Adopt a Labrador Retriever / Pointer / Mixed

My name is Harley and I’m a pointer mix. I was adopted as a very young pup to be the little brother for my family’s older dog. But, I guess they forgot how much work having a new puppy would be. They got frustrated with me a lot because I didn’t know as much as my big brother. I tried my best to listen and be loyal but they didn’t have time to teach me. They never took me out to meet new people so I learned from an early age that I can’t trust just anyone. One day, they toom me to a trainer who wasn't nice to me, and they said I came back a "bad boy", so they loaded me up in the car and dropped me off at JBAR, where I came from. 

For the past few months, I’ve been living with my foster mom. Even though I love my new dog AND cat siblings, it took me a little while to warm up to my foster mom because she was a stranger. Finally, I realized that I can trust her. I’m 100% housebroken and a big people-pleaser. When it is time to go to sleep, I head right to my crate and you don’t even have to close the door. My foster mom knows that I’m a good boy because I alert her by barking whenever a stranger comes around. I want to keep us safe! She and my doctor are helping me not worry so much about strangers and they put me on a great medicine called Prozac. Prozac helps to reduce my stress and anxiety about meeting new people. She also has her visitors give me treats when they come over so that I associate new people with good things!

I’m starting to learn that new people can be friends but it still takes time for me to trust. Loud and sudden noises make me think that someone’s going to hurt me or my family so I bark to alert them. And those little people, called children, really feel like strangers to me and scare me. I can’t live with children. Even though I am not aggressive, I would be best suited with an experienced dog owner who can patiently give me time to learn to trust and who can continue my education. Once I get to know you, I am so loving and loyal and I’m just like any other puppy. I love to play, chew my marrow bones, and make you laugh. But when I get anxious, I need to be redirected so that I stop barking. I’m still a baby and I'm eager to learn. Can you be my best friend and teacher?