Tommy Boy is a big (forty pounder!) black masked fawn bred in Hungary. He was surrendered due to aggression with other animals. He's very healthy and has a gorgeous bully head about the size of a soccer ball!

Tommy is a great big love.

Tommy Boy is my foster and I have fallen for him HARD. He led a sheltered life before and spent a lot of time fence fighting with the neighbors' dogs, building up frustration. When gates were left open, he got into trouble when he went after a neighbor's cat and another time when he went after a dog being walked in front of his house. Strangely, he lived since puppyhood with several tiny poodles who bossed him around. In foster care he has not been able to be in close physical proximity to other animals. If he gets close enough to lunge and bite another dog (or cat) he will try, and Tommy is a big strong dog. For this reason he won't be placed in a home with children. I believe his animal aggression is based on fear, and his "fight or flee" mechanism is stuck on "fight". It's possible that with careful and consistent training he could learn to live peacefully with other animals, but he is nowhere near that point now.

In foster care Tommy is learning many things. How to be okay on his own, rather than as the low man on the poodle totem pole. How to walk on a leash (excellent!) How to go up and down stairs and how to relax and go for joy rides in the car. He takes long walks (he is a pleasure to walk) and is learning to "step to" and keep going when he sees another dog across the street. Sometimes he even walks next to another non-reactive dog on lead, but care must be taken that he doesn't get close enough to try and take a chomp. He sees and hears the other dogs in the house but he doesn't make noise about it, nor does he try to get at them through the door. He is not a barker (other than the occasional single "Woof!" when something unexpected happens).

Tommy is perfectly housetrained. He will go into a crate with a bit of a "shove" but he doesn't like it in there, and he is so perfectly behaved there really isn't any reason for him to be crated. He doesn't disturb anything in his environment. He loves to be with me in my basement office, curling up in his wicker dog bed and dozing off or gazing at me adoringly. He took some time to warm up – he is very frightened of new things and is easily startled. After a couple weeks he began to want to play with me and now he bubbles over with happiness when I come down the stairs. He is more comfortable with women than with men, and still sometimes "pancakes" when my husband puts his leash on or approaches him. He loves to sit on the sofa with you, and I know he would love to sleep on a people bed. Alas, at out house, the people bed is filled with other Frenchies and Tommy can't join in.

Tommy likes to do his business in our fenced back yard. He will do it on a walk, but it can take a loooong time. He is eager to please, and smart, but Tommy is not motivated by food so it's sometimes difficult to distract him when he gets fixated on something while on a walk. He is very "soft" and sensitive. Even a quick, "medium" leash correction can make him yelp and go all to pieces. He is not protective of his food or toys.

Tommy needs an owner who is experienced with dogs, gentle, firm, and patient. Above all, he needs an owner who will help him gain confidence and keep him safe and out of trouble. Though he is quiet and not destructive, Tommy should live in a calm environment with people who are home a good part of the day or can take him to work (as long as there are no other animals there.) He longs for human company.

He is a beautiful, healthy Frenchie, with amber eyes that are always wide open and searching. He is gentle and sweet and loving. He likes to go to my 81 year-old mom's house. He lays down at her feet while she knits. Tommy takes a while to trust, and then bonds deeply. He doesn't like it when I leave him. He likes bully sticks and stuffies, but he would much rather have you sit and pet him.

This dog is so beautiful and so sweet that every single person in my extended family has said "Gee, why don't you just trade in the other three and keep this one! He's perfect!" (The nerve! Some people just don't appreciate how "creative" my other dogs are!) But it's easy to see their point. You just want to throw your arms around this dog and love him, love him, love him. The challenge will be to find him a home where his insecurities won't tempt his people to coddle him. He needs gentle, firm guidance to boost his confidence and let him step out into the world the best dog he can be.

Tommy Boy is chewing on a bully stick and gazing adoringly at me as I type. If you want him you'll need to pack your raincoat and take a trip to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. He is in Portland, Oregon, and he will not be shipped.

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