ADOPTED

KYLE

Kyle is a stunning dog. His eyes are the most luscious shade of caramel, and he has the good looks of those English Coonhounds that appear so often in European hunting dog paintings. Kyle is the Brad Pitt of hound dogs!

This shy, young, 3 year old beauty has the look of a Redtick Coonhound, but weighing only 28 pounds, Kyle most likely has a dose of Beagle in him to explain his dimunitive stature. He has the presence and look of a much larger dog. Kyle's coat is a pretty, light strawberry blonde, with blonde, speckled ticking on his nose and legs. The coat is soft and flat, so he will need minimal grooming.

Kyle was abandoned to the harsh environment of a big city kill shelter by an owner who cited "no time" as the problem. Yes, dogs do take time. It's always a good idea to evaluate the family schedule ahead of the puppy purchase to be sure that the family can follow through on its collective committment to the dog.

Kyle received great behavior evaluations from shelter staff and volunteers, and has even earned himself accolades from the shelter vet techs, after much poking and prodding. Despite his stellar reviews...and shelter info that Kyle is three...Kyle can still behave like a puppy and adopters should be prepared to troubleshoot basic puppy issues.

We'd describe Kyle as a bit short on confidence. His middle name isn't exactly, "Bravado." For the first few days in foster care, he hid in the corner, far away from the pack. Finally, with a little coaxing, Kyle came out of his shell and has blossomed beautifully!

In fact, Kyle has become quite the little Lothario, as he has charmed the daylights out of our Rottie mix, Sophie, who is known for her rather harsh criticism of other dogs! Sophie has fallen for Kyle like a tweenie at a Bieber concert. We never thought we'd see the day. We applaude Sophie's shameless behavior!

Indeed, Kyle seems to have a quality that other dogs like. Some shy dogs project an insecure vibe that incites attacks from other dogs, but our entire pack seems to like Kyle, and he has increased his confidence level through puppy playtime. He has gone from a shy wallflower to a social butterfly.

Despite his considerable progress in foster care, adopters should expect to meet a shy dog, and give him his space to warm up on his own. He will need a fair amount of patience in the first few days of adoption transition.

As a scent hound, Kyle is easily distracted by nature's wonders, and he tends to pull on the leash and trudge out ahead on his daily walks. Adopters may wish to use the Halti lead to gently redirect his focus. Kyle has had no formal obedience work, so adopters may wish to take him to a series of classes to build the bond, and to continue his confidence. Scent hounds need a fair amount of exercise and mental stimulation to avoid the behavior pitfalls that plague bored, underexercised dogs. So far, Kyle's former owners have done a first rate job of undersocializing him and have created a dog full of fear and trepidation. Fortunately, Kyle's fear melts away quickly with tender human touch, instead of escalating into a bite.

Kyle could easily join the home of an active single, couple or family with older children, who enjoy including their dog in family activities. He would make an excellent walking or hiking buddy, and dog savvy kids would do miracles for his confidence level.

Kyle is in excellent health and has been neutered. He has been vaccinated for rabies, parvo, distemper and bordatella. He has been de-wormed and has tested negative for heartworm, lyme, earlichia and anaplasmosis. If you are interested in Klye, please write to Denise@eskiesonline.com for an adoption application or call Denise at 720-903-0636 for more information.