****UPDATE**** El Bandito has found a forever home! He will be here with us until we finish his vetting (a final checkup of his kidney values) and then he’ll be going to a new home that I’m really excited for. I expect to bring him to his new home on Feb 18th. I’m really excited for him and his new person. His new name will be SunDance! ******End Update ******

Hello World! – I’d love you to meet El Bandito. He’s looking for a perfect forever home. Read on to learn more about my little friend. Here’s Bandit’s Story as we’ve heard it from somewhat unreliable narrators.
The basics: Bandit is a male Jack Russell Terrier mix. We’ve heard he was born deaf. He’s mostly deaf now (seems to hear some certain tones). He’s estimated to be 12 years old. He seems to have poor night vision.
Background: The story as we know it is that his long term (maybe since puppyhood) owner was going to euthanize him because he had bad teeth. A friend of ours took him in in October of 2022 with plans to get his teeth fixed to give him a chance. Then a death in our friend’s family changed the plans. Steve & I were asked to keep him for 30 days on Christmas. He came to our house on 12/26/22. We’ve learned this week that the living situation for our friend has changed & he’s moving to a place that is not pet friendly & he’s unable to take him back. We have told our friend we are going to rehome him but it is our decision.

Vetting: Steve & I took him to our vet on 12/27/22. He’s up to date on all shots (has not yet had bordatella or canine influenza). We did stool checks & he’s parasite free. He is heartworm negative. We had his dental work done on 1/17/23. He had all of his blood work done at that time & had 8 teeth removed (6 top molars & 3 bottom premolars) and all teeth cleaned. He has one kidney value that was elevated and needs rechecked in a few weeks. He just finished his course of antibiotics.
He seems to be in overall good health. He has shown some signs of allergy or possible issues with anal glands (scooting & licking). We’ve had his glands expressed by the vet but the issue persists though it did get a bit better after they were expressed. He may need a food change. We have no idea what he was getting before.
Personality & Behavior: He’s a spunky little guy who knows some hand signals is house trained. It just takes him a little time in a new home to know where the doors are & who to tell. He will bark to go outside once he figures it out. Because he’s deaf, he should be walked on a leash. He rides nice in the car. He doesn’t seem super comfortable in the crate. He loves catching and playing fetch with little softie squeakers. He’s dog friendly & walks nicely on a leash.

Why can’t he stay here: He will stay here until we find a perfect home but this isn’t it. He really would like to be free fed. He does some resource guarding with his food bowl so we can’t let all 3 eat together without supervision. He also just isn’t used to eating on a schedule like the hounds do. In January Duke (my basset hound rescue) was diagnosed with Cushings disease and that requires a lot of time, vet visits & management. So I’m not sure we have enough time to devote to 2 old dogs.
What does his perfect home look like?
Someone who stays home a lot and wants a little dog to sit on their lap & go on short walks. He would be great as an only dog. He’d like to have food available throughout the day. He’s great for road trips. He’d be a great companion dog for a retiree.
If you know a home you think would be great please reach out to me or Steve. I do like him a lot & he’s a very nice dog. He’s becoming attached to me but I’d like him to get attached to someone else. I’m glad we could help him with his teeth. I think he deserves a great home to live out the rest of his days. If someone I don’t know personally is interested I’ll want to check vet references & have a conversation and probably a meet & greet. I’m really looking for the perfect home for him not just another stepping stone.
