Adopted!

Tanner is currently being fostered in Chilliwack. Once he is neutered and up on his vaccinations, and we get to know him more, he will be looking for that special home where at least one person is home during the day to continue on with his development and socialization. 

When we know more about Tanner, we will update his page, so please check back on this special boy!

Here is yet another young boy in need. 

Tanner is about 4 months old. He has come into animal control with a terrible eye infection which has been checked and we are waiting to hear the results of.

He is a little on the shy side, but he so badly wants a human friend. He is a quiet puppy who is very cute and special in his unique personality. 

His little body is a handsome black & tan plush coat with adorable ears and kind eyes. He needs a home where he will receive gentle treatment and lots of love, encouraging his true personality to emerge as he grows. 

July 29th 2008 ~ Update

Tanner is a sweet natured, happy go lucky boy. He is pretty much laid back, but does like to play with the other dogs. He loves playing with toys and with his canine pals in his foster home. He gets along with males and females with no problem. His idea of a perfect life would be one where he could be a lap dog! He'll come and put all of the front of his body in my lap but I draw the line at the hind legs. He's so disappointed!

He walks beautifully on leash. He's quite observant and gentle, will sit when he comes up to you and waits patiently for his share of some pats and attention.

Tanner takes his treats gently, even when there is quite a few other dogs in the row waiting for theirs. 

He is a quiet boy for the most part, but does let out a big bark when he thinks he hears something we should all be notified about. 

Tanner has been diagnosed with Entrophian. It is a condition where the eye lids roll in slightly and the eye lashes scratch/irritate the eye and cause tearing. We can't even imagine what having eyelashes in your eye all the time feels like. There is a chance that Tanner will just grow out of this, and we are giving him a few more months to see if that ill be the case, rather than putting him through surgery. Until then, he is on medicated drops, that are given three times a day and this helps him tremendously.. 

If it should be that Tanner is does need the surgery after all, GSRBC will cover this cost for his new family if they are unable. Tanner is going on 6 months now, and this is the time that he should be with his new family. All the important and fun stuff is being missed! Of course we love to have playful and good natured puppies around, and howl with laughter at their funny antics. But these memories should belong to Tanner's new family, not us. He loves everyone even though he is slightly uncomfortable; he still seems to let you know that he loves you unconditionally.

Overall, we are quite pleased with Tanner and think he would make a great addition to any family. If you are interested in Tanner, don't wait to apply. His puppy hood is slipping away.... Tanner deserves a wonderful home that loves and adores him as much as we do!!

August 21st 2008 ~ Update

Tanner has been doing amazingly well and is stealing the hearts of everyone he meets! He loves to have his head scratched, and once you show him the least bit of affection, he is yours completely. He has such a happy and carefree attitude that you can't help but melt into a pool of butter ;)

Tanner will have his eye surgery and also be neutered on August 27th. We were hoping to wait until he went into his new home to have this done, so that he could heal up easier than in a multi-dog household, but it isn't looking like that is going to happen. Since Tanner is coming up on 6 months now, he needs to be neutered for sure! Tanner and Asia have a group date at the vet on the same day, and we'll have a welcome puppy free day!.

September 12th 2008 ~ Update

After being very briefly adopted, (2 days) Tanner is back in our care. 

Tanner is a young dog, that is under socialized. Due to the fact that he really couldn't see for the 5 months of his life, he has missed out on some important socialization skills. At times, Tanner will bark at certain men and is quite uncomfortable with some of  them.  His new family was not comfortable helping Tanner through this, and he has been returned to our care.

Tanner is very aware of human body language and does not do well with people that are overly forward with him. GSRBC will continue to work with Tanner, but  he will need an experienced owner in his new home.  

Tanner is now just over 6 months old, he is house trained, he plays well with other dogs and completely loves children. He loves women too and would do best in a house full of them! However, that is not realistic, and not likely to happen, so Tanner will need a man in his life that will be a true leader and show him that he can indeed find safety there too. 

We're sorry to see Tanner come back so soon and we will make sure that his next home has a strong commitment and is indeed his final home.

October 23rd 2008 ~ Update

Tanner is the “big shy kid” type. He is head strong and can be dominate at times. (or tries to be) He makes friends slowly, unless you have really good treats like chicken bits or some kind of meat – that speeds up the process! He is a Bull Terrier and German Shepherd mix, not a mix I would have put together but it really works for him. He is very sweet but very much a baby, a momma’s boy. ;)

He has gotten along with other dogs here in foster care, and we will continue to socialize him with strange dogs outside of the home. He is definitely not the type of dog that will greet visitors to your home, he will keep his distance, and sometimes even bark at them until they've been there a few minutes... but there is benefit to that – at least he will not be jumping up on everyone! He is the type that bonds with his family members whether it is a sole person or a group; he just feels no need to be a stranger’s friend. However, he is an alert dog and an excellent watch dog.

Tanner is neutered and vaccinated, he is ready to find a permanent home.

November 30th ~ Update

Tanner has been patiently waiting for a long time for his special people to find him. He has made HUGE progress in the last month and is greeting people coming into the house with a happy tail and is interacting well. 

This boy is such a love, and absolutely soaks up every bit of attention and hugs that he gets. He LOVES to have his tummy rubbed, and gets all silly and wiggly when you do. I swear this dog actually smiles. 

Tanner wants no trouble and will still cower somewhat when he thinks you are mad at him. But once he realizes that he isn't going to be hit and that he is still loved, he puts his head down and comes over with a big "I'm sorry" look on his face and begs for forgiveness. haha.

Tanner is still young and still can not have free run of the house when left alone. He has demolished a throw cushion and started to work on the side of an old chair. He can kill and disembowel a stuffy in 2 minutes, and does better with harder toys like Kongs or nylabones.  He is put in the bedroom when we go out, and is free in there and touches nothing. But we make sure he has lots of toys to occupy himself with, and sometimes we will put Asia in with him to keep him company. 

Tanner adores Asia and they are very close friends. They seek each other out and you can often find them snuggling together. However, that doesn't stop them from interacting and bonding deeply to people. Asia helps Tanner so much with his socialization issues, as she just thinks the world is her oyster and all people are deeply in love with her and must want to see her right away! Tanner has sat back and watched this circus for some time now and has decided that since new people are always loving her up and giving her treats, he would like to get in on the action as well. 

We feel that Tanner should live with another dog, as if on his own, he could easily become a handful for an unsuspecting owner as he grows. Tanner will need to be with an easy going, social dog, but not a fearful one, as he will bully them if given half the chance. He shows strong traits of the bull terrier breed, with the wits and intelligence of the GSD. Because of this, he needs a firm, kind and knowledgeable owner. As with all dogs, he does best with strong leadership that is fair and consistent. Tanner has no problem following the rules as long as they are clearly spelled out for him. 

We love Tanner, and we know there is the perfect home out there for him! 

December 30th ~ Update

Tanner  needs a stay-at-home person. He's very sweet and friendly, and has a wonderfully friendly personality & gentle disposition. He LOVES to be with his people, but also gets along well with other dogs. He has grown out of the chewing stage and can now have run of the house when I go out.  He is perfectly house trained and has a clear understanding of what is his and what is mine.

Tanner has puppy energy, but is not a high drive dog. I can usually find him fast asleep on my bed with all four of his feet sticking straight up in the air! He does love the finer things in life. ;)

He has come a very long way with meeting new people and welcoming them into me home. However, he is still working on leash manners and meeting new dogs and people in new and strange situations. To be fair to Tanner, he has not got a lot of work in these areas as his caregiver has had a lot on her plate lately! But we'll get there. :)

Tanner is not a biter and any reactions he has (mostly barking with some growling towards strange dogs outside the home) are fear based. He is afraid of the unknown and what another dog's intentions are, so he tries to make himself as big as he can and show them how ferocious he can me! Once he is taken over and introduced properly, he may try to bully a bit, but a quick correction and he is fine and happy to socialize. 

He is at times, still leery of some men he meets outside of the home. But anyone and everyone is welcome *in* our home. Silly Tanner, he's got that all backwards. 

Tanner takes his cues from the other dogs in our pack and has realized that anyone invited into our home must be a friend. He will seek them out immediately and sometimes become pushy even for their attention! A far cry from when he first came into our care.

Tanner is a really soulful boy. What I call an 'old soul'. You can tell right away there is something deeper to Tanner when you look in his eyes. I am going to miss this boy a great deal when he finds his special people to bring him into their lives. 

January 26th 2009 ~ Update

Tanner is learning basic obedience (sit, stay, heel and wait ). He is a lovely neutered male who needs a caring home with folks who are consistent and assertive with him. He is attentive and very laid back. He is just so easy to be around! Not a high maintenance dog at all! 

Tanner loves kids and would do well in a home with respectful, well mannered children. In fact, a special person/child is exactly what he needs in his life. Someone he can to cuddle up to and be a best buddy to. Crates are still rather scary to him, but he will go into it when it's time for his knuckle bone. He settles quickly and can spend a few hours in there. However, he would much rather forgo the bone and go sleep in the bedroom instead when I go out.

He's a sweet little rascal with a HUGE heart and funny antics galore. He is looking for an INDOOR situation where he will be an integral part of the family. Tanner is extremely attentive to humans. He has great eye-contact and is just dying to learn new stuff. He'd make a wonderful agility or fly ball dog, and may have good herding potential! He loves attention and petting and puts his head under your hand (slightly bossy) to nudge if you forget he's there and waiting for pats.

Although Tanner is somewhat laid back, he is no couch potato and will need to go to a home where he'll be kept busy and where he can learn new things. He is totally willing to do your bidding and will make such a fun companion!

February 27th 2009 ~ Update

Our special boy with the big personality has moved over to Pender Island! He is greatly missed around here, but is doing well in his new foster home and enjoying meeting new people and getting along well with Zeeva, the resident GSD. 

Tanner will benefit from a more one on one atmosphere, and will continue on in his obedience training. He will even get the opportunity to do some tracking once a week! We are looking forward to seeing how he does with that!

Tanner is a medium size boy, roughly around 60lbs and will not get much bigger than he is now. He is neutered, housetrained and is not a chewer of anything other than his toys. He has good house manners, though will absolutely steal whatever is left out on the counter, so all things must be put away ;)

Tanner has a great heart, is very personable and is a joy to have around. He is spunky and funny and wiggles all over like a jelly fish when he has done something that has made you laugh. He is a treasure and would be a great addition to a dog experienced home. 

April 27th 2009 ~ Update

 Tanner is enjoying his Spring Break on Pender Island.  What a wonderful boy!!  He is calm but eager with all the new things that he is experiencing.  We spend a lot of time hiking on the many trails and he loves exploring.  Turns out Tanner is a great traveler, too!  He loves to peer out through the middle of the windshield from his perch in the back seat to see what lies ahead. 

Tanner and Zeeva enjoy each other's company and love to wrestle and chase.  I am so impressed with his ability to get along with other dogs ... all shapes and sizes.  He easily picks up on their signals and is respectful of their space.  However, he does prefer the ones that want to play instantly.

We have been working on his obedience and he learns very quickly.  Like most pups he does what is asked and then wants to get on with the next thing so we are practicing patience.  "Stay" is definitely more a "pause" than a "stay".  We are also building his confidence by meeting as many new people as we can.  Once he gets to know you he is definitely your best buddy.

Tanner is such a calm, gentle, handsome dog that when people meet him they fall immediately.  He loves to curl up with you on the couch when watching tv but is raring to go when there is an outing afoot. He is such a soulful boy, who steals the hearts of everyone in his path!

May 2009 ~ Update

 Tanner continues to meet more and more new people and dogs.  He greets new dogs politely and usually invites him/her to play.  I appreciate that when he meets one that is not "enamored" by his puppy ways, he moves on or is distracted easily.  He loves wrestling with his housemates, Cassidy and Zeeva. 

When asked, Tanner walks well on leash or responds to a gentle correction.  Off leash, recall is quite good and he often "checks in".  At the "dog park" he is polite to all but when it gets too rambunctious for him, he looks to his human for guidance. This month we have been working on his self-control, by practicing lots of "wait" and "stay" with varying amounts of distraction.   

Because Tanner is still building confidence when meeting new people we are learning some simple "tricks" that he can perform to take his mind off any stressful encounter. He loves to work on his tricks but sometimes looks forlorn and can't understand why he has to sit for sooooo long. 

June 2009 ~ Update

Tanner is always curious and loves to meet children and dogs.  He has been playing a lot of disc golf ... that means accompanying his foster dad around the course.  He is off leash there and usually stays close at hand.  Tanner loves to play with any other dogs on the course but when he sees people he often ignores them and would rather get on with the game.

Tanner is proficient with the commands of sit, down, come, and sit/stay ... but down/stay ... is a lot harder for him.  We are continuing to work with him in this area.  Tanner is a very quick learner.  His repertoire of tricks is growing and he will readily perform them.   He loves to show off and his wiggly tail shows how much he is enjoying his "work".

We knew he couldn't resist for long.  Tanner is now an official water dog!!  At first he would only bounce around the edge of the pool trying to get the other dogs to chase him but now he jumps right in with a splash.  He loves to dig and try to keep everyone else out. 

Tanner is patiently waiting for that perfect home as he is so full of love and is so eager to please.  He has bonded very deeply to his foster family but would love one of his very own.  Tanner can't understand why he is waiting so long for his people to come.  He is calm and patient in our household ready to relax, play or set off on a new adventure, what ever YOU wish to do, Tanner is ready, willing and able. 

July 13th 2009 ~ Adopted!

Our little boy Tanner has found himself a family that think he is just as amazing as we do!

Not only does he get a great home, but he gets to stay very close to all his friends and extended family. Tanner has many people on Pender Island that completely adore him! He's made many friends in the area, both two legged and four legged, and will continue to see them all regularly!

We are all so happy for Tanner to find such an amazing home! Thank you to Kim & Jon for giving Tanner his happy ever after, and to Gerry, Tim & Zeeva for opening your doors yet again to another needy soul.

We wish you well Tanner! Keep showing them all that amazing big heart of yours :)

Special thanks to all of Tanner's sponsors!

Thank you for helping us to help him!

We are a registered non-profit Charity as of April 1st 2005