AJ (Ajax)-ADOPTED!!!

  AJ is a gorgeous healthy young (under one year) old male Akbash in foster care needing adoption! Watch his video! Click the "read more" link below to read all about him!

Here is what AJ's foster family has to say about him:

                                               
  Ajax ("AJ") is a magnificent male Akbash puppy approximately 11 months old, weighing 104 lbs. He was found in Grass Valley CA and rescued from a kill shelter in December. We are fostering him in Orange County, CALIF while he waits to find his forever home.

   He is a tall dog (28 inches at the shoulder) who is still growing (he’s gained 10 pounds in two months).  When he reaches his full growth, if he conforms to the breed standard, he will likely weigh around130 pounds and stand 31-32 inches at the shoulder, just a little shorter than a Great Dane.  Thankfully, despite his great size, he is a very sweet, calm dog who likes to snooze and loves to be petted.

  AJ is so gorgeous – we can’t count how many times people have stopped us to tell us what a beautiful dog he is! Of course, most people assume he is an overgrown white Lab or a Great Pyrenees with short hair and they are surprised to hear that he is a rare breed, the Akbash Dog. He has a wonderful personality – friendly to everyone, human, feline and canine.  He is very good with little kids, who love to come up and pet him. Basically, anyone can come right up and pet him – we haven’t seen him growl at anyone or shy away in fear from a stranger. We walk him a lot in our neighborhood which has many dogs and he has not shown any signs of aggressiveness.  We take him often to a big dog park, where he has been attacked several times by other dogs – a pit bull so mean his owner kept him on leash even in the dog park, a nasty Lab, a pit bull mix and (no joke) a vicious Chihuahua (big-dog owners have to worry about how their dogs will react to really nasty little dogs).  In each case, AJ responded not with aggressiveness but with playfulness, without growling, barking or fighting or showing any signs of fear.

 He is a real social butterfly that loves dog parks.  He tries to greet every dog in the park (and in our favorite park, that usually means 50-60 dogs).  He loves to play rough with big dogs at the park.  He especially likes Mastiffs (if they are energetic), big Goldens, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Weimaraners.  His best friend is a Doberman bitch – they love to spend Saturday mornings trail running and playing.

  We have made sure to give him plenty of opportunity to socialize with other dogs – a necessity for young protector-breed dogs.  AJ spends 8-9 hours a day on the weekdays at a dog play group with an ever-changing pack of 15-20 dogs.  He gets plenty of socializing and play there. According to the people that run the group, AJ gets along with all the dogs, but especially like some energetic Boxers and Rottweilers that like rough 

  AJ is very trainable. He loves training sessions- he is eager to please and learns quickly! He is very good on leash now and walks calmly without excessive pulling – a nice feature in such a large dog. Because he is so good on leash while jogging, he would be a great dog for a runner!  He does pull a bit when he sees rabbits and when he sees other dogs because he wants to greet them and play, but we are working on this. He is housetrained.  He has learned “sit”, “down”, “stay”, “shake”, “on your bed” (i.e., go to your dog bed an lie down) and “no”.  He has also learned not to go through a door to the outside without permission, to ring a bell when he wants to go outside and to climb into his seat in the car to be strapped in.

  AJ loves to be outside.  He is a good trail runner and can go off-leash for a ten-mile trail run in hilly terrain without a problem.  He will come when called outside when off-leash, at least if he is not actively chasing a deer, rabbit or road runner.  He is fine off-leash when he meets a human on the trail – he is so calm and tail-waggy that people to do not react with fear when he comes up.

  He lives with us inside our house and that is working out well. We have three cats, a 50-pound Spanish Water Dog and a fifteen-pound ShiTzu – AJ gets along fine with all of them. Although we have some barking dogs living nearby, AJ is not a barker – when they start up, he’ll bark a couple of times to let them know he’s not intimidated, then he quiets down. He sleeps through the night on the floor next to my bed – I think that is his protective instinct coming into play!

 He has been chipped, has had all his shots and has been neutered. We brought him to a vet for a checkup and she pronounced him to be perfect health. His coat is lovely and he is strong and muscular. He is surprisingly calm and relaxed about being touched – allowing us to examine his paws and teeth without any stress, in contrast to many dogs we have seen.

 He has a relatively short coat that is easily kept in perfect shape with a couple of minutes brushing with a rubber brush 2-3 times a week.  He is not a big shedder, though Akbashes shed once or twice a year for a week or two and then require daily brushing to avoid shedding issues.

 We would advise that any prospective adopter either be experienced with large dogs (he is a big, strong boy) or an experienced dog owner with knowledge of dog training techniques.

 With his great personality and physical beauty, AJ will make a great pet for someone!