ADOPTED
Are you ready to meet your new best friend? This is Leif, a polite young man with a mind sharper than his puppy teeth and soft, cinnamon-toast coloured fur. If you give 
him your love, he will return it a thousand times and live every moment with eyes only for you. Leif is an 8mth old Cockapoo looking for his forever home.
Leif started behind the 8 ball in life; rescued from a puppy mill, never having known the warmth of a family or even a kind touch. Our first meeting was a little touch-and-go. He had just been rescued and was now in our kitchen, muzzle still wet from being car-sick on the way over. After some gentle cleanup with a warm towel and some fresh air, he started to explore, just like the person who inspired his name. Within hours he tucked himself into the big, scary, bearded human’s lap and he’s been there ever since. Leif is the ultimate companion and embodies the proverb “a dog is a man’s best friend”.
Leif is there when you wake up, stands by you wherever you are in the house, and sits at the front of your feet when a stranger comes by. He may only weigh 12 pounds, but he will put every ounce between you and anyone he isn’t sure about yet. He is very passive overall and will only bark or make noise if he really means business. Once he finds your visitor worthy, he becomes very friendly and courteous. He treats other animals with a similar appraising eye, but if the other creature is polite, he is ready to become their friend as well.
Around the home, his light frame and furry paws help him move so silently that you might not realize he is right in your path. Since he is a smaller fellow he can do things larger dogs have trouble with, like walking around on his hind legs for no particular reason. He runs fast when let free in a safe area and has great agility. Stairs are no problem for Leif, so he would likely adapt well to a home with stairs. He loves to play fetch with a tennis ball and could go for hours. When he is really tired and in a deep sleep, he makes these soft little snores that make it so hard for you not to scoop him up like a baby and cuddle him just for being so cute! We have to caution tho that Leif is such a silent mover that we do trip over him from time to time, not realizing that he is underfoot. He won’t be a suitable dog for anyone who has someone with mobility issues in the home; he is a tripping hazard as he is so stealthy!
He is housetrained and can hold his bladder overnight. He sleeps in a crate (but would no doubt sleep on your pillow in a hot second if you let him), but doesn’t have much use for his crate at any other time so needs continued work on that. Independence training is very important for dogs to learn so they don’t develop separation
anxiety. When he isn’t attached to you or asleep, he likes to roam around the house to see if there are any unattended socks he can find. While he has a quiet, dignified manner, he is still a puppy and has some puppy habits that will change over time. He can’t resist bringing home a good stick and giving it a gnaw.
Like any being, he has his own challenges. Strange people and situations make him anxious still and you will know because he will try to make himself invisible and shiver. When this happens, you can be his role model and instil confidence in him by not babying him, but praising him for brave moments. He really needs his people to understand that coddling and babying his nervous moments are the worst thing that his person can do and will only be praising him for being nervous. He really needs his people to be confident role models and praise his confident moments and ensure he is being taken to new places and meeting new people daily so that he can build his confidence, and grow.
Leif needs to be crated when in the car as he does get car sick. He won’t be an ideal travel companion at this point, but continued work with short car rides will help and in time he should get over this motion sickness. Leif will be looking for a home where someone is home more than away. He doesn’t love being left alone so won’t do well with a family where his people are gone for most of the workday. He can live in any range of home as he is generally a quiet dog, as long as he isnt left for overly long. He can live with other calmer, gentle dogs but wont do well with a very outgoing or rambunctious dog. We imagine he will be fine with cats but he hasn’t lived with a cat so this will just be something that needs supervision and training should there be a cat in the home. Leif would be ok in a home with children over 8yrs of age as long as they are quieter, gentle children. Again, a home with a lot of noise, commotion, and visitors is not ideal for him, Leif is looking for a quieter home.
Leif makes everyone fall in love with him for his sweet, quiet manner and how well he adapts to his surroundings. He belongs in a home that is full of love and attention. 
It doesn’t have to be a big home, he doesn’t need a ton of exercise, and it doesn’t need to be a big family for him to be happy there. Leif wanted you to know his short list of likes and dislikes as his final points when looking for his forever home:
Likes: Snuggles, laundry, shoes, leaves, tennis balls, sticks, chewy treats, yard play
Dislikes: Car rides in the crate (motion sickness), his reflection, being left alone too long (gets lonely), wearing elaborate costumes