ADOPTED
Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle.
We at PDR believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.
Meet Grayson, the cuddly male Australian Shepherd mix, born November 17, 2022. At the tender age of 6 weeks, he was rescued on a stormy winter day in late December, along with several other puppies, as they were at risk of being terminated from a puppy mill.
His foster home is a busy household with an 8 month old Labradoodle foster, another 8 week old Boston Terrier/cross and an adopted 3 year old Basset hound Terrier cross. These early weeks are proving to be an active stage with daily growth, curiosity and socialization. They are learning so much from each other.
Grayson has thick, soft and fluffy fur, which I expect to need regular grooming as he grows. He loves to run, play and interact with all of his four-legged friends. He plays hard and earns his naps. He doesn’t complain when he is placed in the x-pen with his other 8 week old rescue. He sleeps well, but will often wake-up before his mate, which starts the puppy playtime. This occurs several times throughout the day.
His forever home, would require full-time care during these early developing weeks and months, as indicated with segments of required play and nap-time throughout a 24 hour cycle. Pups are full of energy and are curious to explore the world around them. Anything on the floor or within reaching height is fair game for Grayson. He is expected to be a medium – large sized dog, 40-60 lbs With consistent routines and daily training and exercise, combined with good nutrition he is sure to give back his love and trust to his adoptive family. First, you have to get through the crazy puppy stage. Expect to have bathroom accidents in the home, moments of puppy cries and barking, and items to be chewed.
We will only consider homes for the Grayson where someone is home or has the capabilities to come home throughout the day. Puppies need to be taken outside for bathroom breaks very regularly when they are small and will not be able to hold it for an 8hr work day. We are also looking for families that are fully aware of the time commitment of a puppy and the work involved. Puppies are a total joy and bring so much love and happiness into a home, but you cannot underestimate the work and time involved in raising a puppy properly. They need constant supervision while young to expedite the house-training stage and to ensure they aren’t chewing on anything inappropriate. We are also looking for a family that will crate train him as we fully believe that this is the best for pups and offers them a quiet and secure “den” to call their own. A crate trained pup is a blessing as it offers a safe place to put them when you can’t be watching them all the time.
We will consider a home for Grayson with children over 8yrs of age. Puppies have their typical barking/jumping/biting stage coming up and will be too much for younger children. If there 
will be young children in the home (8rs to 11yrs) then we would need the family to be experienced dog owners who are fully aware of how to manage a young, excitable puppy with young, excitable children. Supervision is key and the adults in the home would need to ensure that puppy/children management is a task they wish to take on. For a home without young children we would consider 1st time dog owners for Grayson. Any family considering him is required to take obedience training and socialization seriously and must have the time to dedicate in the 1st year of the dog’s life. The more that is accomplished in his 1st year, the better dog he will be! A home with or without other dogs is just fine. A home with a cat would be fine as well keeping in mind that proper training and supervision is key around a cat. Grayson won’t be suitable for high-rise apartment living but would be suitable for townhouse, ground floor condo, semi or single detached homes. Keeping in mind of course that while he is settling in, a crying puppy in the crate when no one is home is to be expected so if an attached living situation, there must be good noise barriers to avoid neighbor complaints. Their adoptive home needs to be active and outdoorsy as Australian breed / cross will require good couple walks a day in all weather as they grow. Grayson will be suited for higher energy activities so very active people would be a great fit. He will require more than just simple walk around the block. A home with a good sized fenced in yard would be ideal and convenient for puppy training but is not mandatory. Pups need easy and quick access to a grassy spot outside for the million trips out for potty training.
Grayson is too young to be neutered before adoption so potential adopters must live within a reasonable distance (within an hour) of Cambridge as the pups must be returned to our vet at 6 months of age to be neutered (included in adoption cost). Adopters must be able to drop off the pup in the morning and pick up later that day for this surgery. Adopters will be responsible for the continuation of puppy vaccinations and all other required vet care at their veterinarian of choice. They will have had everything medically that puppies their age should have and have been microchipped as well. The forever family must also not have any holidays away planned for months coming up after adoption or be planning to move in the near future. Stability is key in months after adoption.
We will be expecting our adoptive families to attend puppy socialization class with their new pup immediately upon adoption, along with, at minimum, level 1 obedience school after. The guidance and lessons learned in puppy classes are very important to getting your pup off to a good start. We interact with Grayson every day and will be offering him everything he needs to be the best pup he can when he leaves our care, but we need the adoptive families to take over for us when they get the pup goes home. We take our responsibilities to these pups very seriously and only want the best for them. Grayson is raised in our home, in our care, with someone home 24 hours a day. We adore him and will settle for nothing less than a dedicated, loving family that is well aware of the breed requirements and the needs of a puppy and this breed mix. If you have been thinking about adding a large breed puppy to your family and have the time and patience to properly raise a pup then he may just be perfect for you. We know you will fall in love with him as deeply as we have when you meet him. It is easy to cuddle and play with these bundles of fur, however they will outgrow their puppy characteristics and require years of dedication and offer the same love, affection and care as a mature dog.