Jax
Adoption Status: Pending
Gender: Male
Breed: Shepherd & Collie Mix
Age: DOB: 03/2020
Weight: 38 lbs
Dog Friendly: Yes
Cat Friendly: Yes
Kid Friendly: Unknown
House Trained: Please read full bio
History: Jax was born with a defect in his lower intestinal tract.The defect affects the muscles of his rectum and anus. His anal opening is very small and he has only minimal control of those muscles. He has been managed for the past several years of his life with a variety of medications, including fiber supplements, medications to control the consistency of his stools, and ointments for his skin to keep it from developing a rash.
He has been evaluated by veterinary surgeons and the consensus is that while surgery could be performed to open up that opening, it would leave him with close to zero control.
He will need to have these medications for life, and the condition may cause periodic issues with constipation. He will need a very dedicated home and very regular veterinary care to maintain his health and comfort.
A note from the foster: The most important thing to know about Jax is that he LOVES love. If you’ve got hands, he wants (in fact, demands) pets. As far as Jax is concerned, his body is a temple and humans are meant to worship him (and given what a sweet, soft, handsome boy he is, it’s honestly hard to fault his logic).
Jax has had a tough life and has done quite a bit of bouncing around, but you wouldn’t guess that after meeting him. We’ve had Jax for nearly a year and we’ve learned so much about this smart, charming, goofy boy that we’d love to share with you! Here are some of our favorite things about Jaxy (as we mostly call him):
Jax is extremely clever, eager to please and tries so hard to be patient. Plus, he responds really well to positive reinforcement training so as much as his new family wants to teach him, he’s ready to learn.
He’s an excellent cuddle buddy. If you invite him onto the couch with you, he’ll jump right up and lay on your lap. He also gives great “hugs”, where he pushes his forehead into you and sort of burrows in, it’s very sweet!
Tennis balls are life. Jax will often dig through the toy box until he finds his favorite tennis ball and then it’s time to play the best game that’s ever been invented (fetch).
Like we’ve said, Jax loves love. He just wants to be where his people are and once you meet him, you’ll want to be where he is, too.
He’s the perfect combination of guard dog and welcoming committee. He will bark to let you know when something is amiss (and, honestly, he’ll bark when something isn’t amiss too, so he would not be a good fit for shared walls). But he greets everyone he meets with joy and exuberance (sometimes a little too much exuberance!). Jax’s prescribes to the “strangers are just best friends you haven’t met yet” life philosophy.
He’s really good at respecting space. If he’s in the way or asking for a little too much attention, we tell him to “go on” and he knows to go settle himself somewhere else.
He’s very respectful of cats! He leaves our cat almost entirely alone.
He’s super smart. He knows the following commands: sit, down, shake, hold on, come, go to your place, go to bed, go on, that’s too much, not for us, with me, see the puppy, see the people, go poop, neighborhood sounds (our cue for “stop barking at random noises outside”) and, my personal favorite, pom poms (he wags his floofy tail like the loveable cheerleader he is).
We don’t have kids but he’s done great with all the kids he’s met with us (and previous fosters also said he was good with kids, too). That said, he’s quite excitable, so he would likely do better in a house with older kids who are dog-savvy (there’s a definite chance Jax could accidentally knock a young child over with love).
There are so many wonderful things about Jaxy! And, of course, there are things Jax is working on, too. Here are the most important ones his new family should be prepared to support him with:
Jax’s medical needs are such that he can get some poop out on his own, but if he doesn’t have help, he can’t fully excrete, which leads to compaction and constipation…which is no fun for anyone. This means he always needs a pooping companion, and we go outside with him (or keep a close eye on him) pretty much every time he goes out. Now that we’ve got a routine down, his bathroom needs are just a part of the background. But real talk: living with Jax does mean poop in the house. He is fully potty trained, but some “dribble” is inevitable, especially when he’s asleep.
Separation training is a work in progress for Jax, but he has come such a long way with us. Jax used to panic when we left the house (even for something as small as just taking the trash out) and tear up the house or his crate. With the help of an excellent trainer, we worked so hard on this with Jax and he can now handle up to (as of October 2025) 5 hours alone and uncrated! His new family should expect some regression as Jax enters his new home so it will be really important to not leave him alone for the first few weeks while he adjusts and to slowly ease him into departures. With patience and the right support, we’re confident Jax will do well!
Dog reactivity is probably something Jax will work on for his whole life, especially if he stays in a city or busy suburban environment. When Jax sees or hears a new dog, his typical response is barking and lunging. This can make walks challenging if you (like us) live in a neighborhood with lots of other dogs around. He’s gotten so much better at being redirected and knows to look at us when he sees a new dog on a walk to get a treat, but there’s still room for improvement. As for actually meeting/living with dogs, Jax adores our resident dog, a 2-y/o submissive female pitbull/whippet mix. They play for hours, share toys, snuggle with each other, and he doesn’t guard resources (they are always fed separately). That said, he’s been quite dog selective with us and, if his new home had a resident dog, we think he would likely need a somewhat submissive and fairly calm female. He was previously returned to rescue because of issues with his adopted family’s older male resident dog and we’d really want to make sure he was set up for success in his new home. Jax is on daily anxiety medication to help with his reactivity, and his new family should expect to continue this regimen.
Overexcitement is part of the package with Jaxy. Car rides? “HOLY SMOKES THE CAR, LET’S GOOOOOO,” says Jax. Doorbell? “DID YOU GET A PACKAGE IS SOMEONE HERE HOLY SMOKES LET’S GOOOOO.” Friend coming over? “MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER OF ALL TIME IS HERE, LET’S GOOOOOO.” Sound outside? “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT I SHOULD CHECK IT OUT, LET’S GOOOOOO.” All this to say, Jax is an excitable boy. We’ve seen him thrive with consistency in expectations and positive reinforcement training. Currently, we are particularly reliant on place training (for example, when he barks at something outside, he knows to go to his place to get a treat rather than to keep barking at whatever he thinks he hears); redirecting for a calm welcome/greeting with treats; and trying not to put him in situations where we know he’ll get overly riled up.
Adoption Fee: $510 + tax
Adoption Status: Is this dog available? Submitting an application is the best first step to learning if a dog is still available. There is a chance this dog could have a pending adoption when your application is submitted, however our team will offer approved applicants to be put on a waiting list for that dog. Additionally, we can make recommendations on other dogs that may be a match. Pending adoptions do not mean the adoption is finalized. Why did we implement this change? We implemented this update because, unfortunately, dogs were pending for applicants for several weeks and then the applicant would change their mind. This happens more often with puppies, as applications are submitted impulsivly more often for them. Our process is great because it takes a little time, so impulsive decisions fade. However it was unfortunate for the dogs, and the foster homes, as then the process needed to be re-started. By securing a wait-list we are able to move forward more quickly if a pending adoption falls through. This is a new process for us, so your feedback along the way is helpful! Thank you for supporting rescue and adoption!
