Zion
Breed: English Bulldog
Age: 3 years old
Sex: Male
Weight: 48 lbs.
Adoption Fee: $500.00
10/8/2024 Update:
Hey! It’s Zion ya’ll! Come meet me at the event coming up this Sunday the 13th, at Hop & Sting, in Grapevine, Tx! I’d love to meet my forever home soon and get to enjoy time with my new family! A year ago I was found as a stray, outside in the heat. Today, I’m strong, healthy, and ready to be taken on new adventures!
You can find me living in any of my most consistent, daily phases:
– disorganized snoozes
– treat / food time
– here I come watch out!
– barking at the delivery guy at the door
– cuddle time
My shedding seems to be decreasing, as the weather changes. Everybody somehow, seems excited about that over here.. something about less hair in the hallway and the vacuum cleaner. I don’t know!
QUICK FACTS ABOUT ME:
Age: around 3yrs old (+/-) (I feel and look younger!)
Personality: Happy, sweet, VERY smart, rough, goofy, fun and funny! Will 100% wiggle in with you on a chair or couch. I’ve got a “bowling ball /here I come” energy when I run. Watch out!
Activity: I love hours of couch-potato, and some fun sprints. My faves are tug, fetch, flirt pole, and short walks.
Dogs: I live with 2 chihuahua mix, foster-siblings. I’ve been told I’m a good boy, and getting better at respecting their boundaries, and playing gently. I’d be happy to be your one-and-only fur baby, or live with other playful dogs my size/weight.
Cats: What is a cat? Maybe I meet one someday!
Kids: I’ve enjoyed meeting different kids! Older ones scare me less (6+ maybe). They’re calmer around me, and pet me gently.
** Zion is still searching for his forever home, or the opportunity at another foster home. If you think this could be you, you can apply:
9/20/2024 Update:
Zion’s a sweet and cuddly boy. Now, cuddly to him means wiggling his way in with you, regardless whether you both fit! He does love pets though . Here, you can see him gently nudging, asking for more love ❤️.
We’ll add the other video to the series “Zion with things in his mouth!” He keeps adding challenges to the situation. This time, he’s got 2 things in his big mouth! What are they? His fave collagen chew (brown), which was a rolled up tube, and is now flat, and an empty carton box where treats were added, and he was allowed to destroy, to find them. Zion’s really great at being gentle with carrying things in his mouth. He knows his chews and toys he’s allowed to munch on! He understands how to self-soothe if something feels scary or stressful, he’ll run to his chew.
ZION QUICK FACTS:
Age: around 3yrs old (+/-)
Personality: happy, sweet, VERY smart, rough, goofy, fun and funny! Will 100% wiggle in with you, on a chair or couch
Activity: both hours of couch-potato, and sprints – tug, fetch, flirt pole, short walks.
Other dogs: he lives in the foster home with 2 chihuahua mixes. The interactions are monitored. He’s slowly learning to respect their boundaries. He’d do great as a single dog, or playful dogs his size/weight (the chih mixes are none of the above).
Cats: unknown
Kids: as a young Bulldog, he’s got a “bowling ball /here I come” energy! He’d do better with older children, who can respect his space/things, and tread calmly.
** Zion is still searching for his forever home, or the opportunity at another foster home. If you think this could be you, you can apply:
9/9/2024 Update:
Texas weather cooled down just enough this weekend to get some clips of big boy Zion excitedly running through the wind, and enjoying some extra time outdoors. Bulldogs everywhere are loving this fall-ish weather break!
ZION QUICK FACTS:
Age: around 3yrs old (+/-)
Demeanor: happy, sweet, VERY smart, goofy, fun and funny personality! Will 100% wiggle in with you, on a chair or couch
Activity: can do both hours of couch-potato, and activity sprints – tug, fetch, flirt pole, short walks.
Other dogs: he lives in the foster home with 2 chihuahua mixes. The interactions are monitored, they’re not left to engage freely. He’s slowly been learning to repect their boundaries. He’d do great with dogs his size/weight, and more playful personalities (the chih mixes are none of the above!).
Cats: unknown
Kids: like a young Bulldog, he’s got more of a “bowling ball /here I come” energy, than a gentle one! He’d do better with older children, who respect his space/things, and tread calmly.
** Zion is still searching for his forever home, or the opportunity at another foster home. If you think this could be you, you can apply:
9/2/2024 Update:
Mr. Zion has been staying over at a sitter’s home this weekend! When the sitters learned Zion needed care for a few days, they were excited to get to see him again, and quickly confirmed they’d take him in! He’s been getting all the pampering, attention and treats. He’s been snoozing in their couch, and being a sneaky “blanket bandit”.
Zion’s been enjoying more time outside of his space, and in the common areas with his foster dog-siblings. He’s calm around them, and only wants to lie down on the couch, or on the cool floor. He seems excited to greet, and sniff them. Last weekend, he was invited to freely hang out around the family, and several guests that had arrived, to celebrate a birthday. The guests were surprised at his calm, easy-going demeanor, and he kept finding hands to pet him all afternoon. He eventually found a doggie bed, and snoozed while the celebration happened around him. This was great information for his foster family to collect, and share!
Zion’s taking allergy and yeast medications to help ease this seasonal itchiness, in the paws and ears. Overall the symptoms have improved, yet we’re still keeping am eye out for the licking and scratching frequency. He takes his pills like a champ, nicely hidden in meaty pieces of food!
8/24/2024 Update:
Zion, and his love for items in his mouth! We can understand the chew (it’s yummy), but a sandal?! His lounging skills might need a tune up, or maybe he just enjoys a little cool floor mixed in with a little warmth. Whatever the case, he’s been enjoying his new bed!
Zion had a quick vet visit this week. Allergy season has come for his paws and his ears, so he’s getting some meds to relieve the itching, and hopefully this handsome guy feels better in no time.
8/15/2024 Update:
I’m just a big 60lb baby / couch lover.. the human and I both don’t fit in that chair, but I wiggle my way in, until we’re both sitting tight! I also love having it for myself.
I’ve been spending a few minutes here and there, with my foster dog-siblings (as long as they don’t bark at me, and make me nervous). I probably need to learn some manners on how to approach and sniff them (they don’t love it when I do). We were both waiting anxiously for treats in this picture. I was told I was a good boy, because I do wait patiently for my turn to get a treat!
7/15/2024 Update:
Another week, another opportunity to get all the treats! You can find me chomping on the chews in one of my beds.
Going out for a potty break hasn’t been too pleasant in this summer heat! I’d rather stay indoors, so I keep my visits outside very short. I’m going for walks late at night, which I enjoy because it is cooler, the world is so quiet (no scary stuff at that time), and I feel more calm and relaxed the next day.
** Zion’s health is really good! Some occasional paw-licking here and there, but overall his skin is looking nice. His hair is abundant, and shedding-season is in full, so he’s benefitting from consistent combing.
When foster-dog-siblings are inside the bedroom sleeping, or out of the house, he enjoys coming into the quiet, peaceful living room, and snoring away either on the couch or right next to it, while his human companion watches tv. If he hears the dogs bark, he spooks and runs toward his private area and bed. Zion feels, and does his best, in a serene environment, where he can play for a short while, and then lay down besides his humans.
Consider fostering or adopting Zion, and give him a chance to delight you with his goofiness, strong and playful personality.
6/15/2024 Update:
Zion had a 3-night stay over at a sitter’s home this past weekend, while foster fam was out of town. The sitters were a lovely couple, he got their full attention (no other dogs in the home), he did lots of lounging, got plenty of scratches, treats, quick potty walks at all hours (new scents, and areas to explore), and snoozes.
Zions sitters had such wonderful things to say about him. I asked them to share some things about his stay, and this is what they sent my way:
“It was great having Zion over for the weekend top 5 best dogs I ever watched.
Since watching him, he will easily warm up to you if you take him a walk and feed him, he can come off at timid at first but once he gets comfortable he get to see is real personality. The 3 things that made Zion one of my top 5 dogs is that he very patient, he can be playful on a moderate level and he is very intelligent that he can learn faster than most of the dogs I watched who never been trained before. Overall I think he’s a perfect dog to adopt. Anytime I would definitely like to watch him again. He’s welcome back anytime.”
Zion continues to prove how wonderful he is, especially when the environment is calm for him, he hangs around his humans, and gets all the love and attention.
6/3/2024 Update:
Zion has healed wonderfully from neuter surgery! His stiched-up skin is a normal, pale pink, with almost no record of an incision. He enjoys getting his belly rubbed, and scratching his back on the floor and grass.
Just a few days after surgery, Zion was back to being his goofy, active self, which includes snoring, snorting, and running the backyard (once cleared for activity) with and without something in his mouth! Evening walks have recently become night/late-night walks as the daily weather cools (Texas-type cool), and the rains are gone.
Fun facts:
– He remains the chillest pup when it’s tv time. He’ll paw on someone’s knee until he’s told he can come up to the couch. Once there, he’ll snooze away, and come down when it gets too warm for his taste.
– In the mornings, when he comes into the kitchen area, he’ll head straight for the pantry to sniff, and looks straight up, reminding us it’s FOOD TIME! He hops excitedly all the way to where his plate is set up.
– He loves plain yogurt that has been frozen with his favorite treats on top. The idea is that he lick until it’s gone. Instead, he’s discovered that if he gnaws the right way, he can dislodge it from the plate, and chomp on the pieces! Mr. Impatience prefers to gobble it up at once, and is not encouraged by the slow approach.
5/13/2024 Update:
Zion’s been resting and recovering after his neuter surgery last week. He’s been going great, keeping to minimal, light movement, and getting lots of belly rubs and treats!
4/16/2024 Update:
Zion has had some fun outings lately: late-evening walks (with and without foster doggie-siblings), car rides, NBBR events, a visit to a brewery with foster dad, a bbq place where he got lots of pets and attention, and a weekend stay over at a cool dog-sitter’s, while foster family was out of town.
Zion got a glowing “report-card” after his weekend stay over at the sitter’s! He was the only dog in the household, received all the attention, cuddles, treats, walks, and even slept on the couch, and the human bed! He barked a few times, only when there was a knock on the door, otherwise he was cool and collected. He did great going for short potty-break walks, and got to sniff some new friends near the dog park. Mr. Z enjoyed a chill, great weekend, in a different environment.
Neuter surgery has been set for May 2nd. After his recovery from surgery, going through heartworm treatment, and having been rescued from roaming the scorching outdoors, lost, Zion will be ready to go to his forever home with his forever family.
Come meet this adorable hunk at the last few NBBR events of spring ’24!
3/25/2024 Update:
Zion updates:
– He finalized his heartworm treatment, and activity restriction, around mid-February. Boy was he excited to finally get some time to run outside! He’ll be going in for re-testing soon. We’re rooting for that negative!
– He received treatment for a skin bacteria. He was a champ with his baths (even walks himself into the shower, no resistance!). He grew a beautiful, thick set of hair, and his skin is looking it’s best.
– He’s loving the cool, spring weather, and getting some nice breezy walks
– Zion’s a wonderful walker. He walks on a good, loose leash the majority of the time, and tugs on it if something startles him like a fast car or a loud noise.
– He loves sticking his head in the snuffle matts to search for treats.
– He did great at the first event of this 2024 at Truckyard. Come find us at the next few events! He’s looking forward to meeting more people, getting some pets, and meet whom might eventually take him to his forever home!
Opportunities for behavioral work:
Zion struggles when our 2 small dogs bark at him (they are barky!). He gets anxious, spooks, and to avoid the commotion, runs back to his favorite spot (his bed), where his chews are. At the moment, he’s kept separated from the other pups, given the barking does noticeably stress him. He has a place to retreat to when needed, and we all avoid any unfortunate incidents between them. He’ll peacefully lie in the big donut bed he has by the gate. Our other pups prefer the separation as well.
Zion would greatly benefit from behavior modification/training around boundaries, resource guarding his things, and reacting to visitors that approach the door. He’s an amazing companion, and extremely loyal to his human.
1/16/2024 Update:
Zion had a great time going out in the snow yesterday. He wanted to roll in it everytime he went out! Unfortunately, he’s still on leashed potty, and on low heart rate activity so rolling has been kept to a minimum.
We’ve noticed he does not like when our small dogs bark at him when they see him (honestly, who would?!). It makes him stressed and he wants to rush back to his bed, and away from them. He’s a lot more calm and at ease when they aren’t barking near his face, so their interactions are kept minimal at the moment, to avoid him getting overly excited.
Zion’s a big, goofy, sweet lug, who just outgrew his first harness! We had originally ordered 2 sizes to try them on him. The smallest of both was the best for him back in October, and we happened to never return the larger one. We tried the larger one on him yesterday, given his neck and body have filled out (while keeping his muscular build), and that one is now the better fit! He’s looking handsome as ever, and will soon be ready for Spring activities, and more time outdoors!
1/2/2024 Update:
Zion is on week 5 of his heartworm treatment. He went in for part 2 of treatment on 12/29. They have been pretty uneventful weeks, as he rests, and spends most of the day inside the office/room, with his chews and toys. He’s doing well with his reduced activity, and staying calm. When the energy bug hits, he gets some treats which he scavenges in a towel or box, and some lick mats with frozen yogurt and other yummy foods.
Notes from Zion:
I love finding something on my way to go potty! It doesn’t matter what it is (shoe, toy, sock), I’ll pick it up and take it with me! I love it when foster dad works, because he spends all day in the office with me! Foster mom keeps trying to get me to push a bobble toy with my head to get a treat, but all i want to do is chew on it and fight with it.. no treats come out that way, but it’s still fun!
11/14/2023 Update:
Zion had a vet follow-up to get his vaccines and some preliminary tests before his neuter. Unfortunately, Zion tested positive for heartworm.
He’s about halfway through the antibiotic round, before the first heartworm injection on the 29th. He does amazing taking his pills! By far the easiest of the 4 dogs in our house! He “asks no questions” and just swallows them inside ANY treat, or piece of food given.
– We have been decreasing his level of activity, and use a leash to avoid his running efforts in the backyard. He does get a lot more antsy now, given we are not playing fetch, tug-of-war, or flirt pole.. instead, he is getting more challenging treats (frozen things to lick, longer-lasting chews, and we’ll add some brain games).
– From the pictures: he had a great day at the Truckyard event people-watching, and getting pets and attention all day / “if I fits, I sits” curls up into a little ball in the small doggie beds at home (even though he has his larger beds!) / He’s looking handsome as ever, with new skin rolls down his back!
10/30/2023 Update:
The easy positives!
– He’s a WONDERFUL human companion…. just the right pup for someone looking for a dog to have around them, go on walks, play fetch, lounge around and chill. When he sees us after we haven’t been with him for a while, his entire body wiggles with excitement.. the sweetest thing! He loves to put his face on the couch or on our laps for some good pets/rubs, and paws gently when he wants some scratches. We have said with my husband (Angel) that in a parallel world, he would have been our perfect, only dog in our household. When none of our dogs are in the same room with him, he is incredibly peaceful, and will just lounge around any human that is there with him. He loves the companionship of being around any of us (loves my husband the most!!)
– Staying home alone: we leave him in Angel’s home office with the doors closed, his crate open, and he has access to that room. That is where he spends a lot of the time in the day as well, where he has his water, and where he eats. We have a camera in that room, and can see that he stays completely calm, sleeps while we’re gone, has no stress or anxiety staying alone. There’s also a bench where he hops up and window-watches the front of the house. He does not react to people or activity, he just calmly takes it all in and then hops off to rest again.
– Food: Zion has done great with his food, he’s eating twice a day, a grain-free dry food and I add some fresh toppers, and water to the bowl for extra hydration. So far he likes: pumpkin puree, sweet potato (in bits or mixed with food), sardines in pieces for extra omega, frozen blueberries, avocado, cantaloupe, any bland cooked meats I have which I cook for my other dogs, plain goat kefir or plain yogurt. He gets some snacks and treats throughout the days, like chews of different kinds, and training bits. He loves to be given training treats while attempting to learn new things.
– Leash: Zion does great on leash. I’ve taken him out around 7-8pm, when there is less traffic or people, since I have seen he does get a bit scared of the noises. He does amazing on his walks, very gentle, calm, pulls just a few times, but quickly goes back to calm… nowhere near what he could do with those 50lbs! My 20lb lady pulls WAY stronger than him! We’ll be taking him to some quiet parks for a walk, and explore going to a non-crowded patio to have him there while we eat, and see how he does.
– Our other dogs: we’ve slowed down the interactions with our dogs, after a few challenges I’ll mention below. He does pretty well with our 2 chihuahua-mixes. They all sniff each other, he wants to be around us and them, wants to hog the attention for himself, but also allows us to pet them and him by turns. He’s very eager, and his presence is strong, so the little ones sometimes get scared, but overall the interactions have gone well. I see he gets a bit scared or stressed when the chihs bark (which they do many times in the day), he pants and starts walking around, or runs toward the gate that leads him to his “room”. It seems he doesn’t like the added stress of the barking, and it feels as if he wants to move away from it, instead of reacting or barking.
CHALLENGES
Resource guarding
– Zion strongly guards his area, the chews he has there, and absolutely any toy he finds whether in his room, or in the common area. He has gone to the extent of snapping and lunging angrily towards any dog that interacts with any toy he finds. We have had to separate rumbles and fights between him and our older shih tzu (Igor) more than once, and once with one of the chihs (when he saw he was carrying a toy in his mouth). There have been no signs of bite marks yet, but the fights could have been bad had we not quickly intervened. When toys are involved, his stare and body gets stiff if he sees any dog coming near it. We have always had eyes on all dogs whenever he’s been in the common area with them (as we got to know him), and because we are there, we have swiftly been able to lunge ourselves into the fight to separate the dogs.. they have been scary fights. Our 13 yr old shih tzu, Igor, has NEVER been aggressive towards any dog in the past.. he is a goofball, playful and highly social with dogs, although he is insistent on playing so he’s gotten the bad side of other less tolerant dogs in the past, but not attacked.
** He does NOT guard anything from us, not his toys, nor his food. He allows to be touched while eating (we don’t do it often, but I have tried just to see the reaction – and there is none), and I can put my hand in his plate to feed him from my hand any bit of food he left, he also takes treats by turns with our other dogs (so far with no problem), lets us take his toy to throw for fetch. I can say that with humans, he does not show any aggression or discomfort in guarding anything.
What we are doing with this situation of his guarding?
– We added a 2nd gate outside our bedroom (near the kitchen), to separate the common area even more. After his recent lunges towards Igor, we now place Igor inside our bedroom whenever we have to take Zion out to the backyard. We have absolutely eliminated all interactions between Igor and Zion. We have decided that they don’t like each other, and that they cannot be together in the same room.
– There are 0 toys or chews in the common area where we let Zion in to interact with the 2 chihuahuas, and both of us for brief moments. All the toys are now in our bedroom, where we are not allowing Zion in, given we place Igor there while Zion roams the kitchen and living room area.
– Our dogs are not allowed past the gate that separates the living room with the hallway and office, which at the moment is the area where Zion sleeps, eats, and spends most of the day.
– We cannot let him into the living room while we are watching tv, or relaxing given Igor is there around us, so he stays behind the gate, and cries for us to let him in. We have to alternate between him and Igor being there with us, which is not very sustainable.
– We both have to communicate really well when one of us allows Zion into the living room/kitchen, and Igor has to be put away, and also scan around and make sure no toys are on the floor (if any).
October 21, 2023 Update:
Please welcome Zion to No Borders Bulldog Rescue. Zion is a 3 yr old male Olde English Bulldog that weighs approximately 48 lbs.
Zon joins the NBBR family as a stray. A good Samarian family saw him running loose behind their house. They live in an area where there is a greenbelt behind their house with no homes nearby. The family kept seeing him running around alone but could not manage to catch him. They reached out to NBBR to see if we could help catch him and unfortunately we did not have the resources to help at that time. Not to be deterred, they continued to work on getting him to trust them. After a few more days they were SUCCESSFUL and were able to catch him. Once he was secured, they took him to the vet to check for a chip (nope) and to get his rabies vaccine. While all this was occurring, they started the process of locating his family. They asked around their neighborhood and checked local lost and found social media pages with no luck. They then contacted NBBR again and asked if we could help Zion find a new forever home. When they called, we didn’t have an available foster home. The family had a brief meeting and decided that THEY would be Zion’s foster family. They completed all the necessary paperwork and Zion become the newest NBBR member.
When Zion went to the vet for his chip check and to get his rabies vaccine, he was given a preliminary clean bill of health. He will be seen by our Vet to do additional screening for heartworms and intestinal parasites. In addition to this, Zion needs to be neutered. The clinic’s surgery schedule is still jam packed and we weren’t able to get him immediately (as we prefer) BUT have no fear he is on the schedule.
Zion has been through a lot in the last couple weeks but he is a very resilient little guy. While he can be a little shy at first, he warms up very quickly. He can be very energetic and loves to explore his surroundings. He is currently chilling with his foster family. Zion is currently living with other dogs and gets along with them. He can be a little “too much” when first meeting other dogs… it isn’t a matter of being aggressive, but he wants to meet them SOOOOO bad that he tends to lose all concept of personal space. He is working on that. Zion is also working on his manners towards humans as well. At times he wants to jump on those he meets so that they can see how great of a pup he truly is. Zion is a quick learner and really does want to please his people. Currently we think that a home with older children might be a good fit for him The kids will give him an outlet to burn off his extra energy (and vice versa). Stay tuned while we learn more about Mr. Z and what makes him tick.
