Grady has gone from stray to STAR to being adopted by Kayla! Kayla recently lost her Aussie and when she was ready, and with her mom’s encouragement, she reached out STAR and we matched her with Grady (new name – Rigby!). We know he’s going to be a great partner, there’s already a plan for training, and he’s fast friends with Trudy, the resident female Dachshund. Welcome to the STAR family, Kayla! Thank you, Julie for fostering and to the family who found Grady wandering on their ranch and helped him secure a wonderful, loved life.
Grady came to STAR after he was found as a stray wandering around private ranch property in Johnson City. The finders could not find an owner and were not able to keep him – so we’ve given him all the vetting he needs and let him settle in a foster home. He’s a black-tri male and around 40lbs. He’s ready to find a furever home and here’s info on him from his foster mom:
This is a VERY sweet young pup. I’d place him around 1 to 1.5 years old. My theory is that he came from a backyard breeding; as he was in good physical shape (nice coat, trimmed feet, healthy); however, no collar, no chip, was not neutered, has clearly never been on a leash, and not house trained. I don’t think he’s been a loved member of a family. But – we really don’t know for sure.
He is a bit skittish to new things and new sounds, but once he understands he’s safe, he chills out. He’s always right by my side asking for scratches, reassurance and love. He’ll place his paws up on you to get some attention especially when right out of the crate or I’ve been outside w/out him.
Wherever you go, he wants to go and he’ll be right on your heals as you move – strong herding instincts with this one. He will jump and scratch on the door to get to you if you leave him behind a door. Did I say he was Velcro? Ha, Ha.
He is very curious to meet other people and shows a totally beta personality with head down and careful approach. When he sees another dog – game on as he wants to go meet and greet and play, yet he’s also cautious and scared – so we are careful with other dog intros while on leash as he can come right up with reckless abandon and other dogs have not always liked that. He needs more confidence building here for sure.
He’s in a home with an older male Aussie and gets along really well with him – he plays gently and takes clues on when my old guy is done and wants to be left alone. If there is nothing immediate and fun to do, he’ll find a comfy spot, often in eyesight of where you are at and settle down for a snooze. Or, he’ll go find a toy and entertain himself by throwing it up in the air and playing catch.
He’d do well as an only dog or with a laid-back dog but might be happier if he had a tumble buddy to play with. He’d take on a beta role – and it would be great if he had a confident buddy to learn from, or a person who’s ready to spend a lot of time with him on training, exercise and enrichment activities.
Grady is very loving and affectionate, Velcro without being annoying – and knows when it’s time to settle and takes correction well. He’s a sensitive soul. At night, we love to sit and play on the floor whether it be lots of scratches or he’ll chase the ball as long as you are willing to throw it.
His leash skills are not the best – in fact, downright awful so that’s been a work in progress. He’s a bit scared of cars that drive by or noises and will sometimes try to bolt off so you need a tight-fitting harness and to be on alert with him. With lots of practice, he’ll learn good leash manners – but he needs patience and practice.
There have been zero scuffles over food with his fur roomie, and he will easily give up his food to another dog that wants it. In fact, he has no issue if my pushy guy tries to get to his food. He loves puzzles and lets me know when he’s ready for me to load up the snuffle mat with crunch treats to hunt for. He takes treats gently, and most often drops them like he should not have them – but he’s learning they are really good! So far, he’s not treat motivated so working to find a very high value treat that help him focus on training.
Grady could be a great agility dog – he’s fast and turns on a dime. He’s very attentive to you and to clues. Very moldable clay to be the dog you want as he’s eager to please. I think he’d make great fly-ball and/or frisbee dog too. He literally leaps in the air to chase a ball that he’s thrown around himself.
His recall is not great – so that’s a work in progress and I’d absolutely not trust him off the leash EVER. He’s not responding well to his name at the current time. He loves to watch squirrels attempt to come into the yard and is very attentive to birds on the feeders – but total curiosity and zero aggression.
Crate training is a work in progress. Not sure he’s ever been in one, so it scared him at first and then he learned enough about when it’s time to crate up if I’m heading out – he’ll run to the next room and loves the chase to catch him. Once I have him close to the crate door, he will reluctantly go in and stays there peacefully until released.
He does not know basic skills other than sit – so we have been working on stay, wait, and recall. He’s learning quick and is so smart.
He is not tested with cats – and I think he’d be fine with slow intros. If they run, he will chase. He’s seen chickens while out on walks and does not seem to care. At this moment anything that is new to him is scary. He has not been tested with young children – my opinion is he’d be scared and avoid them, but playful once he’s trusting. Again, slow intros.
Grady has a beautiful, silky coat that is naturally short, with a tinge of red. It’s a very lovely coat and he has a docked tail. He’s really a handsome, stunning boy that is on the smaller side for an Aussie.
Grady’s foster home is south of Austin. Since with STAR, he’s been fully vaccinated, is HW-, on heartworm preventative, and been neutered. Please complete an application to be considered as an adopter, learn more about and meet him.
IMPORTANT: We do not deliver dogs to adopters. You must be able and willing to come meet the dog in their foster home. A home visit by one of our STAR volunteers is a required part of our adoption program. Adoptions outside of Texas are rare because of these requirements. You must have a secure fence in place, and we are not fans of apartments for this breed, nor homes where the dogs will be home alone 8+ hours daily. All STAR dogs are adopted to be inside pets and family members only and all current or past pets in the home must have proof of being kept up to date on vaccinations and Heartworm prevention. The adoption fee is $300 and trust us, we spend that or much more on dogs to get them vetted – all STAR dogs will be neutered/spayed, up to date on vaccinations, microchipped, heartworm negative, and on monthly heartworm prevention. If you already have an application on file with us, you can contact us to let us know you are interested.
Grady is a handsome black tri male and seems to be around 1 to 1.5 years old, weighing 40lbs. He was found as a stray running on private property in Johnson City – with no collar, and no microchip. The finders posted him in hopes to find an owner, but no one stepped forward and they are not able to keep him. He was released to STAR, and we’ll get him fully vetted, neutered and evaluated in a foster home in S. Austin. He may be available late February. If this is your dog, be prepared to show proof with photos and vet records and be prepared to pay our expenses to date.
