honcho
Breed:American Staffordshire Terrier
Age: Young adult
Gender:
Male
Size: Large
About honcho: 8/21 Stray / Male / Staffie Mix / 71.4 lbs / HW -
Honcho gave me very mixed vibes when I first approached his kennel. He was low growling, shivering and licking his lips but would push out his neck to smell the treats I offered and seemed like he wanted to come outside for a walk. This went on for a few minutes and I never could quite interpret what he was trying to tell me, so I decided to move on and try again later. After working with another 2 dogs, I returned to Honcho and was able to leash him up with relative ease. He does push through the gates like a bucking bronco - sort of ironic because he has such strong bovine characteristics to begin with - but walked loosely outside. I never released him from the leash as his shelter notes say getting him back on is challenging. Outside he continued giving mixed signals, he has a very anxious energy about him and, while I was able to eventually pet him and he leaned into my legs while we chatted with an ACT, he is not going to be suitable for an inexperienced foster/adopter. The person who takes him will need to be willing to do behavioral training/assessments as his reservations are clearly fear-based.
By the time we returned to his kennel, he had loosened up such that I was able to pet him more deeply and remove the leash without issue. I saw nothing in his response to dogs that would be cause for concern.
