Linus, the wonder dog is a gorgeous young man with the world at his feet! His happy face belies the not so happy start he had in life. Linus came from a hoarding situation where he apparently was the low boy in the pecking order of the pack. He was afraid of everything and everybody so to counter his fears he put on an act that he was a big, tough, mean machine. Fast forward to an ACDR rescue and then a month with a wonderful trainer and Linus is well on the road to being a happy, healthy pup who, when slowly introduced to another dog, actually finds that he is happy to be around them AND he is actually finding out that humans are not just big scary things coming to torment him. To say that Linus is a special dog is an understatement for sure.

He is going to need a very dog savvy person to love him and nurture him and show him that the world is not a huge scary place but a wonder to behold. He is just now beginning to seek out the companionship of humans, which frightened him very much before training. He is a great young dog but he is not a dog for everyone. He is going to need time and patience and understanding in order to grow into the awesome man his foster family knows he is going to be.

It is recommended that he not be introduced into a household with young children as sudden movements and very loud voices can still frighten him. He has been living with a very dog savvy cat for the past month and has gotten accustomed to her sneaking up on him though he would really prefer that she announce herself before she touches him. He is also living with another Heeler who loves everyone so that is helping him with his self-esteem.

He comes with a long list of commands that he understands and follows, thanks to his time with his trainer and her dogs. He is not, however, your “plug and play” dog so we’ll make sure you know what you’re signing up for and we’ll make sure his forever home is, in fact, a forever home! We told you he is special and we love him to pieces and will make sure he gets the best possible life he can hope for. If you’re up for the challenge you will not be sorry. He has that kind of personality and will to please.

Linus is housebroken, crate trained and fully vetted. He is currently located in Rio Rioc, AZ

The first step to meeting any of our dogs is to submit an application. It in no way obligates you to adopt, it is simply part of our process. If the dog you are interested in is adopted before you can meet them or if we do not currently have a dog you are interested in we still encourage you to go through the approval process. Then you will be pre-approved and ready to adopt when a dog does come along that you are interested in. Apply at www.arizonacattledogrescue.org