Duke Bloodhound came to us at the beginning of January along with his companion dog, Golden Buddy. They were initially brought to Santa Cruz Animal Shelter. They were surrendered to the shelter when their guardian was incarcerated and they were left with nobody to care for them.

Duke is a sweet, mostly very mellow boy who likes to take long naps and roam around. He mostly processes the world through his nose, and he'd be happiest with a large yard to roam around in, and occasionally take a sun bath. He's typically very quiet, although occasionally, when excited, he may do a typical bloodhound bay.

Duke has limited vision because of chronic dry eye that had gone untreated, eventually causing pigmentation of his corneas. He will need to use daily eye drops for the rest of his life, but he's very tolerant of receiving them. He also has chronic ear infections, which do cause him some discomfort, and he can be resistant to receiving ear drops.

Duke and Golden Buddy's foster, with whom they'd been staying since the second week of January, reported that the two dogs did not seem particularly bonded while they were in his home. Though they would occasionally lie on a bed or on the couch together, they did not seek out each other's company or seem to experience any distress when separated. Duke got along well with his foster's two large dogs, and was seamlessly integrated into their pack.

Unfortunately, in his previous foster home, Duke exhibited an occasional tendency to growl and/or nip when family members approached him. This may be related to his limited vision, or may be a result of having been expected to protect his previous guardian.

We are hoping to find a dog-savvy, patient, adult-only home for Duke with a fenced yard where he can explore on his terms. He is mostly a sweet guy, but he does have a few quirks that will need to be managed.