Here is a video of Ricky swimming!

From Ricky’s foster mom: Ricky is a friendly, joyful, exuberant young dog with an amazing zest for life. He makes friends everywhere he goes. He is fearless and confident, bold and sometimes bossy, but also sweet, snuggly, and cuddly. Ricky has an independent mind and a decent prey drive — watch out, chipmunks of the world! However, He’s not much interested in retrieving. Ricky does well with a good, but not excessive, amount of exercise daily and some off-leash time. A fenced backyard or dog park works well for Ricky; he can run very fast and loves to play chase. Ricky is an enthusiastic chewer, although he sometimes picks the wrong things — he is still a puppy! This boy will spend the rest of his time snuggling on the couch or crashed out on a dog bed in the same room with you. He will counter surf if he’s given the chance, so he stays in his crate when we are not home. He is reliably house trained and crate trained, is good in the car, and plays well with other dogs and all people. He loves our eight-year-old son, and the two of them keep each other well entertained!

Ricky’s ideal adoptive family would be an active one that can get him outside on natural surfaces every day for moderate exercise (he will get bloody paws if he is walked on pavement or asphalt), work with him on his pulling and recall (both are still struggles for this active dude), and give him plenty of both snuggles and stimulation for his active, engaged mind. I think he would excel at nose work or therapy work, and perhaps trick training. Unfortunately, his physical limitations preclude super athletic sports like agility, running ,or intense hiking. Ricky would love a doggy playmate that can be rough-and-tumble with him, and he would also love kiddos in the house. I would use caution with cats at this time, due to his prey drive, but he has not been tested with them. He also loves to swim (with a life jacket) and kayak!

Ricky has ataxia in all four legs due to a spinal cord lesion in the middle of his neck. While we don’t know for sure what caused it, it is essentially scar tissue from some unknown trauma that likely occurred as a small pup. Ricky doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with him, and is a happy, energetic boy! His condition is not painful, does not require any medication, and will not get worse over time. He does drag his feet, sometimes falls, and has difficulty with stairs. He has the cutest bouncy, uncoordinated gait you’ve ever seen! He can be slow to empty his bladder, but as long as he is given enough time to urinate, this has been no problem.

Our boy Ricky is a sweet youngster who is learning about the great big world and his place in it. He just needs love and guidance to help him as he grows. If he sounds like the dog for you, please fill out an online Adoption Application and then contact Ricky’s case manager via the form below. Ricky would love to meet you!