Our very special boy, Julius is ready to start looking for his forever home.
Boy oh boy does Julius have a story to tell but unfortunately, we aren't sure what has happened in it. Here is the story of our journey with him so far.. The good, the bad, the heart breaking and the rewarding.
Julius joined the Happy Tails family in Dec 2020 when he was just 9 months old. He was surrendered to a shelter due to no fault of his own. He was absolutely terrified of the shelter, being confined to a small cage and being greeted by multiple people daily. He would huddle into a ball at the back of his cage, bark and lunge at anyone passing by. He would often urinate or defecate when people were walking by too. Even though the shelter were doing their very best for Julius, he was not coping in the environment. This is when he joined Happy Tails.
Julius stayed with a foster carer for about 5 weeks where they let him decompress and settle into a home life. Julius showed many signs that he had not been treated very well in his short life. Julius was reactive to strangers and would loudly bark, investigate and pace around the house when new people came over. He eventually friended the visitors after he realised that they were not going to harm him but this took time.
He was a challenge to walk on a lead as he would crocodile roll, kangaroo hop and zig zag throughout the entire walk.
He cowered every time a hand or object was raised and urinated himself when he felt threatened.
Although Julius hasn't had the best start to his life, he is incredibly affectionate to those that he cherishes.
Once he lets you in, he is super loving and can't get enough of your cuddles and pats.

Julius has undergone 6 weeks of bootcamp with a highly regarded professional trainer to help him build his confidence in life (especially with strangers) and learn how to properly act and live like a dog.
In training he learnt about impulse control, walking on a lead (with a halti), greeting new people and many other things.
Ever since his training, he has continuously proven to his foster parents how he has learnt to be patient and use his manners.

So far, Julius is doing well and his foster parents are following the trainers instructions. Julius still has a long way to go. He needs a committed owner that will continue his training and will put boundaries in place. We have the trainers support and will continue to work with his new family to ensure that he has a smooth transition and is set up for success in life.

Now that all the serious information is out of the way - here is a bit of information about his personality!
Julius is a love bug. He adores his human friends. He loves cuddles, pats and any kind of good attention. He likes to learn and is pretty good at it! He adores playing with other dogs but due to his size we would recommend medium - large breed dogs. He takes comfort in other dogs. He can get a bit annoying to other dogs as he seems to be an energiser bunny that doesn't run out of battery. He does resource guard anything that involves food and MUST be kept separate when feeding (or with bones, kongs etc). He is NOT a dog park dog due to his lack of confidence with strangers. If he were to be an only dog, he would need owners that will keep his mind stimulated. He is currently learning to play by himself, how to relax and self calm. He loves to go on walks and does well walking. No children due to his size and working on his behaviour.

Age: 11 months
Breed: American Staffy
Friendly with: Dogs (medium - large only), not friendly with cats, no children recommended
Approx weight: 25kg
Behaviour notes: fearful of strangers
Medical Notes: Nil
House Trained: Yes, all the time
Location: Forest Lake
Adoption Fee: $440 Inc. GST
BIN: BIN0000561500753