I'm ready for my new family!

(Update Ohana and Oakley were originally posted as a bonded pair but are now up for adoption separately. Our reasoning is laid out at the end of this profile.)
OAKLEY/LEE:  • Male    •  Bonded with Ohana/Hana    • 8 years old    • Microchip: 956000013568876      • 54lbs       • Housebroken    • Heart worm negative  • Affectionate   •   Easy-going, Laid back 

The Story of Oakley (Lee for short) and Ohana (Hana for short):

Lee is an 8 yr-old male and Hana is a 4 yr-old female Airedale. They are a bonded pair who lived with their elderly male owner in East-Central Texas. When their owner died in March, Lee and Hana found themselves with no friends or extended family to take them in (family members were all out of state). 

Lee and Hana initially spent time at a local shelter before TART volunteers took them in and transported them to a fabulous foster couple in the Panhandle. They have been living in foster care since the end of March, and are now ready to find their forever home. 

What We Know About Their Past: 

The long and short of that is…not much. We were told that their original owner trained Lee to be a diabetic service dog put there is no certification to confirm that. We also believed that they most likely suffered some abuse, specifically yelling and potentially hitting. Their overall care seemed lacking in many regards. At the very least they were unkept and underweight.

What We Know About Them Now: (From their Fosters)

Both Dogs

• Both Hana and Lee are anxious when they are left alone. It is more pronounced when the husband of the foster couple leaves. The anxiety manifests in barking and sometimes a bit of howling.
• Both dogs originally had bad manners. They had apparently been fed from their original owner’s plate, given treats by hand, and thus were terrible beggars who would attempt to grab anything you have in your lap or in your hand. They especially like popcorn and go crazy trying to get some from you. Hana is younger and her manners were worse. She also acts like she has been hit by a human hand because she often ducks away from you when you reach to pet her. Their foster family has worked with their manners daily. Both are much improved now and will no doubt continue to improve with someone invested in them.
• Fosters have also worked on commands such as Sit and Stay.
• Hana and Lee play well together. Hana teases Lee with a rope toy and the two of them have fun playing tug-o-war and run about pulling at each other’s collar.
• They are currently living with a 15 pd terrier and they play with her well, but the foster couple still pays close attention due to the differences in size. 
• Both are completely housebroken. They are let out for breaks after sleeping, eating and playing. They are praised for going potty and if they bark or whine at the door to be let out. (Note: Occasionally Lee whines for other reasons  that the fosters have not figured out)
• Both Lee and Hana seem to enjoy and respond best to a regular, dependable schedule.
• Not tested with cats or children
• Good travelers
• Hana is crated when family leaves the home. If they have access to a trash can when left alone they cannot resist that temptation. 

OHANA/HANA

• Hana is the younger, more rambunctious and energetic of the two. 
• Though much improved, Hana continues to need structure and guidance with her manners.
• Hana is crated when left at home with no supervision and also at night.
• Hana is Affectionate, Playful, Energetic and Intelligent. She is smart and very eager to please.
• Like most 4 year old Airedales, she will get into trash if given the opportunity.
• Hana loves to have something in her mouth.
• She loves to lick you, hand, arm…whatever she has access to.
• Hana needs continued leash training to slow down and not pull. A harness has worked best.
• Hana eats very quickly and is currently using a slow feeder.
• Protective of her food and food bowl.

OAKLEY/LEE

• Oakley is older and had more manners than HANA on arrival. Those manner have gotten even better.
• He seems older than his 8 years…more like 10 plus.
• Lee is quiet, laid back and easy going.
• Affectionate and plays well with others.
• Either hard of hearing or has selective hearing.
• Lee eats slowly, very slowly.
• Lee’s only real vice is that when outside, if it’s available, he’ll eat dog poop. It is best to keep the yard picked up. His fosters also use a mask for him to wear sometimes.

Food Schedule: Hana gets 2¾ cups 2x a day, Lee gets 1¾ cups 2x a day (Iam’s Chicken) 

SUMMARY: Ohana and Oakley came from a deficient home environment that appears to have included a degree of abuse. They are now thriving and responding to the daily care and attention they’ve gotten from their foster family. They just need someone now to carry forward this foundation of love, security and training. They are a little bit like an Oscar and Felix in that LEE is slow and laid back while young HANA is energetic and full of joyful life. If you have the room, time and heart for one or both of them, submit an application today. 

(UPDATE: OAKLEY & OHANA NOW OPEN TO INDIVIDUAL ADOPTIONS AND WHY)  As a team, TART has decided to open Oakley and Ohana up for separate adoptions. Here’s why:

1. If you have followed this pair, you know that these two Airedales belonged to a central Texas man who passed away. One of his out of state family members (who didn’t know either dog well) was our only source of background info. It was this family member who believed that Oakley and Ohana were bonded and hoped they could be adopted together. Although we didn’t know either dog at that point, we hoped that for them too and found a wonderful foster family to take them both in. This couple has spent 3 months now working with them, evaluating them, and loving on them, getting them ready to meld with their ultimate forever home.
2. Our current foster family is now needing to wind down their fostering time with them to deal with other matters in their lives.
3. Without an adopter or secondary foster (willing to take two) stepping up to fill that gap, TART has nowhere to place Oakley and Ohana and would have to consider boarding them in the interim, which we try very hard not to do. Boarding would also potentially underscore all the strides and progress they have made while living with their foster family.
4. Oakley and Ohana are both wonderful, adoptable dogs in their own right, so it was evident that the lack of interest in them was the fact that they were being offered only as a package deal.
5. With the input of our experienced fosters, we began assessing the true necessity of adopting them out as a bonded pair, as most adopters are simply not looking for two Airedales. Here were our findings.
6. Oakley and Ohana have shared 4 to 5 years together and are happy and comfortable together but, in reality, are not “bonded” in the sense that one or the other seems emotionally dependent on the other’s presence. They are not particularly stressed when separated from each other.
7. Though they look like bookends, there is an almost 4 year age gap between the two and significant personality differences on top of that. Oakley seems older than his 8 years and in truth, sometimes seems annoyed at Ohana’s continuous attempts to get him to play when he wants to nap. Their foster family believes Ohana would be delighted to live in a home with a younger, friendly dog her size who was more active and playful than Oakley and Oakley would relish more peace and quiet.
8. Seemingly, people who are looking to adopt a young, joyful, energetic Ohana-type Airedale aren’t necessarily ALSO looking for an older, laid-back, Pappy like Oakley and visa-versa.

This is not a decision we came to without a great deal of consideration. Of course if a qualified person came forward wanting to adopt or foster them both, we would be thrilled…but at this particular juncture, we believe their adoptability and ability to find “just the right fit home” for each of them, increases expotentially when we untie the “bonded label” that in their case is not false, but also not absolutely true.

Soooo….if you are looking to adopt, please take a look at these two with fresh eyes and as individual, unique dogs.