Ravello Border Collie Mix Cumming, GA

Hi, everyone - meet Ravello, a one year old short haired border collie mix. Ravi came to Hero in early August, and sadly had not been very well taken care of. He was underfed and at least 15-18 pounds underweight. He had heartworms and needed treatment. He was scared of almost everything and everybody, and needed to learn to trust again. And he needed love and a family to bond with most of all.

Flash forward about 2 weeks, and his light has already started to shine. He's gained over 10 of those needed pounds back, and is eating like a piglet to keep on gaining. He's a week into his thirty day heartworm regimen, and on his way to recovery (he loves to take his medicine wrapped in cheese). He is coming out of his shell with his foster family, and has started to love all the affection, "sweethearts" and "good boys" he gets. He was skittish about affection at first, but is realizing now that pets, scratches, and belly rubs are a good thing and seeks it out. We are seeing more glimpses every day of the loving, playful, funny, smart, incredible dog that's inside, as the shy, scared, skinny stray slowly disappears. He seems to particularly love the ladies - we suspect a guy maybe hadn't been very nice to him - but is warming quickly to everyone he meets.

Amazingly, he is very well mannered already, especially for such a young adult from a less than ideal background. He is fully house trained and has had zero accidents in his foster home. He is great in his crate, and sleeps through the night without a peep. He will even let himself into the crate with the door open just to chill when he needs to! He loves to just relax near his people. We don't think he's ever played with toys before, but is starting to learn to chew on bones. He's not very good on a leash, but he's a quick learner and is already getting better at walking beside us and pulling less (sometimes). He's not much of a barker so far, and gets excited when it's time for good things - meals, putting on his leash to go outside, and when he's ready for pets and hugs, which is getting to be more and more frequent.

Above all, what we can see already is what a loving, gentle and amazing dog this is. He loves all people, other dogs, cats and every living thing he's encountered so far (full disclosure, he did briefly chase a lizard a few minutes ago, but the lizard safely got away). In crowded settings like at the park, he's curious and comfortable with people, including young kids coming up to say hello and show him some love. He's a pretty special guy, and just needs a forever family who wants to bring him into their home and give him the love and support he needs to continue rebuilding his confidence and becoming the best pup he can be. And we can tell you - when that "best pup" fully arrives, this one will be truly amazing!

Thank you for your interest in one of our Hero Babies! Before inquiring, we thought it was important to share a few of our policies.

Your Current Pets - We do require that your current dogs and cats are current on vaccines and spayed/neutered.

Adoptions - We do not have a shelter and are a foster-home based organization. We do require that you have an approved adoption application to schedule a meet and greet. You can fill out an adoption application on our website, www.herorescue.org/adopt. Once your application is approved it will be sent to the foster family that is currently caring for the dog. They will be able to provide information on likes, dislikes, personality, etc. They will also schedule a time for you to meet the dog. We do require a home visit prior to adoption.

Inquiries - If you would like more information on any dogs in the rescue, please email us at info@herorescue.org.