Tonka is a fun, independent, adventurous boy who can’t wait to be one of the big dogs! He follows his big foster Rottweiler sister around the yard and wrestles with his male foster brother. He loves belly rubs from his people too! Tonka is a smart energetic boy who will need a home that can keep up with him!

Tonka is one of 8 puppies (5 boys, 3 girls) that was born on February 7, 2018.  His mom is a Rottweiler/Beagle mix, approx 40lbs.  His mom came from a hoarder's house so we are not sure what breed the father was.  Tonka is currently living in Northern VA with his siblings, a male mixed breed dog and a female rottie.

 

**PLEASE NOTE:   Young puppies are always lovable, but they require a lot of attention, effort, exercise, good nutrition, and proper training to develop into lovable and socialized adults.  Please do not apply to adopt a puppy unless you are 100% committed. 

 

FENCING AND EXERCISE REQUIREMENT

It is SSRR’s position that young puppies, as well as highly energetic dogs, should be placed in a home with a fenced yard, as they need to be able to run and play for proper physical and mental development, without always being confined to a leash. Uninhibited play time allows for the puppy to burn off some energy as well as helps their social development.  We have found that puppies that are not afforded this activity, most often develop undesirable habits or behaviors.  We try to prevent bad behavior before it begins.

SSRR does not accept underground fencing as the primary source of confinement for any of our dogs at any time.

SSRR does not place puppies to homes where they have to be left alone 8-9 hours a day.  It’s just too long with no activity for the pup, and also it’s almost impossible to house train a puppy that way. 

Homes without fences and that gone longer periods of time are rarely approved and evaluated on a case by case basis depending on the situation and their planned activities to meet the needs of the puppy.

 

TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS

SSRR normally assists in transporting our rescued dogs to their adopted homes. This is accomplished by asking volunteers to drive “legs,” usually 50-60 miles, until the dog reaches its destination.  However, the transport of young puppies is different because they require a “No Paws on the Ground” (NPOG) transport.

Due to their young age, they are more susceptible to serious and deadly illnesses, such as Parvo, that can be picked up from walking on the ground. This means that during transport their feet cannot touch the ground where they could be exposed to such illnesses. During the entire trip, they must be allowed to use puppy pads within their crate, or disposable shower curtains ($1 at the Dollar Store) which can be divided into large segments and spread on the ground for the puppy to walk on and use (then discarded). Along with this precaution, we also want to limit the number of people who would be handling the puppies, as well as the number of vehicles they would be riding in.

Therefore, for the safety of the puppies, SSRR will only transport a maximum of approximately a 5 hour drive from their current foster home location.  Longer transports are just too taxing on a young puppy.

In certain cases, longer transports are approved but the adopter would have to travel the remaining distance to meet the last volunteer transporter.

Some of these requirements may seem stringent however; we must put their safety first.