DARREN
 
Darren is precious 8-10 month old buff and white cocker boy with big brown eyes! He is very small (about 12 lbs) and will most likely stay smaller than the average cocker. He and his siblings were rescued from an Arkansas shelter in March. He was covered in ticks and fleas and most likely did not have much early human socialization. Both pups were diagnosed with Parvo when we first rescued them, but they are strong and healthy now!
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Darren has been in a foster home with his sister Fiona and they play all day long! They love toys, wrestling, biting, running....everything that puppies should do. Darren is definitely a bigger "baby" than his sister. He likes to know where his foster mom is at all times. He does not like to be crated at all or left by himself. He needs to join a home with another dog so he has a companion. And, while he will stand up for himself when Fiona bites him, he will not need to be the alpha dog at all. 
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Even though Darren is 8-10 months old, he is actually in the 4-5 month old puppy stage as far as chewing and stealing things goes (and biting noses and toes!)  Also, because of the Parvo, we had to delay his vaccinations so he hasn't had much practice walking on a leash, but he does ok. He is doggie door trained although he does have a little submissive urination problem when he's in an unfamiliar situation. Darren also likes to cuddle with his foster mom and he's so cute that his foster mom has broken all her rules and lets Darren (and Fiona) sleep with her. :-)
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Darren had a rough start in life but he's enjoying living now and is ready to find a permanent home where he can settle in and be happy forever!

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Because puppies are so cute, so very appealing, people tend to minimize "the puppy factor." Please do not minimize this factor. Adopting a puppy is a long term commitment, both in time and training. The puppy will need patient and loving care and training to become the dog you wish it to be. Just like good children, good dogs are brought up by being taught right from wrong and being trained up to adult expectations. If you let a puppy raise itself, within a few months, you will have an unmanageable dog on your hands. 

This puppy will need house-training and obedience training. He or she will need chew toys, acceptable things with which to work on growing those grown-up dog teeth and as an outlet for puppy energy. And most importantly, like a child, he or she will need, and demand, acceptable amounts of attention from the humans in the environment. If you are certain you can make this type of commitment to this animal, send your application today