Duke of Downey T.'s Story
Duke of Downey is a majestic 11 year old black and brown male German Shepherd. He has the “look” in his eyes of many generations of royal lineage. While it’s hard to identify exactly what the “look” is we felt compelled to slightly rename him from “Duke” to the “Duke of Downey” since we rescued Duke from the Downey Shelter in S. Cal. His prior owners must not have known that he deserves to be treated as royalty since they abandoned him at the shelter and indicated that he was just getting too old. Unfortunately, as summer begins many animal shelters often end up full to the brim with abandoned wonderful dogs since their owners are moving and cannot (or will not) take all their family along with them.
The Irish Downey Crest of Arms is included with Duke`s pictures to show him the respect he deserves.
Duke, weighing just seventy pounds, has a surprising high energy level and walks well on leash. He has a marvelous disposition, getting along fabulously with other dogs of all sizes and royal lineage. The handlers at the shelter also felt he would do well in a family with kids.
Like many senior GSDs Duke has an uneven walking gait in his hind quarters. This does not slow him in the slightest however. As you can see in the video link below he is very mobile and does not want to miss out on a walk. [ http://www.gsrnc.org/member/upload_doc/Duke_A3790424_mjbpic.mp4 ]
Duke does seem to have some difficulty hearing. He is extremely alert visually so you might not even notice the hearing difficulty. This is still being evaluated however.
Duke seems to be very comfortable on car rides. When he rode from S. Cal to Thulani Dog Central in N. Cal he settled right in and laid down in the bed we made for him. It must not have been quite up to his royal expectations however as he proceeded to remake it to his liking by re-positioning the pad and blankets with his paws and nose. Thereafter Duke sleep soundly for the journey.
We are still learning more about Duke of Downey so we will be updating his bio with more details as we learn them.
Duke has been accepted into the GSRNC Thulani Program and is headed to a Thulani Foster home where he will receive lots of the normal comforts of home as he settle in. The Thulani Program will also see that he receives updated vaccinations and other medical care necessary to his well being. In addition, The Thulani Program is starting a search for his next adoptive home that will care for him for the rest of his life. He will also come with a supply of food, a cushy pad if wanted, and other goodies such as toys.
Duke`s medical expenses will be covered for the rest of his life by The Thulani Program!
If you want to learn more about Duke, or are possibly interested in providing him a home, please contact us by email at [email protected].
