Transitions are more difficult for some dogs than others. Brinks is one of those dogs that mourned and clearly felt loss when his family could no longer keep him.

Brinks, a great little dog, was surrendered to FBRN after his former family lost their home and could not find pet friendly housing. He has been in foster care for many months now, while we search for the perfect family for the lovable but sensitive guy.

When it comes to health, Brinks is mostly healthy. However, his eyes are affected by environmental allergies and his future forever family may need to use eye drops and ointments to relieve these allergies when they flare up. 

Although Brinks shared his former home with two pugs, he isn’t particularly interested in the other dogs in his foster home. At times his insecurity gets the best of him, and he’s had scuffles over human affection, toys and food. He would do well in a house that has one laid back dog of a similar size, but he’d be perfectly fine having all the people to himself, too.

This frog dog is completely people focused. His favorite place in the whole world is precisely where his people are hanging out at any given moment. He also loves going for car rides, and rumor has it that he’s become a bit of a celebrity at the local Dairy Queen on a hot afternoon. Sleeping in bed with his family is required. This boy looks forward to bedtime. He sleeps in the middle of the bed with his own pillow and blankie. He's the best snuggler ever! 

Neighborhood walks are a joy as he walks well on a leash and listens well. The walks are important because he gains weight rather easily. As one might expect, he loves treats, but Nylabones, deer antlers, and kongs with fat free yogurt are a better source of chewing and snacking to keep his caloric intake on the low side.

Brinks has a bit of anxiety about left behind and he whines and barks whenever he realizes his people are leaving without him. For this reason, he would NOT be a great apartment dog. He also takes an anxiety medication daily, which is very affordable and costs about $20.00 per month. This helps take the "edge" off for him and leaves him much more calm when his people leave. Although behavior modification and growing confidence has helped with this behavior, his anxiety will be an ongoing issue. In his foster home he has not been destructive while left behind, but it’s clear that he’s very unhappy when left alone. He is crated in a large crate or put behind a baby gate when his people are not home. He barks for about 3-5 minutes after he knows you have left, and then quiets down. But as soon as he knows his family has arrived home he is barking once again. He is left in his crate until he settles and then once he calms himself he gets let out.

Ideally, this snuggly 6 year old should join a family where someone is around most of the time or, where he can be taken along to work. He would not do well if left behind for long work hours. He is housebroken and knows a couple of basic commands. It’s likely that his confidence would improve from going through some obedience training with his new family.

This boy’s ideal family would be one that is willing to involve him in most of their activities and spend a lot of quality time with him on a daily basis. A yard is preferred but not required as long as he gets plenty of walks to keep off excess weight.

Because Brinks’ last transition was so difficult for him, preference will be given to families that are able and willing to visit him a couple of times before he goes to his new home. Please be sure to address this in your application. 

Now here’s a note from his foster family
“Brinks is a tender-hearted boy. He needs a family who understands his needs and can assure him that they will be in his life forever. He was very lost without his family and we are working through his issues together. He is a very loving boy, and really just wants to be part of a family. We will give preference to a family that is willing to drive to meet Brinks a couple times before adoption. He needs to start building a good relationship with his future family before leaving here. For reference, we live in WI and are about 1.5 hours from Minneapolis, MN. Please keep that in mind when considering meet-ups prior to adoption.”

If you feel you may be the right family for this big handsome boy and you’re willing to take a couple of extra road trips, please submit an application. As always, he will not be shipped. And this hefty boy is too big to fly, so traveling by ground is his only option.

Apply for me here!