Lab/Heeler Mix, 10 weeks, 11lbs, Neutered (Expected to be Around 55lbs Full Grown) 

If interested in adopting please read everything written below and submit an adoption application (www.socialteesnyc.org) if the pup seems like a good fit for your family. 

Please Note: We can not guarantee breed mix or age or full grown size, Both are an educated guess. 

Energy Level: Higher - As an adult will need a minimum of 90 minutes of walking/physical activity a day. 

Home Recommendation: Can live in the city or out of the city. Is a puppy so has the potential to be an amazing pal in the city. Wouldnt say no to the burbs. A high active household that is ready to take on the joys (and lots of hard work) of raising a puppy. These pups need adopters that have some dog experience under their belt. Adopters should be really comfortable with taking care of dogs. Should have some primary dog ownership experience or really solid fostering or dog sitting experience (of high active breeds). Should have more experience than just petting a dog on the street or growing up with a dog. Since we predict these pups are lab/heeler mixes, adopters should be ready for lots of outdoor time and stimulation: as they are incredibly smart. These pups are going to require a lot of stimulation, exercise and training. Adopters will need to be ready to spend a considerable amount of time and energy doing training - we are huge fans of professional training.

His foster says: Collins is the cutest, energetic and loving dog, He loves to play and cuddle, he sits next to me or between my feet while Im working, amazing company! He is a little Sherlock Holmes, always looking around for something to play with, hide your shoes or cables :) He is almost potty trained, super smart Collins learned to pee and poop on the Pads within a day, his aiming is not always great but he knows where to go! He is afraid of the stairs and sliding doors, i try to help him but for now hes still in adjustment mode. He sleeps all throguh the night and wakes up around 8-9Am with me, i immediately take him for a walk, he is now used to that routine and knows it is time for business. He Eats three times a day and goes about 4 times a day. Collins is very independent when I am busy doing stuff around the house, he looks for his toys and plays with them.

What is a Retriever? This includes the beloved yellow, black, and chocolate Labs (labrador retriever) the category is a hunting companion originally bred to gather game, usually birds. These days they are often used for disability assistance, and the Lab is the most popular breed of dog in Canada, the UK, and the United States. They are known for their obedience, loyalty, and playful temperament, and they often like to swim. They make excellent family dogs, but they do need plenty of exercise and training since they are considered a working breed and expect to be assigned jobs to do. 

What does owning this dog entail?: Its going to be very important to keep this energetic, eager-to-please canine busy both physically and mentally -- that includes a minimum of 90 minutes of quick paced outdoor exercise every day in addition to bathroom walks. A perfect walking, hiking, and running buddy. We strongly recommend a basic training course to get a more solid feel for this pups individual needs and how to best communicate with each other. A well trained dog is a happy dog.

What is a Heeler? This gorgeous dog was originally bred for moving cattle over long distances. Energetic and intelligent, designed to do lots of physical activity and complete tasks almost all day. This dog does really well with structured training and learns fast but can be an enormous handful if not getting enough physical and mental exercise. It gets the name "heeler" because it nips at the heels of cattle to herd them. This makes them poor matches for homes with small children because their instincts sometimes kick in and cause them to herd the kids by chasing them and nipping their heels. They generally thrive outside of urban environments, but in the city those on the chiller end of the spectrum make great walking buddies and would excel at agility classes. 

What does owning this dog entail? Lots of exercise and mental stimulation is beyond a must. This dog is considered a working breed since their original purpose was to do a job. Its going to be very important to keep this pup busy both physically and mentally -- that includes a minimum of 90 minutes of fast paced outdoor time in addition to bathroom walks every day. A perfect walking, hiking, and running buddy. We strongly recommend a basic training course to get a more solid feel for this pups individual needs and how to best communicate with each other. A well trained dog is a happy dog.

Personality: Life of the party. Puppies this young are pretty similar to one another. Think lots of energy, equal amounts of napping. A zest for human connection and the potential to be incredible dogs with lots of training, routine and guidance. Puppies are incredibly loving and sweet. They just need lots of help learning how to be good boys and girls. Please note that a puppy this young is in the easiest stage of its puppyhood. Adopters should be ready for challenges and ready to put serious time, money and effort into training as the puppy grows into an adult 

House Trained: These pups have started their DAPP vaccine series. They currently arent ready to hit the streets so they are relying on pee pads at this time. Private outdoor areas like yards, patios, etc are okay. Its important to be ready for lots of clean up on aisle PEE. Consistency, praise and patience are the ingredients to house training puppies.

Separation Anxiety & Leash Manners: On par for age. Learning to self soothe. Cries for a few minutes when left alone. Due to vaccine status isnt allowed to walk outside yet: will need to learn how to leash walk. 

Cuddle Factor: High - puppies are usually gluttons for affection and skin to fur contact lol 

Mouthiness: Medium to High - this puppy is just entering its teething phase so you can expect it to get worse before it gets better. These puppies are young so teething isnt bad yet. It will for sure be more challenging as they get older. Puppies enter their high teething phase around 12 weeks old and it can last for a few months. 

Good With Other Dogs: Yes! These nuggets are cleared to interact with healthy adult dogs but shouldnt be going on playdates with other puppies (they need a few more vaccine boosters before they are allowed to do that). Socialization with other dogs is a huge part of raising a puppy. They have all of the potential to be amazing with other dogs ... the ball is in your court.

Good With Cats: Yes! Fun fact: all puppies are good with cats. Its up to the owner to teach their puppy to not chase the cat and to respect the cats boundaries. If you own a cat and want to add a puppy into the mix its very important that your cat has met a dog before and was comfortable around it. You dont want to ruin your cats life by adding a dog, no one wants to live with a grumpy cat. 

Good With Kids: Okay for a home with kind and respectful kids 8 and up. Adopters should be aware of teething stages of a puppy if they have children in the home. If adopting a puppy with kids in the home: adopters need to have a solid plan for handling puppy teething and children. 

Medical Status: Altered (spayed/neutered) and microchipped. Up to date on vaccines. Treated with de-wormer upon intake. Adopter will need to finish out the DHPP series (at least two more vaccines). Adopter will also need to do the Rabies vaccine at 16 weeks of age. 

How They Ended Up With Social Tees: This pup was originally left anonymously at a high volume shelter in TN where they were at risk of euthanasia. Our rescue partner based down there pulled them, had their initial veterinary care done, and transported them to NYC. While in Social Tees care, they are kept in attentive and loving foster homes. Many dogs are rescued from the south because the pet overpopulation problem there is much worse than it is in the northern parts of the country. This seems to be because far fewer people are having their pets spayed/neutered in the south, the climate is warmer so animals are reproducing year round, and the human population in these areas is less dense so there arent enough people to adopt them. In NYC and the surrounding area, we have a large human population, which in turn means the animals find forever homes at a higher rate up here. :) 

PLEASE NOTE: This animal is not at the Social Tees office all of our dogs and cats are in foster homes while they wait to find their forever families. :) If youd like to apply to adopt this pet, please complete an adoption application at socialteesnyc.org. Because we are a small team and receive hundreds of applications each week, we are unable to respond to every application and every inquiry email, but we do our best. Please have patience! If your application is approved, you will for sure hear from us. If you have questions, please take a look at the Adoption and Fostering FAQs etc. on our website as all common questions are answered there. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we work to save these innocent lives!! 

LEARN MORE ABOUT US: socialteesnyc.org; Instagram via @socialteesnyc; Facebook.com/socialteesanimalrescue