Rio

Rio:

Rio is a sweet older border collie who is looking for a very special family to adopt him. We estimate he is 10 years old.  Rio loves people of all ages (children included) and gets along well with other dogs. He enjoys walks, is good on leash and likes to explore the fenced-in yard in his foster home. He is moderately active and does not require nearly as much exercise as some younger border collies. He is generally very content just spending time near his humans on his favorite dog bed.

Rio has a sad story to tell as he’s had to change multiple owners during his lifetime. We believe that one of the main reasons for this is his severe thunderphobia. He can sense the storms coming and reacts by pacing around the house, panting hard and scratching at things. He can get destructive if not supervised during a thunderstorm and is able to get out of a metal crate easily when he hears thunder. He is currently on trazodone which seems to be helping with his thunderphobia, and will need to stay on this medication for the rest of his life. We would prefer that he be adopted by someone who is home most of the time (or is able to get home quickly before the storm approaches) to administer medication. Rio has also been diagnosed with age-related abnormalities in his hind legs, but these are mild and do not affect his quality of life. A senior assessment was performed on Rio, and he was determined to be quite healthy for his age.

Rio loves human attention and would be great for someone who is looking for a moderately active, loving companion. Dealing with his thunderphobia may be challenging, and it would certainly take a very dedicated person to adopt Rio, but we feel that this may be doable if he stays on his medication and is not left alone during thunderstorms.

Rio would do well in a home with other dogs or as a solo dog. He cannot, however, be adopted to families with cats, rodents or other small animals, as his prey drive is pretty strong. Rio is current on his vaccinations and has been neutered.