Bentley

LOCATED IN PERTH

Meet Bentley – the bright-eyed adventurer with a whole lot of charm!

Bentley was born to be the ultimate best mate and off-sider. A walk or two a day isn’t enough to keep this busy-body entertained. He prefers to spend his day helping you with yours. Feeding and checking stock, gardening, going to the post office, digging a trench, fixing the ute, catching up on office work - doesn’t matter what it is, he just wants to be by your side and involved.

Showing all of the wonderful traits typical of his breed, he is strong willed, independent, fiercely intelligent, quick to learn, fearless, eager, happy and adventurous. Bentley is a pleasure to train and work with. He picks new skills and commands up quickly, and will need a home experienced with working breeds to ensure his brains are put to good use.

He is extremely dog social, and would love another dog (or dogs) in his adoptive home that match his energy levels. He has been introduced to horses, cows, goats, alpacas & poultry, and will be able to co-exist with them peacefully with continued exposure and training.

After a big day of helping and supervising, Bentley loves nothing more than to stretch out beside his family (some might call him a couch hog), relax, unwind and snuggle. He’s learning quickly to use his off-switch in down times and times of rest - it wouldn’t hurt if his special new person(s) knows how to give expert level belly rubs and gentle ear massages (his favourite).

Bentley is best suited to someone who is predominantly home/works from home full time, with a lifestyle naturally suited to having him accompany them daily, who understands the needs of a typical working Velcro dog who just wants to be with his special humans. Bentley is truly a gem, a better best friend and off-sider you won’t find.

To meet Bentley, simply send in an adoption application and we’ll be in touch, and if you are a suitable match we will arrange a meet and greet. Fostering gives us the chance to really get to know our animals—so we can help you find the right match, even without a shelter to visit!

* From the PetRescue website please click on this link: https://safe.org.au/find-a-dog/animal/ND1686/
* On the SAFE website simply click on ‘Apply to Adopt’.

All dogs need a lot of care - working breed dogs just generally need more of it! That's part of the fun for you and me. We’ll develop an amazing bond because of what we do together & I’ll be the most loyal, devoted dog ever!

I’LL RELY ON YOU TO:

1.  EXERCISE ME

Exercise!  Exercise!  Exercise!  We need to wear off our energy. We're bred to spend long days working, using our brains to solve problems, so we have a strong drive to be active and mentally stimulated. If we’re not working, we need help to use up that energy.

2.  PROVIDE ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

We have very active minds & are super smart. Activities in the community include flyball, agility courses, herding & search & rescue. There are lots of enrichment activities you can provide for me at home, too. I'd love to work for my food every day instead of just being given it. You could do things like make food puzzles, or hide treats for me to sniff out and find, give me lovely big frozen blocks of stock or an ice block with a chicken wing in the middle. And what about throwing one of those soft type dog frisbees that don’t hurt your teeth? And games of fetch where you teach me to drop the toy instead of turning it into a tug of war. Yeah!

3.  BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR BOUNDARIES

Consistent, clear boundaries mean I’ll always knows the right way to behave eg if you don’t want me in the kitchen, teach me to sit outside the entry. It’s confusing if you allow me in the kitchen one day & the next make me stay out. Keep me off the sofa & human beds. Give me my own bed & make it clear that is my space. If you let me break a rule once, I'll probably break it again. 

4. TRAIN ME

Teach me these basic commands as they’ll get us through any situation:  sit, down, stay, come, down, no, stop & leave it. Let’s practice them every day so I’m always primed to obey what you tell me to do. Use positive reinforcement for training. Negative training may lead to fear & aggression. Reward me with treats or pats when I pay attention or perform a command correctly. Don't punish me for unwanted behaviour. Instead, redirect my thoughts when I’m doing something you don’t want me to do eg if I chew on something you don’t want me to have, take it away, but trade it for a chew toy. When training, be happy & excited.

5.  SOCIALISE ME

Socialise me from the start! Introduce me to as many people, places, animals, sounds & smells as possible. I will be well adjusted because of it. If I start any herding tendencies, speak to the rescue or a trainer to nip it in the bud as early as possible.
 
NOTES:
Adoption fee includes vet check, first vaccination*, flea and worm treatment, microchipping and sterilisation at a SAFE approved vet at 6 months of age.

*Puppies and dogs may require further vaccination(s) to complete the full vaccination course. This will be at the cost of the new owner and is not included in the adoption fee.

6 GREAT REASONS TO ADOPT FROM SAFE:

1. Lifetime Support: If you can no longer care for your adopted pet, please inform SAFE, and we will do our best to help you find a suitable solution.
2. Discounted airfares: if applicable
3. Adoption fee includes vet check, first vaccination, microchip and desexing
4. Foster care instead of cage confinement, ensuring lots of love and socialisation
5. Speak directly with my foster carer
6. Quick response to your enquiry

APPLY TO ADOPT ME

Am I the one you have been looking for? Click the link and fill out the application with as much detail as possible. The more information you provide, the easier the adoption process will be, hopefully bringing us together sooner!