Luke Shepherd & Labrador Retriever Mix Arlington, VA

Meet Luke! This sweet, budding senior was rescued from living chained to a tree in rural NC. When his remaining owner passed away, no one in the family wanted him, so they posted him on social media as a free giveaway. Thankfully, a concerned citizen stepped up to take Luke in until a more permanent solution could be found. She reached out to us for help, and Luke officially became a Worthy Dog.

We think Luke is about 7 to 8 years old- he still has a good energy level and playful spirit. After only a few weeks of freedom, you could see his joy and total change of disposition. We've learned that he loves toys and enjoys exploring the yard. He's housetrained, crate trained, and has been getting short daily leash walks to build up his leg muscles and stamina after living a forced sedentary lifestyle on a chain.

Luke has been an inside dog for months now and has lived with a smaller dog and cats. He did a short board and train for him while his foster family traveled. The trainer introduced him to multiple dogs and new people to assess his social skills. He did well interacting with everyone and is learning how to navigate new social situations, something he never experienced in his prior life. Luke has some natural protective tendencies that come with his breed mix, so his foster mom is having guests visit to teach him how to meet and greet visitors. He does well when given tasty treats and a few minutes to assess and trust the situation. He needs an owner who will give him that leadership and guidance, and keep expanding his social interactions.

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FOSTER MOM UPDATE - 8/11/24

"Luke is a very sweet boy and so affectionate with his people. He is a joy to have around. He's very easygoing and will let us rub him and handle him easily. He has started to gently poke us when we're eating but will just lie down when we ignore him. He loves going for walks--or should I say strolls? Luke likes to play with us, but he is also self-entertaining. He loves his wishbone nylabone and Kongs. And he'll often push the Kong at me to play with him. He doesn't guard his toys, you can take them out of his mouth as well. No evidence of food guarding either.

Luke loves being babied and loves body rubs. Every morning when I get him up he sprawls out on his crate and won't get up until he has had his body rub. Initially, he was reluctant to go in his crate at night and had to be 'encouraged.' Now he goes in to take naps and puts himself to bed in the evening when he gets tired.

He quickly learned and has become quite comfortable with our routine. He does well with basic commands and wants to please his human. He is more attached to [my wife] than to me. He gets really excited when she comes home and lays beside the couch when she is there. He even jumps up from time to time but hasn't quite figured out how to be comfortable there. He would do best in a home with easy access in and out. He can navigate a few steps to get in and out of our truck or head out for walks but is not a fan of our interior steps. He's more fearful of coming down than going up.

Luke is doing much better on leash than we expected. He generally isn't interested in people walking by. He is happy to sit in the grass and get a treat while they pass, walking, pushing a baby carriage, or riding a bike/scooter. He's also fine with calm dogs passingIf a dog is barking at him, he will respond but is easily redirected. He has learned to sit at corners and knows he gets a treat for sitting. Unfortunately, he has learned too well. If he decides he wants a treat, he will sit while you are walking and wait for his treat. This mostly happens when he is bored and hasn't found anything interesting to sniff. When he is busy sniffing he 'forgets' about treats.

We went to Sky Meadows State Park this past weekend. We sat on a bench and Luke laid down in front of us. People and dogs walked past us on the trail a few feet away and he had no interest. People walk past us in the neighborhood all the time. Luke usually ignores them. We can stop and talk with people and Luke is content to sit and get treats. That said, we don't let people pet him so we haven't tested that yet.

Overall he's doing great and enjoying this new way of life. He has his favorite things. He likes to chew on his Nylabones and loves his 'fish' toy. He only uses the fish toy when Penny is around and he knows it's bedtime when we put his fish in the corner of his crate. He loves being brushed for grooming. He will carry a ball in his mouth but won't put it down to chase it. He shreds anything with a squeaker until he gets the squeaker out. He does not chew shoes, pillows, or anything that belongs to us. The furniture is safe, and he is very calm and well-behaved when left home alone."

Overall, Luke is and affectionate, easygoing dog who likes to play but is laid back. He's a keeper!"

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We are looking for a loving, laidback forever home for Luke to live out his golden years in the manner he deserves. Luke will do best in a calm home/community environment with a small yard to explore, and a family with a flexible schedule. He would be fine as an only dog and is currently being fostered with dog-savvy cats.

MUST have some large dog experience and know how to lead. Luke is a great dog, loves people, and will be a very loyal companion, but he also needs someone to show him what's expected of him and gradually expose him to new things. He's

Apply today for this very worthy dog.

BREED ESTIMATE: Shepherd/Lab Mix
GENDER: Male
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 75 lbs
APPROXIMATE AGE: ~ 8 years old
COAT TYPE: Medium wavy coat
ADOPTION FEE: $400
OTHER INFO: utd on shots/neutered/microchipped/treated for heartworm
LOCATION: Ashburn, VA

FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application.

You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.

Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.