Little Lego may grow up to be a moderate-to-higher energy, medium to large breed doggo. We suspect that he is a Black Mouth Cur maybe mixed with a tiny bit of lab and just a touch of Spitz that might have given him his curly tail.  Coming from a crowded shelter situation in Southern Ohio, we may never really know, but -interestingly- many of his mannerisms also seem in line with the Black Mouth Cur breed.

Lego is an incredibly sweet boy who is also a bit more on the independent side. He greatly enjoys hanging out with his foster family but is not really an in-your-face kind of guy. Maybe more of a 'let's hang out together, maybe play some fetch, catch a movie and I'll happily snooze on your feet' sort of a fellow. 

While not a huge fan of the actual car ride to get there, Lego would really enjoy fun days out with  an active, mostly adult family who will be able to support his  energy drive and who enjoys taking long hikes and having adventures.

He will likely need at least 2 significant walks or runs a day in order to keep him happy and busy- even better if he has another gentle dog buddy to play with on a regular basis. 

When Lego is comfortable with someone, he absolutely loves attention, games and belly rubs! If you can be patient and give him the time and space to learn to trust, you will be gifted with that beautiful side of him.  But when he first encounters new people he is very timid- often scared to approach or get close. He may try and run to avoid contact. But, please don't take this personally!  Soft voices, yummy treats and gentle touches will go a huge long way towards helping him to learn to trust.  (He is much more timid around men then women. ) It may take quite a few visits with him, or a few weeks or longer for him to get comfortable with a new family.  

 
Lego will do best with a person or family who is home most of the time (or who can take him with to work) and would love a gentle boy who just wants to bond with them and settle by their side (when not out hiking and having adventures together). He wants to be wherever you are- or at least know where you are before he raids your dirty laundry pile and finds his favorite stinky sock of the moment. 

Appropriate training knowledge and experience will be necessary to have the best relationship with Lego. He LOVES to learn new things and picks up new tricks extremely quickly. Yelling and gruff commands will get you no where with this sweet boy. But interact with him gently and calmly and you will likely have him eating out of your hand with enthusiasm. 

Lego is really interested in playing with other dogs, but he can also be very unsure around them. He often prefers to run away, hide behind his people and observe before slowly approaching them to say hi. If his new home has another dog already, it should be one who is generally calm around puppies (yet who can also be playful).

A home with a size or breed limit is not going to work for this boy since we’re not sure how big he will ultimately be. He will not require a home with a fence IF you have a solid plan to make sure he gets enough exercise.

  We hope that you are ready and excited about helping Lego learn to be the best trained, confident, friendly and well socialized adult dog that he can be! Given his possible breed mix, this will be very important (and totally fun since he absolutely LOVES to learn new things! ) He is quickly getting used to walking on a loose leash, ignoring environmental distractions, greeting new dogs calmly and waiting patiently at the door (or when he is fed) until given the 'ok' to go outside (or eat). He is mostly house trained and will often whine or run to the door to let you know that he needs to go out. 

  This little guy does best when you approach him with a soft voice and gentle coaxing. He loves treats and toys!  He is quickly discovering that hands can be gentle; that toys are fun and that outside is an awesome place to play, romp and chew on leaves and sticks. 

  We will know more about Lego in the coming weeks but, so far, he has successfully been introduced to wearing a collar and walking with a harness. He goes potty when we take him outside (on a leash) and has few to no accidents inside when taken out every half hour to 45 minutes during the day. Expect a few rivers, though, if you leave him for too long without a potty break. 

  Lego will do best, at first, in a large comfy crate attached to a puppy pen. His crate is currently his bed and his ‘happy place’ and he loves to be able to see his people, even if he can't be near them at the moment. He likes to know where you are. 

  This boy is happy to sniff, play with and be petted gently by calm adults (and, possibly, older teenagers who also know  how interact gently with him and give him the space and time to open up at his own pace.)  He lives with a calm kitty in his foster home and has no negative reactions to her so far (just some barking and lots of play bows because he REALLY wants to play with her). The chickens he also seems interested in, but can usually be re-directed away from relatively easily. The ferrets also get face licks through the bars of their enclosure. (We're not sure if they like that or not. ;) ) 

Lego is currently learning to sit nicely when waiting for his meals and attention; how to be gentle with his teeth and to settle and wait his turn when requested along with walking on a loose leash. 

  All of our foster puppies are consistently worked with from day 1 using hand feeding techniques, treat balls with their kibble inside and toys that are designed to encourage them to use their minds smelling and problem solving skills. They love to figure out puzzles and always enjoy relaxing with a good stuffed kong or a frozen licky mat after a  long walk or romp outside.

  We work very hard to encourage positive socialization and friendly adaptive skills in our foster pups. To the extent they are comfortable and able to handle it, we carefully expose them to the sights/sounds of a busy family household in a more urban environment. (This includes kids and people of all types, cats, small animals and backyard chickens. As appropriate, we also introduce them to friendly neighborhood dogs and people, car rides, different textures and surfaces and other busy environmental stimuli.) 

HDDCR requires a spay/neuter contract by the adopter if puppies and kittens in our care are too young for sterilization. This is a form the adopter signs at the time of adoption, confirming that they will get the pet spayed/neutered by a certain date. We will hold a $50 deposit on top of the adoption fee until we receive proof from a veterinarian that the dog was spayed/neutered. The $50 deposit will then be returned to the adopter.​