Apache ~ The Dedicated Student's brother, Amos the Mini-St. Bernard (adopted) can also be seen on our website.

Description:
Apache is a lovely two year old St. Bernard we rescued from a high kill shelter in Georgia. What does "high kill" mean? They usually only give a pet 1-2 weeks to be adopted, sometimes as little as three days. After that, they are gassed, an extremely painful way to kill an animal. They die crying....
Fortunately there is an independent group of volunteers dedicated to saving as many of these pets as they can. They find rescues all over the south willing to accept them, and then drive the pets there at their own expense! And that is how we got Apache and his brother. Apache is wonderful. He is very loving, very sweet. He tends to jump up on people when he is excited. Like a lot of rescued dogs in the south, Apache tested positive for heartworms, a condition for which we have already treated him.

FOSTER UPDATE 9/5/08 ~ Apache has been a member of our household for one week today and let me tell you it's been one action-packed week. Apache is so full of love and in want of your time and attention, that he gets a little sloppy with his manners. Actually, he's not cognitive of his weight/size and overall just doesn't understand why it is not acceptable for him to sit on your lap! Some may view him as 'pushy' but I lean towards the expression of being overjoyed and just wanting to ~ share the love...

As Apache is a 'big kid' himself, I would not suggest that he be in a home with small children as he clearly maintains the clumsy St. Bernard mannerisms. Upon arrival at my home, he was busy 'bear hugging' you whether you were ready for it or not. Funny thing is that he would 'bear hug' you from the front, the back and even if you were bending down to get something. Let me tell you though, we quickly got to work on re-directing those inappropriate behaviors especially since Apache and I are pretty close in height when he is standing tall on his hind legs. It's funny though; his facial expressions when working on this aspect are just totally one of confusion because all he wants to do is show you his love and affection. Apache is truly a good dog and we are presently working real hard to re-direct just about every aspect of his mannerisms that he has acquired to date in an effort to get the capacity of his brain more in line with the capacity of his heart.

We are attemtping to convert his lifestyle to one of structure, routine, structure, discipline and ~ did I mention structure... His new home will have to consist of a family committed to being VERY hands on with him. He needs time, attention and guidance and in return you will be receiving a very loyal dog with a really big heart and an overwhelming willingness to please.

FOSTER UPDATE 9/20/08 ~ Apache is making tremendous strides. Aside from the usual suggestion of a big dog needing a fenced in yard, Apache is going to be an exception. As indicated above, Apache does best with structure and in line with that aspect of need for him, leash walking has made a tremendous difference for him. That is, leash walking with you walking him and not vica versa as that is how he first thought it would/should be done. With my receiving guidance from Todd Langston, the owner the local dog training organization ~ PackLife ~ Apache has come a long way. The major thing that I've learned is that he is 'trainable' and he is 'willing' ~ Apache just needed someone to give him their individual time and attention.

Apache works hard and has been very dedicated. The major aspect that we are working on right now is the public arena. Apache knows what is expected of him within our home environment BUT he still has that rush of excitement when out in public. Since not having any type of training in his early years, Apache suffers from those split personality episodes of 'me know ~ me then ~ me know ~ me then' so a dedicated owner needing, willing and wanting to reinforce the positive behavior will be required to allow Apache to advance and fully graduate into the individual we now know he is capable of being. In order to avoid distractions of his overall achievements thus