This page is about the Shelties that are available for adoption.
Updated 11/11/24
Before you get too excited about one of our Shelties, please read ALL the information on our page "How to Adopt."  It will answer your questions about our process and expectations. Our adoption application is at the bottom of that page.   
​E-mail additional questions.

Harry

Handsome Harry is looking for a home with a securely fenced yard that offers lots of space to run and play.  He also needs loving humans who can teach him good manners and how to respect the boundaries of others.  This youngster is affectionate, loving, and outgoing, and he bonds easily with his humans.  His exuberance and athleticism would make him an excellent candidate for dog sports like agility or flyball.
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At the same time, Harry is a “teenager” who can get into trouble pretty easily if his caregiver neglects training and fails to set firm rules.  He loves to play and may run away with towels, shoes, or other items belonging to his humans or resource guard toys of other resident canines.  He will sometimes decide to challenge another dog for no obvious reason, especially a male who is bigger than he is.  While he has good leash walking skills in the absence of other dogs, he is often reactive to dogs encountered on walks and will bark loudly in their faces.  Harry’s foster mom says, “Harry is an incredibly smart dog who will be easy to train.  But he definitely needs to be given a job, or he will find one himself—and probably not one his humans will approve.”

Harry has been neutered and brought up to date on all vaccinations and tests.  He is housetrained, leash trained, and crate-trained.  But Harry will definitely not thrive if left for hours in a crate while his humans are away from home.  Harry is a social guy and needs human company most of the day, and he needs plenty of exercise.  He can settle down while his humans work at home, but frequent doses of running and play in the yard are essential.  Because of his reactivity to other dogs, leash walking alone is not enough.  

Also due to his reactivity, we feel that Harry would do best as an only dog because it is difficult to predict which dogs will trigger him.  He can not be trusted not to push other dogs’ boundaries in his efforts to “prove” himself.  While he loves humans in general, we don’t think a family with young children would be a good match because of his tendency to play a little roughly at times and possibly steal their toys.  Harry will make a great companion for experienced dog-owners willing to take him to obedience classes and be consistent about reinforcing his training at home.
Please note that one photo shows Harry before his haircut, while the others were taken after he had to be closely clipped due to matting when he arrived. His coat will grow back quickly.

Harry is ….18 months old, weighs 27 pounds, and is 18 inches tall. ​His adoption fee is $450. 

Grady

​Handsome little Grady was a victim of abuse and neglect during his early puppy-hood. He was picked up when 18 months old by Animal Control from a bad breeder who was later convicted of animal cruelty. She gave her young pups no socialization or even positive human contact. As a result, Grady came to NVSR as a very fearful youngster with no trust in humans.

Grady will do best in a forever home with a calm older dog who can model confident behavior and demonstrate to Grady that his new humans are the source of all good things and need not be feared. Grady is a follower who is attracted to older dogs who want to nurture and mother him. He will trust and bond with a well-socialized older dog long before he becomes comfortable with any humans in the home. Other dogs were his only source of comfort during his early life with the cruel breeder.

Grady is a very cute little dog who makes you want to pick him up and hug him. But hugging is not on the agenda until he first learns to trust. He does not even want to be touched or petted by humans he doesn’t know well. Patience and slow baby steps are needed to reassure him that his humans mean him no harm.

Grady’s foster parents faced a real challenge when Grady first came to them. He wanted only to be in his crate, scurrying outside to eliminate and then back to his crate. They worked for months to housetrain and leash train him and persuade him to allow some handling. They found him to be a very smart dog but one that was suspicious of any new things or new places.

Fortunately, the foster family included an older female Sheltie and a middle-aged male dog who helped Grady learn to become more comfortable in his foster home. He now enjoys sitting on the sofa next to his humans and going for leash walks in the neighborhood at quieter times of the day. He still feels safer inside, but he has learned to enjoy exploring the fenced yard and even chasing squirrels with the other dogs.

Grady has been neutered and brought up to date on all vaccinations and tests. He has been on both heartworm preventative and flea/tick prophylaxis for the last six months. We feel that he is ready to find his forever home with the right adopters.
The right home for Grady must have a securely fenced yard. Patient, gentle humans who will work to gain his trust are essential. A quiet neighborhood and not a busy city environment will suit him best. He is likely to progress much faster if his forever home includes a calm, older dog who can show him the house rules and help him learn to trust the humans.

Grady is . . .Two years old, weighs 18 pounds, and is 14 inches tall. His adoption fee is $450.