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lfills her mal needs. She will in return give them loyalty, love, and laughter. Her human should be an active, experienced mal owner who is patient and understanding, accepting the challenge of continuing to work through her reactivity, and can provide intensive physical activity and consistent, structured training. Large, open area to run would be great. It won't take long for Onyx to trust and bond with her engaging, active, fun human who gives her regular, daily 1-on-1 time.
Background: Onyx was owner-surrendered to the county shelter at about 5.5 yrs of age. Owner cited the reason was she had too much energy. MAD, rescued her just in the nick of time on the day she was scheduled to be euthanized (May 7, 2025).
• Affection Level: Not velcro, but often likes to lay against her human, sometimes with head on human's lap, likes human to lay hand on her. Kisses human.
• Energy Level: High prey drive, high energy during play - enthusiastic about intense play (tug, running around with toy in mouth), then has a GOOD off-switch.
• Mental Needs & Training: High engagement with mental challenges, puzzles, training, scent; strong treat motivation. Some toy motivation depending on activity. She takes her work seriously.
•Temperament: Due to her innate high prey drive nature and lack of socialization during her formative socialization periods in her early life, Onyx is reactive (depending on situation and proximity) toward people animals, bicycles, fast and loud things.
• Insight: Her original owners brought her home from the breeder a week before the COVID lockdowns in CA. They didn't provide her with formal group training and socialization, even following the lockdowns. - sometimes her reactivity is fear-based, sometimes it's just pure excitement. She didn't learn how to regulate her emotional responses.
• Touch: She can be touched anywhere on her body; however, during her recent 2 month adoption in OK, they were having to carry her, muzzled to the crate in the basement, because she resisted going on her own. The negative experience effected her and she may have suffered a minor left hip injury (
• Loves: Frequent games of tug with her human, "catch me if you can" (being chased after by her human or other dogs), exploring new places.
• Dislikes: sudden, loud, close by noises, will react with moving to disturbance, barking
Behavior with Others:
• Good with resident dogs after proper introductions
• Not Cat-friendly
• Good with Kids, should be supervised with young children
• Owner and children should note what riles Onyx up and activates her maligator tendencies
• Barrier reactivity with neighboring dogs (aggressive)
• With reactivity incidents, while on a walk, she recovers in less than 30 seconds, once the trigger is out of sight, but depending on the circumstance, may be on heightened alert (adrenaline still high) and may need to leave the area asap.
• Training: - high treat motivation - sit, down, stay, come, back, crate (crate trained) - other foundation and advanced commands we've been training on: - shake (left), paw (right), wait, stay, place, free, up, off, go/come inside, leave it, find it, drop, bring, heel, nein, stand, here (come to front), spin (clockwise), twirl (counter clock-wise), left close (sit to left), right close (sit to right), middle (between legs), watch (look at handler instead of trigger), let's go (redirection prior to known trigger), touch (boop), kiss - impulse control -> "wait"
Current job/activities: sniffing (food scattering in grass for her to find by scent, and calm her in the environment with some distractions) and obedience training, leash manners.
*With her heightened awareness of sounds and sights, she can be reactive in vulnerable environments.
• Possession/Guarding: Onyx will drop a toy for a treat without issue
• Onyx's cuteness: - builds blanket forts to nap - springs from the ground shaking her prey (toy) with such joy - goes nuts jumping high in the air to bite the water from the water hose - she tells you she wants to go outside by approaching you with her prey (toy) in her mouth - she will tell you she wants to play tug by shoving her toy (large Kong ball or Jolly ball) into you continuously - her puppy dog eyes while she's "wait"ing on the "ok" release command, holding her prey in her mouth - she let's you know she wants pets by nudging her nose under your hand
Follow her on Facebook: #MADloveBugOnyx
All dogs come with a Fi Collar Series 3 and a 6-months subscription!
If you are interested in adopting this pet please complete an application at this link petstablished/adoption_form/24689/generic.
We are an official 501c3 organization that does not have a physical location. Our home address is in Michigan, however, the majority of our dogs are not located in Michigan. The physical location of each our our dogs is posted with the name of the pet or in the title area. If you are within 4 hours of the pet, please be prepared to pick the pet up. We do provide transport assistance up to 350 miles. The applicant must drive the remainder of the distance of the transport.
The basic information that we have available is in our posting, but sometimes fosters will post updates on the MAD Rescue Facebook page as well, .facebook/groups/malinoisanddutchshepherdrescueinc.
If you would like to further inquire on this animal, please fill out this application. Applications that are completed in our process and being considered as a match will speak to the foster home to gain more information about our adoptable dog.
If you have questions about this pet please contact us at infoMADrescueinc.
You may also call our toll free number at 844-MAD-RESQ or 844-623-7377.
Additional information about all of our dogs for adoption can be located at our website MAD Rescue Inc.