He's still a pup, but please take a look anyway.

[Mobil]

My husband was driving to work and found this little guy running around on the freeway. Our first thought was that he might be a GSD/pit bull cross considering that the area in which he was found has a large pit bull population, but then someone showed us pictures of a Dutch Shepherd puppy and after looking at various DS puppy pics, he seems to be a dead ringer. I know it's really hard to tell at such a young age. Vet can only estimate his age as "older than 8 weeks, younger than sixteen weeks."

He is fifteen ish inches at the shoulder and 20 ish inches from nose to tail, and I say 'ish' because he is a squirmy little thing who wants to eat the tape measure. He weighs 13 pounds. He sleeps a lot right now, but when he's awake, it's on. He's into everything. He jumps and climbs over baby gates like they're nothing, and doesn't back down from our GSD mix during play. He's kind of a badass. He steals socks and shoes and computer cords and barks and postures at cats.

edited to add: there are a few Dutch Shepherd breeders in the area, within 20 to 40 miles. Also, the GSD in the pic is 80 pounds and 26" at the shoulder.

Here's Mobil:










for size reference:


And here's a short video of him meeting our GSD.

http://youtu.be/KQHfC_SNVys

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

He certainly looks like a DS pup… Will be interesting to watch him grow and his features begin to define a bit more. His muzzle looks a bit short but when they're so young you blink and suddenly they have grown. But he really does look like a dead ringer DS… Are those little white toes on his back paws???? SO CUTE!!!!! At 13 pounds I'd say he's probably close to 12-14 weeks; I think my guy was 17 pounds around 14-15 weeks. So you're spot on with his age. You'll have so much fun as he grows! Keep us updated with pics! We LOVELOVELOVE puppy pics.

[Mobil]

I'm thinking if he is, he must be a mix, right? I mean, who throws two thousand dollar dogs away on the flipping freeway?? (Of course, who throws away any dog, except for a miserable excuse for a human, but people behave a lot differently when money is involved.)

He has what I can only assume is a big fault (if he is purebred) on his chest, in the form of a white "M", which is adorable (and why his name starts with an M), I'll grab a pic.

[Mobil]

I've been watching a lot of youtube videos of Dutch Shepherd puppies, and comparison wise, the way he moves, the ears, and size wise, he looks almost exactly like the pups that are 8 or 9 weeks old.

Our vet says she'll be able to pinpoint a more accurate age when his incisors come in around sixteen weeks.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

OMG. I freaking LOVE the M on his chest!!!!!!!!! Like a mini super hero! For Halloween you should make him a cape with a M on it and film him running around the house. SO CUTE!

There is a thread on here on puppies where a few people talk about the weight of their pups at certain ages. It's not very long but could help. Yeah once his teeth start coming in/changing you'll be able to pin point better. Of course it also kinda depends on weight of his parents.... My friend's pup at 12 weeks was 25 pounds. He's gonna be a BIG dog.

Some DS can have white marks on their chest. If he was dumped it may be by a bad breeder who couldn't sell the last pup, or he may have had something medically wrong, or they thought he wasn't "breed standard". But he is as cute as a muppet and I cannot get over that M!!!! Is he meeting lots of new people?

[Mobil]

I am bringing him around a lot of people, he went to school pick up the other day and loved all the attention.

He stole a Mr. Potato head today and is batting it around. I cannot believe how fast he is!
http://youtu.be/iEUWWB6iVlc

I'm in trouble, aren't I?

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

HAH I love it!!!!! Look into getting him a Jolly egg.... He'll go nuts for it. Same kinda principle as the Mr. Potato Head except he can't get his mouth around it.

Yup you're in trouble but you'll love every chaotic moment. Start investing in chews of all types now because once he starts teething that's when the real fun begins. That and bitter spray! I lived by those for a while. When demonic possession hour starts it's hilarious then terrifying then tiring then annoying then hilarious... but it does get better!

Keep up the meeting new people and going new places. If he is mostly DS which as of this moment I do not doubt, the more experiences he has young the better off he'll be. They're naturally VERY protective (a common thread you'll see browsing through the topics) so showing him the world will make him... More wise as to all possibilities of things happening and that not all of them need defending against. My friend's DS pup who's now about 5 months went everywhere in his dad's arms until all his shots were done. He used to hate people and now he loves meeting them! Very stable too. I wish I had done a bit more with my guy as environmentally he's fairly stable, but people he's extremely wary of and if he's never been exposed to something he jumps like 3 feet in the air then goes to explore it. It's hilarious. I think exposing puppies to things is my favorite part of raising them. It's like a constant game! Now if I can only find someone else to teach obedience to team up with... Lol!

Oh and you may want to start stocking up on the alcohol too... It's needed when facing the whirlwind of a puppy DS.

[Dutchringgirl]

Looks like a DS pup to me too! Love the white ! Sadie has a white jet on her chest too. Maybe he got loose or escaped? Have you checked for any missing pups in the area? glad you found him though before he got hit. He is super cute

[Mobil]

I've been checking for lost notices since the day he was found, going back a week. the vet guessed he couldn't have been out for more than a day or two, he had no injuries or parasites or giardia or the like. He was really skinny, though, his ribs and hips were showing. He's put on 2 pounds since tuesday.

I'm not super concerned with finding who used to have him, though, because whomever it was was not a good pet owner if he was skinny to begin with. I'm not sure where he could have gotten loose from, he was found in an industrial area, no houses for miles.

Although, my husband just said, "Maybe he already destroyed two thousand dollars' worth of stuff where he came from and that's why he was dumped."

(this was immediately after Mobil knocked over his drink cup, pulled off the lid, and tried to drink his Coke.)

We are in so much trouble. LOL

[dogbyte]

i think dutch shepherds are why crates were invented!! I know i would find out how much stuffing was in my sofa or love seat if Rossi were to be left out when we were gone. He's a cutie. But he will need both mental and physical challenges to keep him happy. Let you husband know he's an angel for saving him from the freeway. And YES people do stupid things with very expensive dogs......

[Mobil]

When demonic possession hour starts it's hilarious then terrifying then tiring then annoying then hilarious... but it does get better!

I believe we have just experienced demonic possession hour. Since he's so little, it lasted about 20 minutes. It involved him chasing and running from the GSD, jumping on him while growling and nipping, tumbling, zooming under chairs and barking, and sheer craziness.

Oh, boy.

yeah, I'm ordering a crate ASAP.

[karenz]

His "M" looks like a heart to me. Must be a sign of love.

[johninny]

it looks like a heart to me also.

i also think his look, size, and manner suggest that he is about 9, maybe 10 weeks old.
crazy hour emerging probably means he's getting comfortable with his new family and can show his true self. he's such a firecracker, i would imagine there is a good chance he is all DS.

i have had 5 DS puppies; of those at least 3 were abandoned at ages of 6, 7 and 8 months, and a 4th either was abandoned or went missing as he was picked up as a stray at the age of 10 weeks. [ also fostered a 7 yr. old DS turned in by owners that simply did not want him anymore after buying him as a puppy!]
at least in the case of the 6 and 8 month-olds, i think the abandoning owners [ one of whom simply shoved the 6 month old out of a car onto the streets of manhattan] did not know what they were getting into. just happened to be the best thing that ever happened to me. treat them with great respect and teach them and let them learn even more and they are utterly spectacular dogs.

love all your videos. and thanks for rescuing 2 shepherds.

[Dutchringgirl]

HA, Crazy hour has just begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Knowing DS, dumping sounds right, so sad though. Ive almost made soup out of Sadie plenty of times, but could never get rid of her. Thalie has thought about that though

[centrop67]

I believe we have just experienced demonic possession hour.

Has started with the Chewbaca sounds yet?

[dogbyte]

oh my gosh. Rossi is my first Dutch and I had no idea her "chewbacca" sounds were common to them. In fact i have put "honk" on command. Along with grumble, which is not a growl but this odd trill and shout which is to bark. But we do call her a wookie sometimes.....love this breed....

[dogbyte]

oh my gosh. Rossi is my first Dutch and I thought her wookie sounds were unique. In fact I've put "honk" on command. Love this breed and if I live long enough ( I'm like antique ++++) I do believe I will be owned by another. Don't tell my two Germans that!!!

[dogbyte]

pardon the double post.....internet issues and high winds today

[Mobil]

Has started with the Chewbaca sounds yet?

Holy crap, were you in my house? Because I specifically looked over at DH and said, "Who let Chewbacca in the house?"

I'm vacillating between being equal parts terribly excited about having found a dog possibly smarter and more needing of a job than a GSD and absolutely terrified about having found a dog possibly smarter and more needing of a job.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

Start crate games as soon as you get a crate! These guys are smart! My guy talks back to me… We get looks in the store when I tell him a command and he grumbles, whines, or some other grunt in Chewbacca-ese and I start arguing with him and telling him "not to talk back" to which he promptly does. It is possible to have conversations with these guys!

LOL Lisa is right. I almost made Hendrix Soup a few times… today I'm sorely tempted. Once they start growing out of the "AAAAAHHHH I'M A PUPPY LOOKATHAT OMG AAAAAAHHHH" stage is when you start truly realizing how awesome they can be. Not to say being a puppy doesn't mean they can't be awesome. You just start seeing more glimpses of their mature personality. That ands no more demonic possession hour…