Slider

Description

 * This dog will be at the Palo Alto Pet Food Express on Saturday, August 15th from 12–3 PM (unless adopted prior to the event). All DPS Rescue dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, flea/tick treated, and microchipped prior to adoption.   Adoption Fee: $700 Bite-Sized, Irresistible & Ready for His Forever Home You know how some things are just better when they're small? A perfect little appetizer. A tiny dessert. A slider fresh off the grill. That's this little guy. At just 9 weeks old and 4 pounds, Slider is basically the puppy equivalent of a bite-sized treat. He's small enough to scoop up, adorable enough to make you immediately want another, and already has a personality that is considerably larger than his current wardrobe. He may be tiny, but he has absolutely no interest in sitting quietly on the sidelines. He wants to know what everyone is doing, where everyone is going and whether he can come along. He follows his people so closely that his foster family has learned to watch their feet because this little guy has decided that walking directly between someone's ankles is the most efficient way to travel. When he's not conducting household inspections, he's playing with toys, investigating the backyard, attempting to recruit the resident dogs into his puppy games and then collapsing into a nap when his little legs have had enough. He arrived at his foster home a little unsure of himself—a tiny, shaky pile of puppy who wasn't quite sure what he'd gotten himself into. It took about a day for him to realize that toys, people, dogs, snacks and soft places to sleep were all part of the deal. Once he figured that out, he was all in. Meet the World's Smallest Velcro Dog Slider is a serious people person. He doesn't simply follow his people around; he tries to walk directly between their feet while they're walking. Because apparently being four pounds means you should have absolutely no concept of personal space. He loves being near his people and has quickly become a little Velcro puppy. He follows, explores and wants to know what everyone is doing. After a good play session, however, he's more than happy to climb into your lap and curl up for a nap. And this is one of Slider's best qualities: he has an off switch. He's playful and curious, but he isn't a puppy who spends all day bouncing off the walls. His foster family describes his play sessions as short bursts of activity followed by a very reasonable decision to lie down and take a nap. Honestly, we admire his priorities. Tiny Dog. Big Social Life. Slider lives with two older dogs, one around 30 pounds and one around 10 pounds. He thinks they are fascinating. He loves sniffing them, following them around and trying to convince them that they should absolutely play with him. So far, his attempts to recruit them have been met with limited enthusiasm, but Slider remains optimistic. He'll paw at their faces, get corrected, consider the feedback for approximately three seconds, and then go back to say hello again. He's also very interested in other dogs when he sees them while out in his sling. He enjoys watching the world go by and is especially fascinated by birds and squirrels in the backyard. He hasn't been around children yet, but given his confident, social personality, his foster family thinks he would do well with them. A Day in the Life of a Four-Pound Puppy Slider has a pretty impressive schedule for someone who weighs less than most people's handbags. His day begins around 5:30 a.m. with a quick potty break before he heads back into his crate for another hour or so of sleep. At 6:30, he gets up for the day, goes potty and heads into his pen for some playtime. Breakfast is served around 7:30, followed by another backyard potty break and more play. Around 8:00–8:30, his little body decides it has done enough important work for the morning, so it's back into the crate for a nap. Around 11:30 or noon, he wakes up and gets another round of playtime in the backyard or pen. Lunch comes around 1 p.m., followed by another potty break and, naturally, another nap. At 3:45 or 4, he's back up and ready for more puppy business. Around 5:30, the little guy starts getting tired again, so he gets another potty break and heads off for a nap. By 6:30, he's ready to get back up and play. Dinner is around 7:30, followed by another potty break around 8:20. His final potty trip is around 9:15, and then he heads into his crate for the night. And because he's nine weeks old, he may still wake up around 5 a.m. for that overnight potty trip. That's not a scheduling error. That's called having a baby. His foster family also gives him time to explore the family room after dinner, which he absolutely loves. He investigates every nook and cranny like he's been hired to conduct a full home inspection. The Zoomies Are... Special Slider doesn't have the completely unhinged puppy energy you might expect from a nine-week-old puppy. He tends to play hard for 20–30 minutes and then happily winds himself down for a nap. But when the energy hits? The legs come out. Slider has long, gangly legs for his tiny body, and before launching into a zoomie, he does what his foster family calls his "jazz hands." Imagine a tiny, slightly uncoordinated baby giraffe discovering that it has access to a hardwood floor. That's Slider. He pounces on toys, jumps at them, chases them and occasionally appears to forget where all four of his legs are supposed to go. It's spectacular. He loves tug-of-war and will chase toys in what is sort of a game of fetch, although he hasn't quite figured out the part where the toy is supposed to come back. He's got time. The Great Sock Heist We need to discuss the socks. Slider has discovered that socks are apparently the greatest treasure known to mankind. He will steal discarded socks and attempt to squirrel them away in the backyard, where he hides them behind the rose bushes. Yes. He has a sock stash. His foster family has basically discovered a tiny four-pound criminal with an extensive collection of stolen footwear. We have no idea what his long-term plans are for the socks. Perhaps a nest. Perhaps a retail operation. Perhaps he's building a tiny sock-based retirement fund. Whatever the plan, the rose bushes are involved. He hasn't shown much interest in shoes or furniture, which is excellent news. But he is a puppy, so he will happily chew leaves, mulch, sticks, toys and basically anything else he determines might be interesting. He's also teething, so appropriate puppy-safe chew toys are going to be an important part of his forever life. He's Doing Great With Potty Training For such a young puppy, Slider is doing wonderfully with potty training. His foster family takes him outside about every hour that he's awake. He hasn't quite mastered the concept of announcing, "Excuse me, I need to use the facilities," but he's learning. And when he finishes pottying, he looks up at his foster family as if to say: Did I do it? Did I do it right? Where's my treat? He also uses pee pads in his pen when necessary. He's comfortable with his crate and takes all of his naps there. Occasionally he'll protest for about ten minutes before settling down, but he's learning that crate time means rest time. His crate started right next to his foster family's bed, and they're gradually working on creating a little more distance. It's always covered with a thin sheet, which helps him settle. He's also already shown that he can do well in his pen for several hours. His foster family has left him there for 4–5 hours and he did very well. Learning That Being Alone Is Okay Slider is a people-loving little guy, and he can get attached quickly. That means his forever family will need to continue working on alone time. He may cry when separated from his people, but his foster family has already seen significant improvement with routine and repetition. This is especially important with a puppy like Slider. We don't want his adorable Velcro tendencies to turn into separation anxiety as he gets older, so his adopters should continue teaching him that being alone for a little while is safe and that his people always come back. He's already learning. His Perfect Home Slider could happily be the only dog in the home or join a family with other dogs. He clearly enjoys canine companionship, but he's equally happy being entertained by his people and his toys. His forever family should be prepared for all the things that come with raising a puppy: continued potty training, teething, socialization, basic training and teaching him that being alone for a little while is perfectly okay. He needs someone who understands that today he's a baby. A very cute, very social, slightly gangly, sock-stealing baby. He'll need continued socialization with people, dogs and new experiences so that the confidence he's developing now continues as he grows. Why You'll Love Slider There is something ridiculously endearing about a puppy who is still figuring out how his own legs work while simultaneously being completely convinced that he is ready to take on the world. Slider is curious. He's affectionate. He's playful. He's social. He's already learning how to be a wonderful little dog. He has the confidence to approach the big dogs, the curiosity to investigate every corner of the house, the sense of adventure required to steal socks and hide them behind rose bushes, and the good sense to take a nap when he's tired. And then there are those jazz hands. You can keep your fancy puppy tricks. We'll take the four-pound baby giraffe with the long legs, the sock collection and the pre-zoomie jazz hands. Because Slider may be bite-sized right now, but we're pretty sure he's going to leave a very large paw print on someone's heart.