This is a courtesy post for a Doberman mix located in Yucca Valley, CA. Please contact his caretakers at vavine@hotmail.com with any questions or rehoming information.
About 4 months ago, I rescued a dog who walked in from the desert, totally emaciated, who the vet says, wouldn't have lived a day longer had we not found him. He’d been living in the BLM behind us down here in Yucca Valley CA, for some months we think. He had mange and was covered in fight wounds from fighting off coyote packs no doubt.
I've since brought Otto back to his full, powerful health and happiness and had him desexed and updated on all shots. The vet thinks he is a Doberman x Weimaraner, about 3-4yo. He is approx 95lbs, has a beautiful temperament and is very well mannered, powerful and loving big guy.
He and I are very bonded, but sadly we cannot keep him as we’ve since discovered the only thing he’s not good with is kids and we have a 4 1/2-year-old daughter. She makes him skittish and he’s snapped at her a couple of times. I must stress, he’s never gone after her but simply snapped at her when she’s been right up on him. I'm sure he is also a little jealous of her but she also makes him nervous with the typical erratic movements and loud, unpredictable noises of preschooler. Moreover, she’s a huge dog-lover completely unafraid of him so I don't trust that she will leave him alone forever. None-the-less, I have kept him while trying to find him a new home. But managing the logistics of keeping him and our daughter separate, is a lot of work and a lot of juggling that I can't continue for much longer.
Otto would make the most AMAZING, loving companion for a childless person/ people who have no plans for kids and, even though he doesn’t bark much at all, he makes for visually striking security. He gets along famously with my other, big Wolfhound X Sheepdog male of the same age, and is happily bossed around and shares a bed with our older, male Pug X. As he's a big boy, you’d want a big, fenced yard for him, but he doesn’t seem to need a tremendous amount of physical exercise, much preferring to lay about on a couch close to his humans. He’s very affectionate, has got strong Velcro tendencies and has absolutely no interest in getting out and running off.
I used a very dedicated, long and slow integration method with he and my other dogs that involved a few weeks of crating and rotating, muzzled play then supervised play before letting them be free together. With two big dogs, I wanted to take it all slowly to avoid any possibility of a lethal conflict. My original big dog gets jealous of me and Otto definitely has a possessive streak. But all the patience, time and work I put in paid off as my two big boys run and play and play fight together every day. It's a beautiful sight to behold.
Otto
Doberman/Weimaraner Mix
