Duke is a 1-2 year old Pit Bull type Terrier mix that is living in an overcrowded Philadelphia shelter. Luckily for him, he has acquired his very own volunteer who is helping him work on his basic obedience and manners while living in a kennel most of the day. While working with him, his volunteer has noticed that Duke might be an ideal dog for work with various dog sports such as Flyball, agility, dock diving, etc. Here are some basic stats about him.

1. He is VERY focused on toys and very motivated by playtime.
2. He is a natural retriever and neither hell nor high water will keep him from his tennis ball/toy. (For this reason he would do best in a home without toddlers or small children as he might very well knock them down in the pursuit of toys).
3. He handles distractions VERY well. He is not really interested in other dogs, but will exchange polite and friendly sniffs and tail wags before going about his business. Business that usually includes toys, fetching, etc. He has been exposed to other dogs, motorcycles, cars, traffic, noisy people, children, etc and still his focus on the ball is unwavering.
4. He’s an amazing catch and often jumps high into the air to catch a tennis ball and possibly a frisbee.
He has also been working with a weighted back pack and still shown an ability to effortlessly lift himself high into the air! He’s a pretty tall, slender dog and stands about 21 inches at the shoulder and weighs about 55lbs.
5. In addition to all of his sporting potential, Duke is pretty good in his crate and in the car. I would still recommend crating him in the car at first so he nor his cuteness will be a distraction to the driver.
He is also fairly interested in tug toys and would LOVE to engage with the ones that have tennis balls affixed to them (thus again would be PERFECT for learning flyball skills).

Please feel free to contact Lulu if you have any questions about Duke. She can be reached via todorov.lulu@gmail.com.

If you want to head in and meet him for yourself please visit him at:
111 West Hunting Park Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140

Adoption hours: Monday – Friday 1PM – 8PM, Saturday – Sunday 10AM – 5PM.

Here’s a video of Duke fetching a ball: