Calder Catahoula Leopard Dog & Australian Kelpie Mix Charleston, SC

Calder is the most entertaining puppy we’ve ever had the pleasure of fostering. From his goofy facial expressions to the way he interacts with his toys will have you laughing. All this puppy wants to do is love. He is very people oriented and especially loves kids, as they can keep up with his high energy levels.

He loves to snuggle(If you leave him alone for more than a few minutes, he is often found curled up in the bed comforter or in the couch pillows/blankets), car rides are not his favorite but he no longer has accidents in the car(does best when he can see out of the side windows), has not been hiking but goes on walks to the beach and sniffs everything, loves walking around the neighborhood, LOVES playing with other dogs on his walks, barks sometimes but not without reason(playing), is not crated but is quarantined when we are out(setup gates in the kitchen), has never chewed furniture or objects other than toys or items that can be confused with toys.


Calder was diagnosed with Swimmers Syndrome, but that definitely does not keep him down. When he was rescued at 4 weeks old he was completely unable to walk. He immediately started treatment with hobbling his front legs and easing into physical therapy. He worked for 5 weeks at home with building mobility and strength. Around 3-4 months old he started structured physical therapy once a week to get him to help push him farther and to get lot of treats from the physical therapy team. He’s made great strides in walking on slippery surfaces, but still struggles with going up large flights of stairs.


Little Calder is absolutely thriving and lets nothing Slow him down. At this point he sometimes slips on hardwood stairs but is fully able to keep himself from falling and has no issues with length of stairs.

He is thriving and I don’t see the need for further therapy based on how nimble and active he is.

The little fella still slips on some hardwood but continues to run and play with our dog as if nothing happened.

He jumps onto the couch and tall bed without issue and loves to get the zoomies with our dog. I would say his overall mobility is 98%+ with hardwood being the only exception.

At this point in his journey, he is running and playing with the foster family's other male dog and able to keep up with him! The vet is very happy with his current status!



Apply: www.blackjackrescue.org
Email questions: sharon@blackjackrescue.org