Charming, sweet, silly, engaging, and exceptionally loyal are just a few words to describe Stanley, a wonderful pup searching for his forever family. His soulful, expressive eyes suggest a pup wise beyond his years and draw you in, and his observant, perceptive, loyal, and loving demeanor wins over all who meet him; he'll be a phenomenal companion for a lucky home. Stanley was rescued from an overburdened animal control facility in Kentucky with his five littermates when they were just three months old. He is currently 9 months old and is a middleweight champ at 55 pounds. DNA test revealed that 3/4 of his lineage is close to being equally divided among three breeds: German Shepherd, Husky, and Bluetick Coonhound, with percentages equaling around 25%% of each breed. The remaining 25%% of his DNA is made up of smaller percentages (10%% or less) of Akita, American Staffordshire Terrier, Collie, Malamute, and Chow. Stanley was adopted by a loving family earlier this year; however, he has recently been returned to Pal's Place for placement with another family. Stan can sometimes be a little reserved and cautiously curious when meeting some new people coming into his home (generally larger men with deeper voices or people with hats/beards, etc). Being the perceptive, sensitive, intelligent fella he is, if he is unsure of someone when he first meets them, he likes to take several minutes to assess his new friends. His assessment process generally involves a bit of barking and skittering around. If we ignore Stanley and his initial chatter. He settles down after a few minutes, gathers some courage to get in closer for a few sniffs of the visitor, and goes back to being the big ol' lovebug he usually is. He's not wary of everyone coming into the home, and we think that with a little more confidence-building and exposure, he'll be confident, calm, and comfortable with every visitor. The household he was living in over the past few months was bustling, with lots of children and new people coming and going all the time. When Stanley reacted with anxious, nervous barking at certain visitors, he sometimes frightened the resident children, visiting children, and some visiting adults, who were startled by his loud bark. Unfortunately, the decision was made to return Stanley to the rescue to prevent further tensions with guests.

Stanley has been back with us for a short time, but his fosters have started building his confidence with new people, and he has already made great progress. His ideal guardians are calm, confident, patient, and dog-experienced or dog-savvy who can work with Stanley to help him nurture and develop a little more self-confidence. He's an exceptionally loyal, devoted, and amenable dog to those he loves and trusts, and he wants so badly to please that we are confident that, with just a little more time, exposure, support, and understanding, he will blossom into the more confident dog we know he wants to be! He's spent most of his life with at least one other dog and is sharing his foster home with several others. Stanley is much more confident overall when other dogs are around, and we think a home with at least one other confident, balanced dog to show him the ropes would be fantastic, but not necessarily a deal breaker in his search for a forever home. As a mix of hunting, herding, and working breeds, Stanley also needs a home committed to exercising him properly and giving him an outlet for his energy and enthusiasm. He'd make a great hiking or running companion and a great candidate for many dog sports, like tracking, nosework, or earth dog trials. Training for these sports, for fun or competitively, would be a great way to grow his confidence and bond with new guardians. He's active, energetic, and athletic, and loves nothing more than a good game of fetch, but he's also one who knows how to settle down and does not need constant entertainment or engagement throughout the day. He's incredibly intelligent and wickedly clever. Keeping him mentally stimulated and entertained will be just as important as keeping up with his physical exercise. He's well-behaved in the home, crate trained, housetrained when kept on a regular schedule, and already has some basic training under his belt. If Stanley sounds like the pup you've been searching for and you're ready to open your home and heart to our sweet, tender, and lovable oaf, please reach out today! He's anxious and eager to meet you. Stanley is fostered in Chicago, and we arrange meetings by appointment only after we receive and approve an adoption application.

•For more information or to apply, please email [email protected] or visit our website at palsplacerescue.org. Stanley's adoption fee is $300. This fee helps to cover his medical expenses while in our care. He is neutered, microchipped, up to date on age-appropriate vaccines, and takes monthly flea/heartworm preventatives. **PLEASE NOTE** initial correspondence from our rescue may end up in your junk or spam folder. Please check regularly if you are awaiting a response from us. We are a volunteer-run organization, and we strive to respond to all inquiries within 24-48 hours. However, please be patient, as replies can sometimes take longer. If you haven't received a response within 72 hours, please follow up to confirm we received your message.

• All of our dogs reside in foster homes, and meetings are arranged by appointment only after our adoption application has been completed and approved for adoption. For more information or to apply, please email [email protected] or visit our website at palsplacerescue.org. Unfortunately, we cannot place holds on our dogs for more than three days after we receive and approve an application for a meeting. Please do not apply to adopt unless you are ready to welcome a dog into your home within three days of applying. ADOPTION APPLICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE RESCUE MAY END UP IN YOUR SPAM OR JUNK FOLDER. If you are waiting for our reply, please check those folders regularly.