UPDATE 4/3/08
Woody came to us with a history of breathing problems and he contracted kennel cough, which we treated. He had xrays done of his lungs, and Woody's xrays have been rechecked and revealed that although the bordatella infection has been cleared, his lungs are not and never will be healed. The specialist said he can now be diagnosed with chronic bronchitis. His bio does mention this as a possibility, however I think it may need to be revised to state that because he is chronic he will need steroid/bronchial dilator treatments periodically and potentially continually ongoing to help his "cough". He will also always have a cough.

Woody is one of those dogs with genetics stacked against him, but personality stacked twice as high in his favor.

His previous owner purchased him online at 7 months of age. He arrived at her doorstep very sick, suffering from a variety of ailments due to neglect and birth defects. He had aspiration pneumonia, a severe case of ringworm, and every type of parasite. Along with treatment for those, Woody had to have a palate resection and surgery on his nares to ease his breathing. After just two months, his owner had no choice but to surrender him to FBRN because of the overwhelming costs of his veterinary care.

Thanks to the efforts of his previous owner and FBRN foster family, Woody is now fully recovered and is leading a normal puppy life. He will always be prone to recurring bouts of bronchitis, that if left untreated, could become pneumonia. In addition, his breathing is louder than normal, and he does snore as a result of his airway issues. With a little attention to his special needs, Woody will live a long and happy life.

Now on to his personality. Woody is, in a word, awesome. He loves everyone. He is drawn to children and simply adores them all – including the two-week old baby in his foster home. He adores other dogs of all sizes and genders and even likes cats! There just aren't enough superlatives for his attitude.

At just a year old, Woody is still a puppy. Most of the time he's pretty mellow for a pup, but those bouts of playfulness have to have an outlet!

He would love to live with another dog that likes to play too. At first, he was too sick to run in the yard with his foster brothers and sisters, but now he loves to stretch his legs. He also likes to sunbathe and will go outside just to bask in the sun.

Like a little kid banging on pots and pans, Woody is absolutely in love with anything that makes noise. Chew toys are wonderful, but he also pushes his dog bowls around the tile floor and knocks over pots on the patio. Anything to make a racket. Like most other puppies, Woody is also fixated on chewing anything he can get hold of. As you might imagine, with these hobbies he can get a tad destructive if left uncrated to entertain himself for long periods.

The dogs in his foster home are fed separately, so any possible food aggression can't be gauged. He is housebroken to a dog door and is crate-trained. Due to his illness, housebreaking is as far as his formal training has progressed, but he is smart and eager to please.

Woody's ideal home would be one where someone could be home all day to keep him active and amused. Acceptable alternatives would be someone who works, but can come home at lunch, or have a pet sitter/dog walker visit , or who ,could take him to the office with them. He really should have another doggy sibling; he loves to play with other dogs so a house with a fenced yard would be best for him.

Woody's foster mom has this to add:

"Woody will make an awesome companion for some family/person. Every one of our friends and family that have gotten to know him LOVE him. He's extremely sweet and fairly mellow for a puppy. He LOVES to be LOVED on. A tummy rub will just melt him. The only two things a prospective adoptive person needs to be aware of and be prepared for is the possibility that he may need periodic treatment for his breathing issues (bronchitis). Other than that he's a wonderful little guy, not to mention very handsome!"

If Woody is melting your heart right now, book a trip to Northern California. That's where he's bunking, and he won't be shipped.