BUSTER

LOOKING FOR AN EXPERIENCED HOME

*** Reserved pending meet & greet ***

Beautiful magnificent BUSTER is looking for his forever home in the Cornwall/Devon area as close to Launceston as possible

 

Buster’s story is one of challenging survival and immense luck when he was found in a field near Bucharest in Romania. Buster was discovered just by chance, aimlessly wandering and extremely weak, being nothing but skin and bones. One of the worst cases ever seen. It was touch and go for Buster, but against all odds he made it through to become the impressive Mioritic Sheepdog we know today.

You can view some photos in this album while his full rescue journey over the past year is available to see on Buster's Story page here and in his Facebook album here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=paws2freedom&set=a.2633844823325954

 

Due to what his rescuer found out after she saved him we know that Buster’s life has started in a remote village as that of a chain dog who had to fight for his survival and never knew much appreciation or affection. The first 4 years of his life must have been very bleak while when he arrived at Carmen’s he experienced good nutrition, care and love for the year he spent in her rescue yard.

 

Buster has been through a lot of drastic changes since he left Romania on the 26th November 2020. His life totally changed overnight and he was suddenly thrust into having to cope with a lot of new and therefore to him frightening situations and environments. It will take him a few months at least to fully adjust or at least to a large degree which is something his future guardians will need to be realistic about.

 

Before recent weeks Buster has never lived in a home or experienced life even close to how we know it in the UK. In Romania his breed is mostly kept in a yard on a chain where they get thrown some stale bread and provided water while leading a lonely life. They are kept like that until they die. Mioritics are generally a social breed and such a life is a very cruel one for them. Buster was extremely lucky to be rescued and get a chance! He is currently home fostered and is slowly getting used to a different way. Adopters have to keep in mind that Buster, even though already getting used to home comforts, is currently still in transition from outdoor dog who only ever knew basic conditions in Romania to pet dog. A transition which may take a longer time until Buster gained enough confidence and trust to feel more at ease and balanced.

He is therefore looking for an experienced and realistic forever home, ideally with someone who has experience with the breed and who are prepared to work with him every step of the way. If needed Paws2Freedom, with the kind help our experienced and very knowledgable behaviourist/trainer, will offer ongoing support to his new guardians free of charge for as long as it takes ♥

 

Size/breed: giant breed Mioritic Sheepdog

Sex: Male

Age: 5 years

Neutered: Yes

Vaccinated: Yes

Microchipped: Yes

 

Temperament/Training:

 

Friendly and affectionate with much of the Mioritic breed traits present. They are bred to protect sheep from predators in the mountain regions. They are a very powerful breed and Buster is no exception. We would ask anyone who is interested in this stunning dog, if they have not had a Mioritic before and got experience with the breed, to do a very thorough research on the Mioritic Shepherds before committing to adopting him.

 

Buster does not need extreme amounts of exercises and he prefers a few shorter daily walks to long hikes. Currently he is enjoying one longer walk of about 30-45 mins and a couple of shorter ones of about 15 mins.

He can be very excitable and playful and sometimes jumps around, but has no concept of either his strength or size. He does enjoy the company of his people though and likes to just relax in their company.

 

Due to his history of near starvation and being chained, food is an extra sensitive issue for Buster who is very protective of it or anything that people may accidentally drop onto the floor. Maybe in time he will realize that there is always enough for him each and every day, but right now where he is still making the transition from chain dog/shelter dog to pet it is something his future adopters will have to respect.

 

He travelled very well on transport and here with us in the car too where he had the whole of the back of the estate car with seats down to himself, but in his current foster home he is not so keen. A spacious car or van would be very beneficial for Buster.

As a general rule, Buster does not like to be caged even though he did accept the transport crate, albeit reluctantly. He would best travel in a big space with a dog grate divider for safety instead.

 

Buster is happy to be left for short periods. His foster family have left him for a couple of hours at a time on some occasions and all was fine. He was calm, just relaxed and slept.

 

He does guard the garden which is consistent with his breed traits and can be worked on. Being a very strong dog the fences in his new home need to be high and sturdy or he may find a way to escape given the right incentive.

 

Buster has started to respond to his name and also basic commands like sit and wait (before crossing a road). He walks well on the lead as long as there are no major distractions like other dogs for example. His adopters would have to continue his obedience training with positive reinforcement/reward based methods only.

 

 

Favourite food/current Diet:

Cheese! Perfect as a reward.
Buster gets fed Butchers tin food and Harrington’s complete mixed twice a day.

 

Child friendly:

 

Buster is currently living with older children between 11-14 years and is friendly with them, but he does not know play manners at all, nor his strength and can get very boisterous at times too. There is just too much risk of an accident as he wants to join in when children jump and run around in play for example. Children may also be put at risk due to his food guarding if an unsupervised moment occurs. We would therefore like to see Buster in a home without children.
 

Dog friendly:

 

With us here Buster was was very friendly with other dogs and became a bit of a celebrity with people and dogs in our village. However, these were early days (we had him with us here for only 2 weeks) and he may not have felt confident enough to show us all of him. In his foster home he has started to lunge and bark at dogs when being lead walked. His foster family call it ‘the zone’ and once he is in that state it is hard to control Buster. For now, prevention and taking it very slowly step by step is the key while this is being worked on. It is something his adopters have to be prepared for and to help him with. He needs an adopter who is physically and mentally strong while yet kind and understanding.

 

Buster is currently living with an older female dog and whilst they accept each other in general he is trying to dominate her at times and more so as he is settling in. If Buster is to live with another dog it has to be very much the right one as well as a very experienced person dealing with anything that may occur. Both aspects are extremely important, otherwise Buster would be best suited to live as an only dog.

Cat friendly:

 

Buster currently shares his life with 2 cats and is slowly getting used to them, but outdoors he does chase them.

 

Other animals:

Buster lives in a foster home who keep chickens. He accepts them now and does bark at them in a playful way, not quite realizing they are not suitable play mates.

Housetraining:

 

Buster had a couple of initial accidents in his foster home, but is clean in the house now. His future adopters will have to bear this in mind though and expect it to happen during the settling in time.

 

Health:

 

When you meet Buster you will notice that he behaves and looks just like a beautiful, healthy Mioritic boy, but he did have a few health challenges to cope with after he was found.

Shortly after his rescue, which was about a year ago, Buster was diagnosed with heartworm. A heart scan and lung x-ray established it was thankfully only stage 1 with no major worm infestation in his heart and his lungs being absolutely unaffected which was wonderful news. He was treated for heartworm with a protocol appropriate for his back then very emaciated state. It was expected that Buster would be free of heartworm after a year of treatment approx. He still tested positive before he left Romania which is very usual for some months even after a successful treatment.

It was agreed by the clinic in Bucharest as well as by our clinic here that Buster would be retested in about 6 months from his last test and for the time being should remain on monthly alternated Milbemax and Advocate. We would like for Buster to receive another heart scan and blood test around late April/early May time.

Due to noticing his continued runny eyes, Buster was examined by a specialist eye clinic in Bucharest and diagnosed with a congenital inferior quality of tears. He very much benefits from eye lubricants to help him with this. Buster has also been diagnosed with Entropion which is extremely minimal in his case, does not bother him and therefore does not require surgery.


If you would like to give Buster the love, care and training he needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We also strongly recommend for anyone to consider our guidelines below ♥