PLEASE CONSIDER ASTRO.  HE IS A GREAT DOG BUT UNFORTUNATELY HIS PRIOR FAMILY PUT HIM IN A SITUATION THAT SOME DOGS DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR UNDERSTAND WHY A TODDLER WOULD BE MESSING WITH THEM THAT NO OTHER ADULT HAD DONE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN TOTALLY AVOIDED. HE HAS NEVER BITTEN ANYONE WHILE HE WAS WITH US THE FIRST TIME (BEFORE THIS FAMILY ADOPTED HIM) OR NOW SINCE HE HAS COME BACK TO US.

1/30/16 A NOTE FROM A VOLUNTEER AT THE SHELTER THAT ASTRO WAS AT.: I am a volunteer at that VA shelter that Astro was at for a few weeks. I have to say that this sweet boy really has a place in my heart. Every time I came up to his kennel to take him out, he would sit, wait for me to leash him up, and out we would go. I never had an issue with him and another dog....Astro was always the perfect gentleman. He loves to be around people, and definitely loves his treats.

1/21/16ASTRO UPDATE! George went down today and got Astro into local boarding before the storm. Astro appears to be a nice well behaved boy and made the 2 1/2 hour trip back standing on the console next to him watching everything. The staff there was very fond of him and sorry that they weren't allowed to get him out on the adoption floor because of the bite incident. However, it turns out events were not as originally described to us- the bite happened when their 11 month old crawled over and reached into Astro's bowl while he was eating. That's the kind of accident that could have been avoided. We are looking for a foster home for Astro without very young children or cats, with adults able to continue his training, and only submissive dogs. We have been told that his BarkBuster training comes with a lifetime guarantee and is transferable to a new owner.

1/11/16 Astro's owners adored him, but after he nipped their new baby, they sent him to a relative's home.  Around the holidays we found out that relative turned him into a Virgina public shelter.  The shelter had a trainer working with him, and thought they could find him a home.  However we have now told us that because of the bite history, they are not allowed to put him up for adoption, which means he will be on the euthanasia list.   We're going to try to get him back up here into boarding, but for a sensitive dog, long-term boarding will create more issues.

Astro is a handsome 4 year old, 60 lb black lab,  well trained, but dominant.  The new owner would get a transferred liftetime guarantee with BarkBusters to help with his transition.     

8/27/15 Astro (formerly Eggo) was adopted from our rescue when he was a small puppy, but is looking for a new home because he bit his owners' new baby who had recently become mobile.  

Astro is a 60 lb Lab/ Border collie or Aussie mix, neutered, micrchipped, and up to date on all shots.   He is very well trained - he heels well on the leash, he comes when called, waits before going through doors or on stairs and knows a handfull of voice commands (sit, stay, wait, down, etc). He does fine in the house alone, we typically leave him during the days while we are at work. He is not crate trained though - we leave him in a room. 

We have a lifetime training guarantee with BarkBusters that transfers with the dog so the new owners could still use their services for free if they wanted. Their evaluation of him is that he is a great dog and well behaved, but has to go to a very specific type of owner who will be in command of him.   He is a dominant dog, for example, he will occasionally growl in defense of a treat or bone to people who he does not feel are alpha to him (such as the baby).  He also needs to be introduced to new people and dogs in the right way. If a person or dog just runs up out of nowhere and grabs him he will snap at them.  If he has a chance to sniff people and take a minute to get to know them then he is fine with that person from then on. If there is another person or dog that we meet on a walk, he is fine if I keep his attention and we just walk past them.