Leo ~ 7mo Cattle or Koolie X (On Trial 19/11/16)1

Meet Leo! A beautiful little Cattle or Koolie X boy, approximately 7 months old.

Are you looking for a one-off dog? Leo is your boy if you would like your new family member to be unique! We are guessing he is either a Cattle or Koolie cross as he has beautiful spots and displays working dog traits when playing, however what he is crossed with is a mystery and appears to be something smaller. Leo has all his adult teeth so we are estimating his age, but he is not expected to get much taller, which will keep him on the small side of a medium dog. He currently weighs 8.8kg.

Leo is the cutest bundle of long, soft fur. His coat does shed, but has the most beautiful golden shimmer in the sun. His mixed breeding and unique markings draw lots of attention on walks.

When Leo came into care, it appeared he had had little to no contact with people. He would not approach anyone and was even wary to come to food. He would only eat once we had gone inside. He has learnt to trust people now but is still wary of new people and needs his forever family to be prepared to put the time into building this trust with lots of patience and gentle perseverance. Once you have gained his trust, he loves pats and cuddles however all contact must be on his terms and he does not like to be restrained in big bear hugs. For this reason, Leo must go to a home with older children as he will not cope with littlies grabbing at him.

He loves the beach and is very social with other dogs. He is currently in care with a Kelpie and Cavalier and always looks to them for guidance. Because he missed an important window as a pup for socialisation, it will be imperative for Leo to have an older dog to keep him company and give him reassurance in his new home. He would fret if left alone as an only dog. He can be boisterous and loves to play, so his buddy will need to enjoy that too and let him know when play time is over.

I would also put great emphasis on puppy training classes for this gorgeous boy. Firstly to keep him going on learning his basic commands, but more importantly it will build a trust bond with his new owner. He can currently sit, waits for food and is learning to walk nicely on a lead. He mostly pees on newspaper when inside but needs a bit more work on toilet training.

Leo adores being inside for playtime in the evenings and will pull every toy out of the toy box, just because. His favourite toy is whatever his brother Toby is trying to chew, but it is so nice to see him initiate play time as he had no idea what play was at first. He loves to be by your side and trots beside his foster mum when she is hanging washing or doing jobs outside. He likes to sleep outside in his kennel and perhaps in kudos to his unknown beginnings, will often pull his blankey out of its kennel to lie out in the open. He comes inside to sleep when the weather is bad.

Leo is a special little dog. He will bring his forever family so much joy!

For more information or to meet Leo, please contact his foster carer Lauren at hitthesand@hotmail.com. Leo is located in Salamander Bay, NSW (north of Newcastle) and is available for adoption interstate.

Leo's adoption fee is $450 and he is desexed, vaccinated, treated for fleas and worms, microchipped, and lifetime registered. You can see all our available dogs at www.dogrescuenewcastle.com.au