A volunteer writes: We have our very own ‘Man in Black’ at the Manhattan Care Center. While he’s not much for singing, this handsome hunk speaks volumes with his soulful eyes and affectionate ways. Johnny’s a true people dog and (quite literally) not one to take kennel life lying down, so you’ll usually find him right up front and ready to go. I’ve even caught him smooshed against the door, luxuriating in a side massage from a passing admirer! Easily leashed and ready to follow wherever it is you’re heading, Johnny walks the line like a gentleman, taking his time sniffing all around and greeting other pups of every size with friendly good manners, even the not-so-friendly little ones! He enjoys treats and mouths them gently from my hand, plays nicely with toys and excels at exploring and snuggling–talents that he clearly mastered long ago. Johnny’s Care Center fan club is growing by the day, and he rocked his behavior assessment, too, but what this wandering soul truly longs for is a family to love and a place to call his own. Open your heart today, Johnny Cash is ready to come home.

A Foster Writes: Johnny is one of the sweetest dogs we’ve ever met! He’s really loyal, but also kind to strangers and always happy to meet new people. We found that he loves following us around the house, and always wants to be with you, but given a good chew toy or bone he can occupy himself for hours. He doesn’t seem to mind being home alone for longer periods, and he always greets us when we come home with excitement and affection. Though he never barked when we were with him (even on walks outside) or when he’s with other people, we found that in the first couple of days before he was acclimated he barked during the day, or occasionally howled when he thought nobody was coming back. After the first week my neighbors informed me that he had stopped making noise throughout the day and was being a good boy! Johnny knows ‘stay’, ‘no’, and in the small time that we fostered him he even learned how to ‘sit’; he seems to be a really intelligent boy! He’s really calm and well behaved in public, and would even sit down inside coffee shops when we were at the counter ordering. He had only one pee and one poo accident in the apt in the first handful of days, but we think that was due to the anxiety of a new place and moving environments. We would give him food in the morning, but he seemed to self-regulate his eating so that he would only eat when he knew he could go to the bathroom soon after. Often times we’d come home at the end of the day and he hadn’t eaten much of his food, but then would immediately eat all of it and want to go for a walk. He loves physical play, and often times we’d tackle and roll around on the floor with him, but he never became mean or aggressive, and certainly never hurt us in any way. He’s a very curious boy, and is distracted, almost hypnotized, when on the street for a walk. He does love a good run around the park, and can seemingly run forever. He loves smelling almost everything outside which, although is very cute, we found we needed to watch closely. On a couple occasions he found something on the street and snatched it up in his mouth, but we quickly became comfortable and trusting enough with Johnny that we would open his mouth and he would let us take it out with our fingers. Johnny is pretty much the perfect dog in every way. At least twice every walk a stranger would comment on how beautiful he is (he’s really a knockout), and he definitely doesn’t mind the attention. He’s a lovely energy to have in the home, and we don’t doubt that he will make someone the happiest parent one day.

Weight: 56 lbs

Behavior Condition: 1. Green