09/01/2026
Winston has no applications! Apple today to adopt this best boy! Greatest Dog Ever!
My foster mom says, “Winnie is the bestest boy! Joyful, smart, so happy, so forgiving, so resilient and so silly! He just wants to feel safe and to please his people, to share love and joy and a peaceful life. He expresses himself with happy howls and has the best facial expressions, he makes me laugh all the time and brings joy to every single day. He would do best with a loving, confident, consistent person who will love him deeply and help him continue to gain confidence and feel safe.”
Winston’s dream home would be with a single person, couple, or family, who are loving and gentle and whose living situation is generally calm and peaceful. They should have some positive reinforcement dog training knowledge, and should love all of the many, many, many, many lovable things about Winston!
Hello! My name is Winston, and I am a smart,super friendly dog who loves mellow outdoor adventures and relaxing at home!
Quick Facts:
Breed: Border Collie/ Hound mix
Gender: Male, neutered
Age: 5 years old
Size: 70 pounds
Good with…
Dogs? Yes! Calm and polite dogs please!
Cats? Unfortunately, no (cats and squirrels seem the same to me)
Kids? Yes, 12+ if they are gentle and not too rambunctious or loud!
History
[Trigger warning…mentions of violence below).
I don’t want to upset you with the details of my former living situation, so I will keep it brief and general. I lived for the past 5 years in a home with a violent male owner. He was violent to the women in the home, and when I would try to protect the women, he would turn his violence on me. After the violence, he would drag me to the barn and leave me tethered there without food and water for weeks at a time.
I would have died except I was always able to eventually chew through my rope, and then I would run around town, scavenging and hunting for food and water enough to stay alive. The neighbors all knew what was going on but everyone was so scared of my owner that no one felt able to intervene. There was no shelter in my town, and the authorities said there was nothing they could do. Thank goodness my owner eventually moved away, and left me tied out in the barn to die. Worst day ever? Nope! A neighbor rescued me with the approval of town authorities and my new life of safety and happiness began! Life has been one amazing day after another since then!
Personality
All the amazing things about me!
1-- Despite the violence I endured, I am SO FULL OF LOVE AND JOY AND HAPPINESS!!! My past did not shut down my heart or my spirit one bit. I LOVE LIFE! I wake up each morning excited for what wonderful I might get to do today, and am over the moon to share my home with a kind, super fun, patient, loving foster mom human, and get to meet all of her awesome friends!
2—Despite the abuse, I bond deeply and with tremendous affection, with every kind, caring, happy person that I get to know. Even men! Of course, yes--I am nervous when meeting a strange new man, but as long as the man is kind and gentle, and lets me get to know him at my pace (which doesn’t take very long if he is soft-spoken and gentle), then I bond just as deeply with him.
3--I LOVE getting attention, learning new things, and feeling safe and cared about! I love playfully pouncing on my favorite duck toy, I love learning tricks that you teach me, and I love just simply being around you, sharing in all the normal day-to-day things, like going for walks, having our meals, watching TV, and telling each other about our days (I tell you with my smiles and tail wags, you tell me with your words). I love to rest my chin on your lap or on your arm when we sit on the couch together, and when I feel extra happy, I will give you my joyful appreciative scooby-doo howl, “Arrroooooooo!!!!”
4—I am smart!!! I love learning because I like to please my humans and I love food! I come running for a cookie when I hear my name, and I am pretty great at sit, down, come, stay, leave it, and wait at the door (to go outside)! I am also learning fun tricks like putting my paws on things, going around a cone, sitting in a box (haha, so funny!), and going over an agility jump! I am going to a group dog training class right now and love it! My foster mom gets me some extra space from all of the other dogs so I don’t feel overwhelmed by their energy, and am doing wonderfully!
5--I am trustworthy in the house! I am fully house trained and can be left free in the house—I do not bother things that aren’t mine. Since getting rescued and having regular meals, I am less interested in recycling, trash, and other good smelling items on counters, but…if you leave the house and leave food out on counters or tables, I might think you left them FOR ME…so maybe don’t do that!
6—I love car rides (fun, fun, fun!)!
7-- I love swimming in a pond!
8--I walk nicely on a leash! I know how to walk politely on your left side and am good at calmly passing by other people and dogs. I also love time to sniff-sniff-sniff and to roll around in the grass on our walks!
9—I am so resilient, full of love, and full of goofiness, happiness, and eager-to-pleaseness!
Things still scary or hard for me
--Due to my history of being tied outside for weeks on end without food or water, I get scared if you leave me outside alone (either tied out or in a fenced yard). Please don’t!
-- I can get scared if someone-- especially a man--comes on too strong, moving toward me too fast, wanting to reach for me too soon, or if they surprise me. I need you to manage my meetings with new people so I don’t get scared.
--Noisy, crowded, or cramped places and situations make me nervous. I would not enjoy hanging out at a crowded cafe, attending festivals, parades, or ball games, or visiting your friend’s tiny house.
--If I feel trapped, confined, or held, I can get really scared. Most of the time, you can avoid putting me in those situations, but not always. At the vet office, I will be in a cramped room and I might need to be held (to have blood drawn, etc.). Even though this is a really hard situation for me, I did great at the vet! They had me wear a muzzle just in case (like lots of dogs do) and they were gentle and slow and let me have breaks. You can tell when I am getting overwhelmed, because I get stiff and might bark and growl. Giving me little breaks and lots of love (and cookies!) helps immensely!
--Seeing people hug scares me. Hugging and violence are all mushed together in my mind for now. Snuggling next to each other on the couch is fine, but i would love if you would keep hugging behind closed doors until I know you VERY well!!
--Seeing a dog jumping up onto their people upsets me. I think the dog is trying to hurt the person and I move in assertively to make the dog stop. This is why I should not live with or be around hyper or jumpy dogs.
--Bikes are scary, shouting and loud voices are scary, and seeing people wrestling around on the floor is scary.
When I get scared or upset, I might growl or bark or act out. This tells you that I am feeing quite scared, that something in the situation feels dangerous, and I need you to manage the situation calmly and wisely, and help me with my big feelings. Once the triggering situation is managed, and I feel safe again, I bounce back to my happy self very quickly!
Cohabitation
I love kind, gentle, happy people!!
I love a fun, sweet, happy and reasonably mellow, calm, living situation!
I am wary of men when I first meet them, but if they are gentle and kind, then I love them just as much!
I think I could be ok with older children who are very respectful of my space and needs and act predictably with no rough housing or wrestling.
I would be thrilled to be your only dog, but if you have a nice, polite, calm, gentle, friendly dog--that might be great too, I would be very happy to meet them! No hyper, jumpy or loud dogs please.
Favorite Activities
Going for walkies!
Food!
Pouncing on my stuffed duck, haha!!
Relaxing with my favorite humans.
Learning new things (for food)!
Coming when called! And then getting a treat!!
Medical
I am in great health, which is a miracle given what I have been through, and how malnourished I was when rescued! I’m now even a little plump (yay!) and was just at the vet again for a check-up and she says, “looks great!” I am up to date on vaccines, and am on flea/tick/heartworm prevention.
