Bernard

Meet Bernard! Bernard is a special boy. We first met him when we were touring a very rural shelter. We saw him lying in his concrete kennel, covered in his own feces. He struggled to stand to say hello to us. His body was skin and bones, his eyes clouded over, and his muzzle very grey - all indicators that this sweet boy was in fact an old man who likely lived a life of neglect and then found himself in the shelter. We took him out for a walk, but he could only walk a few steps before collapsing. He was clearly in immense pain. We knew right then and there we couldn't leave him. We had a foster lined up to take him, but sadly, the foster fell through which left Bernard in our overflow foster care. We have learned a lot more about him in the last 1.5 months, and we are still searching for a foster, or better yet, a foster-to-adopt where he can spend his remaining years comfortably. Here is some more information about Bernard: - Bernard is your typical german shepherd. He is 65 pounds but he is a big baby who is scared of the vet and doesn't like pain. Due to the high volume of pain he was in when we first got him, he was nippy when we would mess with his ears or other sensitive areas. He has been feeling better now and we can rub him all over with no issues - and he actually loves it! - He was so emaciated and had no meat on his bones when we first got him. Because of his immense hunger, he did show signs of resource guarding food and water/bowls/treats, so we have always fed him in his crate where he can eat in peace. He hasn't had any resource guarding issues in about a month, and will let me pull him off of the water bowl if he is drinking too much. - He LOVES to be outside. He prefers to nap on the concrete floor of my screened porch. - He is crate and potty trained, but he does struggle holding his pee for long periods of time, so when he wakes up he immediately goes outside. - He is great on the leash and does not need a fenced yard. - He does have some hip dysplasia, but has made a lot of progress with supplements and anti inflammatories. He loves a soft bed to lay on. - He loves affection and will run up to you like a puppy for pets! - He really just wants to hang out with his people or take a nap. He is quiet and overall very low energy and low maintenance. - He is okay with other dogs, but we think he may have been a breeding dog because he doesn't know how to interact and will bark/try to mount some dogs. He is not aggressive at all and has backed off when other dogs tell him to. He would probably be less taunted and happier as an only dog though. - He has completed his final heartworm injections and is done with crate rest in late June. He will be neutered at that time. We would love to find a foster (or foster-to-adopt) to give Bernard the comfortable life he deserves while he finishes his medical care and waits to be adopted! You can apply to foster or adopt on our website BridgeBetweenAnimalRescue.org or email for more information [email protected]