Ladies and gentleman, have we got a deal for you. We’ve got all sorts of knuckleheads in all models, ages and colors for you to take home on lease. And it will cost you nothing! That’s right we said nothing, nada, zip. Totally free! We’ll even provide the food and medical care!

Like this one right here –

This is Marlin, a 2012 model Doberman. This baby has it all. Hiking? He’s in. Jogging? He’s in. This baby will look fantastic parked in front of your TV while you catch up all the new Netflix shows with him. He’s got a roomy mouth that easily fits two to three tennis balls that he will repeatedly and happily bring back to you. He’s great with older kids and promises to be fantastic company. Why are we asking for someone to test drive him? While he does wonderfully in the home, he’s not such a fan of the shelter and is nervous and scared here. We’d love to see him happily ensconced in a foster home until he finds a permanent placement. Which is where folks like you – who can’t commit to a full time dog – come in! Now doesn’t that make you want to do a happy dance?

But wait – there’s more! And that calls for another happy dance!

Fan of the blockheaded models? We’ve got all shapes and colors waiting to spend some time with you. If you like that sleek grey/blue look, Olive or Enzo might be the perfect choice for you. At five years old Olive has all the horsepower you need for hikes and jogging with excellent settle down capabilities. While she’ll happily gear up for the athletic fun, she’s a belly rub loving lump when it’s time for cuddles. Another big plus? She’s cleans up easily with a spray bottle or hose!

Olive has been with us for a while and she’s pretty over being in the shelter. When you are that much go-go and love sponge in one sleek package you need a lot more that any animal shelter, even an awesome one, can provide. She’s going to make some lucky person a great pooch but while she’s waiting she’d be a lot happier in a home environment.

And while we’re talking about water…

Did someone ask if we had any amphibious models? If so, your answer is Sidney. Sidney is the epitome of knucklehead – she’s adorable, she’s loveable and she cannot stand shelter livin’. A 2016 lab/border collie/whatever model, Sidney is one hundred pounds of fun in a fifty pound package. She loves swimming, playing fetch and being out and about. She definitely needs some help being a little more civilized – her idea of hello is similar to linebacker tackle training – and it’s hard for her to work on it here. Despite her social skills, she’s been going to obedience classes and acing it. Which leads us to believe there’s a lot going on in that pointy little noggin and that she’s just bored and frustrated.

Okay, we’ll come clean. All car-salesman antics and gimmicks aside, we really need foster homes for big pooches. We are chock full of awesome, wiggly, happy-pants mega-nuggets who really, really want to get out of dodge. While a forever home would be their first choice, sometimes that takes awhile. We get it. Heck, even Busy Izzy gets it and, to be honest, she can be a bit of an airhead at times.

We also know there are a lot of people who would love to own a big dog but don’t feel ready to commit to a lifetime yet. Maybe they  want to travel. Maybe they rent and are waiting until they own a house. Maybe they’re just not ready for commitment. Whatever. But we thought hey, here’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy a big dog, see if a big dog is right for you without actually having to OWN a big dog for however many years. Plus you’ll be doing something really, really good for a knucklehead in need.

If you can foster a big dog, please email laura.birdsall@hssv.org. When you foster a dog we provide the food, vet care and everything until they get adopted. You just provide the love. So let’s do this. And if you can’t do it, let’s share this and tag folks who might be able to. It’s totally okay to put your friends on the spot. We promise.

**Wait – if they’re such great dogs why do you call them knuckleheads? We use the term knuckleheads as a term of endearment for our larger, goofier pooches who are prone to bursts of ridiculous enthusiasm such as zoomies, whole body wiggles, spontaneous jumping for joy and, in Marlin’s case, ability to fit unbelievable amounts of toys in their mouths.