Alfie the Dog
Age: Two years old
Fixed (Spayed/Neutered)? Yes
Weight: 70 lbs
Indoor? Yes
Microchipped? Yes
City in which animal is located: Jackson
Rehoming fee? Yes
Please note: This is a courtesy listing on HSHV’s site. This animal is available through a private individual, NOT HSHV. For questions, please contact the individual below, not HSHV. Thank you!

Alfie is incredibly intelligent, social, aware, and active. Alfie was raised from a puppy by a gentle, young, single male who gave him lots of love and attention, as well as trained him in obedience and tricks. Alfie not only walks calmly on a lead but heals and follows other obedience commands. He does some tricks, knows the names of some of his toys, and completes level 3 puzzles for his food. Alfie needs to be challenged with tasks and work on a regular basis. Alfie is, of course, completely house trained. He very active and needs a large yard to run and/or lots of walking/running exercise. He also needs a great deal of social interaction. He is crate trained, but it is important for him to have lots of active time outside and with his people to avoid behavior problems. He is the smartest, most intuitive dog I’ve worked with. Alfie looks to his people for strong leadership and to meet his high need for social interaction throughout the day. He is both eager to please and determined. One of his great strengths is awareness of his people’s moods. He provides deep pressure naturally when he senses one of his people is stressed or sad. However, while Alfie is an excellent dog overall, he is still a rambunctious, young teen that just turned two. He still needs some training. He tends to mouth while playing and can get carried away with excitement. He does well with kids and other animals, but mouthing can be frightening to timid children and small animals. His is still teething and needs to chew a lot. He will chew household items when he is not provided with enough chew toys. However, when given a variety of chew toys (especially knotted ropes), he does well. We still crate him when he’s alone. His favorite non-toy items to chew are shoes, clothing, and books. He is not a “barker” but will bark to protect his territory and if he is stressed from being crated too long. He will also bark a little from anxiety when he senses one of his people is upset with him or tensions are high in the home. Alfie is currently fostered by our family. Our family consists of two refugee foster teens and one senior gentleman with moderate autism. We have care aides, social workers, and visiting friends/family in and out. Alfie does well in this busy environment – he is friendly to everyone and does not jump on people. He has never been aggressive with people, but has given warning barks to a couple people until he learns they are safe friends. We currently have no other animals, but were told by his owner that he does well with other animals. We have had cats enter our yard, and Alfie has not minded. We also have close neighbors with dogs, and although Alfie goes to the fence, it is to make friends and try to play. Alfie has great potential to be a service or support dog if given the right training.

If you are interested in adopting Alfie, please contact Gayla at 517-416-3115 or gaylaplay@gmail.com. This animal is listed as a courtesy on our site, but is available through this individual. For questions, please contact the individual listed, not HSHV. Thank you!