adopters & foster home. Typically, we are able to transport your adopted dog to within 2 hours of your home. *Dogs can be adopted outside the 1000 mile transport distance; however, adopters must be willing to either fly their adopted dog, drive to a location within the 1000 mile transport range, or make independent transport arrangements for their adopted dog. Transports to far West states, from Eastern states, may have additional restriction