Stuart

***THIS IS A COURTESTY POSTING*** This dog is not in the care of Forever Home Rescue. Stuart is a young Maltipoo, we estimate between 2.5 and 3 years old, approx. 10-11 pounds, neutered, housebroken, and great with other dogs. We adopted him in August of 2007. At that time, he demonstrated some growling and mild aggression towards my husband, but not towards me or my children. For some reason, he did not want to accept my husband. We believe that he was likely abused by a male before he came to us.. Stuart is really a sweet boy who loves to be on your lap, play with his toys, and run around outside. We worked with him a great deal on training and he now walks perfectly on a leash. He also knows the "sit" and "down" commands. At times, he can have a slight food aggression issue, but it's not all of the time. In April of 2008, he suffered a herniated disc. He recovered from that injury and by that summer, he was actually bonding with my husband beautifully! He was sleeping in his doggie bed in our bedroom even! In early November 2008, he experienced another episode with his back. We think this may have happened when he jumped off of the sofa. He has not recovered fully from that injury and our vet isn't optimistic that he ever will. He believes that he suffered a permanent condition with the discs in his back as a result of abuse when he was very young. His rear legs are not quite 100%, although he can put weight on them and he is now getting around the house, and in fact, running from one room to the next! Since this second episode, he has gone back to his old behavior (growling, etc) towards my husband. It is a very hard decision for us, but we have come to the decision that as much as we love him, Stuart is not going to work out in our home. It's not easy, considering all we have been through with him and he is just so funny and sweet. With my husband, he is not the same dog as he was a few months ago and it makes it very hard on all of us. We are hoping to find a special person to accept and care for him. We feel that a single woman who doesn't mind his slight handicap, would be a great companion. Preferably a home with not more than one other small dog or a bigger dog that is very calm. It's best if he is carried up and down stairs and not allowed to jump on or off furniture. Considering his condition and that he may be in a bit of pain (we see this is probably more apparent towards the evenings), I would not suggest a home with children. He might snap if he feels threatened. We have traveled with Stuart and he is great in the car. We even took him out on a lake in a small boat with us and he was great! It breaks my heart to have to part with him, but I must accept the fact that any dog we have has to love everyone in our home equally. There is a $100 rehoming fee. Email [email protected] for more info on Stuart.