Denver is a special boy who is looking for that special place to call home. A former stud dog, Denver came to FBRN when a breeder was downsizing. Denver is still quite shy and his foster family expects that it will take some time and patience for him to emerge from his shell. They have witnessed what on the surface may appear to be small steps, but are probably enormous changes for him. When Denver first arrived in his foster home, he would move away from human contact—he didn’t like being touched. Recently, he has begun to approach his foster mom and feels her gentle touch before he moves away. Just the other day, he licked her foot—that’s a big step for this boy! It is likely that Denver did not have much contact with humans in the past, and it makes sense that he would be cautious and adjust as his own pace. Denver is looking for a home where his forever family understands that his adaptation to his new life will not happen overnight, but will evolve with nurturing, patient, and consistent owners who will help him feel safe.

Denver may still be a little unsure about humans, but he loves the company of other dogs! He gets along wonderfully with all the dogs in his foster home and with the cats too! In fact, recently, a pack of young puppies pounced on him, and he took it all in stride. He would do fine in a home with female or male dogs, provided the males were easygoing and not looking for a fight. Overall, Denver is a pretty laid-back kind of guy; he loves playing but is also content to just hang out.

A few of Denver’s teeth from his previous life are broken, but this doesn’t slow him down at all, and he had a few other teeth pulled while in foster care. Denver will need to eat soft food and his family will need to monitor his mouth regularly. Overall, Denver is quite healthy and going to the vet was not difficult or too stressful for him.

Denver would be fine with older, dog-savvy children (12 and up) who would understand that he needs time and space to adjust.

Denver is mostly housebroken and his foster family is working to help him reach 100%. They don’t expect that it will take a lot of time to meet this goal. But, he will require owners who are consistent and reliable. Denver is crate trained, and though he is not thrilled to be in one, it does help with his housetraining. Sometimes when he is in his crate, he will bark and carry on, though this behavior has significantly decreased over time. It is possible that the crate recalls his “fence fighting” days when he was caged. He is currently crated at nightime, and when his foster family is at work.

Denver has not had any formal obedience training, but he has been practicing and working on basic lead manners.

Because of his apprehension towards people, Denver must have a securely fenced yard. His foster family sees that Denver has the capacity to do a little fence climbing, so it must be a kept secure. Denver is not a dog that would run back to you if he got loose, and for that reason, he needs space and supervision to roam.

Denver has developed a hobby while in foster care—chewing on rubber toys! It is one of his favorite things to do.

Denver would be fine for first-time Frenchie owners. Most importantly, Denver needs a home where he could be with someone as much as possible. It would be ideal if someone worked at home, but part-time outside the home would be fine too. Currently, Denver would probably do best at home, though in the future, he may be ready to join you at the office, but it would need to be the right environment for him.

Denver’s foster mom has this to say about him:

“I think the best home for Denver would be where he had other dogs to play with and someone who would be home with him a lot. He needs someone who will take the time to earn his trust and fill the hole he has in his heart. He is a wonderful, sweet boy who has come out of adversity with a wonderful attitude and a desire to trust people again.”

Denver is winding down from playtime with the resident dogs in his foster home, and is calmly and contentedly chewing on a stuffed toy. He is being fostered in Southwest Missouri, so fill up the tank, stock up on soda, and don’t forget the maps, as this special boy will not be shipped.