Aureus is a 3 month old, male, Shiba Inu mix. View his Facebook Album.

Hi everyone, my name is now Aureus, which is Latin and the main gold coin of ancient Rome. I am a young male pup, and I was found as a stray along a turnpike with no homes in sight. A nice woman saw me running, scared, and pulled over to chase me through an abandoned industrial building for 45 minutes. When she caught me, she saw I was tired, dirty, and covered in ticks. She took me to a vet, cleaned me up, and reported me as a found pup. Based on my puppy teeth, I am about 2 -3 months old. Within a week, I took a long trip to Shiba HQ. I got sick a few times on our drive, but otherwise did well. Once I arrived at Shiba HQ, I got to explore the yard on my own, then met all the friendly dogs and cats. I do great with all the animals. My foster mom noticed that I am terrified to potty in front of people. This usually means punishment for pottying indoors, which generalizes to punishing all pottying. DC SIR uses reward-based training, so I am using a puppy pad inside while I learn to potty outside with rewards. I am slowly building confidence. I was just 15lbs when I was rescued, and in just a week, I have gained nearly 3lbs! I have big paws, and the vets think I may weigh 45–55 lbs! I may be a Shepherd/Shiba mix – we’ll see – but I am definitely going to be a big boy! I am doing well on walks, but if my foster mom takes me too far from the house, I get scared. On our first walk, I pulled away and ran straight home to the backyard gate. I thought she was going to dump me! I am learning to trust people and will need adopters who are willing to build a trusting bond with me!

Location: Extended
Dogs: Yes
Cats: Yes
Kids: Yes
Age: 3 months
Weight 18lbs (note will be larger than Shiba - est 50lbs) Intake Date: 11/30/25

Follow Aureus ’s progress on his Facebook Album.