Cheddar is a mellow, reserved fellow who has lovely house manners. If you have questions about him, EMAIL ME. To inquire about adoption, please visit the New Rattitude website.
4/3/26Showing 1-28 of 28729 visitsAlbum by TerryPhotos by Terry
1 Say hello to Cheddar.
2 He is a mellow dude of about 7 years old and 16 lbs.
3 Cheddar was one of 11 dogs removed from a home by Animal Control home where the owner had died. Most of the dogs were able to be adopted out from the shelter. But Cheddar and 2 others were too nervous and unsocialized to be good adoption candidates, so the shelter reached out to rescue.
4 From the start, Cheddar seemed relatively comfortable and didn't try to run or hide from from fear. But he avoided being touched whenever he was able.
5 He was very willing to come close to see what the humans were up to, but still stayed carefully out of "grabbing" distance.
6 Although he would back away whenever hands would reach toward him, if we did manage to make contact, he didn't resist, and seemed relatively comfortable with the physical contact.
7 Cheddar did a good bit of marking when he first arrived here. To be fair, there was another recently-neutered dog in residence, and he himself wasn't yet neutered, so branding his new territory was undoubtedly irresistible. Thankfully, he didn't resist having a belly band put on or taken off.
8 After about 3 days he wasn't lifing his leg indoors anymore, so we removed the belly band and he has been completely reliably house trained ever since, with zero indoor accidents.
9 It took about a week for him to start regularly jumping up onto the couch beside us and occasionally coming up to us for some attention.
10 Cheddar has done well with the other dogs here. They tend to hang out near each other, even following each other around some, but seldom interact directly. Cheddar has tried to initiate play just a couple times, but he was rebuffed so he hasn't tried again. In the first week or so here, as the dogs were getting used to each other, they had a couple brief tiffs over food. But now they do fine, taking turns with treats and no longer trying to barge in on the other one's food bowl.
11 Cheddar is generally quiet and undemanding, a real go-with-the flow guy.
12 iIn the beginning, he was obviously unaccustomed to leash walking, and would thrash and try to back out of the "noose." But it didn't take him too long before figuring out that the leash meant being able to get out into the neighborhood on a walk, which he likes. He has made really good progress on walking competently on leash, not pulling nor resisting forward motion.
13 The "walking in a straight line without crossing back-and-forth" thing is still a work in progress, so there does tend to be some tangling when walking with another dog. But he is really getting the hang of it, and generally just trots along with a slack leash.
14 Even when he is nervous about something, Cheddar has always been completely gentle.
15 It took him a couple of weeks before he showed the slightest interest in any toys. Then one day he picked up a squeaky toy and pranced and played with it like the happiest little pup ever.
16 Gradually he began tentatively playing with some other toys. He doesn't (yet) chase balls, but he will occasionally pick one up for a short chew session.
17 And this weird ball that makes bizarre squeaking, moaning, and clanging noises is simply intriguing!
18 He is not sure what to do with it, but it merits investigation.
19 Overall, Cheddar is calm, quiet, and low energy. We haven't seen him demonstrate any prey drive but we have seen him get the zoomies a couple of times. Both times lasted for just a couple of minutes, but he was having a grand time racing from one end of the house to the other, divebombing his foster brother and playing "run just close enough for foster mom and foster dad to try to get me."
20 He was very well behaved on a recent trip to a Mexican restaurant.
21 He doesn't respond to obedience commands such as "sit" or "stay" but he definitely understands "Let's go outside" and is quick to comply.
22 The only "naughty" behavior we've caught him in was checking out the top of the dining table one afternoon when we had neglected to push the chairs all the way in. But he hasn't chewed on anything he shouldn't, or stolen laundry or trash, or tried to door dash. Nor is he a food snatcher or beggar at mealtime.
23 Cheddar knows how to use a doggie door and will let himself out when he wants to listen to the goings-on in the neighborhood or do some sunbathing on the deck.
24 Oops. Sorry for waking you up, Cheddar.
25 We have discovered that Cheddar is an extremely loyal dog. Once he accepts you as his person, he gives you his whole heart and trusts you to take gentle care of it, and wants to spend all the time he can near you.
26 Fortunately, he doesn't get too anxious when his person is gone from home.
27 But he definitely prefers it when his person is nearby!
28 This well-behaved gentleman is seeking a loving person or family who will patiently earn his trust and increase his confidence by giving him gradual exposure to a wider world.
