With his tall and regal German Shepherd stature, Lincoln can be an intimidating sight. That’s, of course, if you haven’t had the chance to get to know him. Because as those who spend time with the four-year-old PAWS adoptable can tell you, they see Lincoln in a very different light. “When I look at Lincoln, I see a sweet dog who just wants to be loved,” explained PAWS volunteer Ali Schwartz.
There is nobody who knows Lincoln better than Ali. For the past year and a half, the two have been teamed together as part of the PAWS Pet Partner Program. Established in 2011, this program pairs PAWS volunteers with dogs who need some extra training and/or socialization to prepare them for life in a new forever home. “Some dogs just need some basic obedience training or to learn to walk better on a leash, some dogs need to be better socialized with dogs and/or people, and others have very specific behaviors such as resource guarding that need to be worked on,” Ali said.
Two to three times per week, Ali works with Lincoln on meeting new people and dogs, crate training, learning advanced commands, and agility training. The strides he has taken since their first encounter have been tremendous. “Lincoln sometimes gets nervous around strangers and he has also gotten protective of people he is attached to in the past. Because of this, he used to have to stay in his kennel during our Sunday showings. I am now able to have him in the basement during the showings, which can be pretty crowded and hectic. He sits calmly next to me no matter what’s going on around him, and he is happy to meet any one who comes over.”
A year ago, this would have been unthinkable. For Ali, it simply was inevitable. “All Lincoln wants to do is make his person happy. Once it was clear to him that I didn’t want him to protect me from other people, his behavior began improving.” An intelligent dog who is eager to please, Lincoln now knows he needs to look to his person for direction when a stranger makes him uncomfortable. He walks well on a leash and knows many basic commands such as “sit,” “stay,” “paw,” “watch me,” and “come.”
After making so much progress, Lincoln is ready to take all he’s learned from his pet partner and put it to use in a new, adult-only forever home. His propensity to form a strong bond with his person(s) means that he must be the only pet in the house. It also means that he suffers from separation anxiety, so finding a home where he will not be left alone for long periods of time is essential to his wellbeing.
The family who is lucky enough to call him their own will find that they have adopted a loving and loyal companion who will both enrich their lives and give them a good laugh. “Lincoln is a very gentle dog who has no idea how big he is. If I sit on the ground he will immediately sit in my lap. He gets so excited to see his favorite people, he will talk and jump around and shower you with kisses.”
If you would like to learn more about Lincoln, please email the PAWS Dog Team at dogs@centrecountypaws.org.