Thor: One of us

Thor: Eight month old, black German Shepherd Dog. He's intact, but not for long. He's not well socialized with people or with dogs. He's not aggressive with either, just fearful. Thor came from a breeder who couldn't sell him because of the one non-standard ear. He ended up with someone who didn't have time for him. Over the course of his eight month life, he's only had one parvo vaccine and nothing more. No one bothered to teach him anything or give him any life experiences that would prepare him to live in the human/canine community. 

The good news is that he watches everything; he will look you in the eye and he seems to want to find a way to fit in. Thor arrived today courtesy of a northern Virginia friend who drove to Pennsylvania to get him and then brought him here. Thor would let me touch him but he was clearly unsure of strangers. He was also scared of the dogs and I only introduced Theo, Maya, and Arby. I didn't want to put him out in Daneland even for the day because he needed to learn to trust me and to observe the other dogs around the house. We still had a big crate set up in the kitchen, near the outside door, so that's where he went for the afternoon. He could observe everyone coming and going and he did watch all the dogs and me very carefully. When I let him out of the crate later he was a bit more comfortable around Maya and Theo at least. He met the Danes from the safety of his crate but I'll save a nose-to-butt meeting for another day when he's a bit more settled and less intimidated.

Some dogs come into a foster home and seem completely fine with the transition. Some are distraught over the loss of familiar people and surroundings and take a little while to adapt. Thor's condition is somewhat different. He seems unfamiliar with people, and even dogs, unsure of where and who he is. Don't worry, Thor, you're one of us now. Actually, that might scare him even more.