How big? Large
How old? Adult (around five years)
Male or female? Male
Living with kids? I can live with children (8+)
Living with dogs? I can live with female dogs
Resident dog required? No
Living with cats? I’ve not been tested with cats
Where can I live? I’d like a moderately active home outside of the city with a garden (large breed experience preferable)
Where am I from? Cyprus

About Riko

Riko was found by a tourist on the beach. It was obvious that he was from a home, and unexpectedly his owners were actually found and contacted to come and collect Riko. Heartbreakingly it was discovered they’d actually abandoned him on the beach and didn’t him anymore. They had no intention of coming to collect Riko and months later the poor boy is still in the shelter, waiting for a new family and wondering whatever happened to his old one.

Riko is around five years old and is basically a big, friendly bear. He’s a larger sized dog at around 35kg and with this comes some strength, which he is seemingly not aware of. He absolutely loves cuddles and being fussed over, but has no idea that he’s not a small dog and therefore his size and weight can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for unsuspecting victims! But he is just a soft, goofy boy, who is desperate for love and affection.

Socialising Riko came down to the volunteers at the shelter because it seemed his previous home had not done very much with him. He arrived and was immediately uncomfortable around other dogs, but thanks to a bit of patience and persistence his relationships with the other shelter residents is now much better. Riko even shares his kennel now with another male dog, and he gets on really well with the female dogs when he interacts with them on walks and in the yard. We do feel though that in a home environment Riko would be happiest as the only dog, or with a female. He does not rely on other dogs to lead the way and is quite happy being the centre of attention.

Riko loves going out for walks but can be strong on the lead and therefore needs a patient, confident handler who has some previous large dog experience. He is also great with children but being unaware of his size means he can be overwhelming for smaller kids, so we’d be looking for a home with children aged 8+. He has never shown an ounce of hostile behaviour towards kids and loves their company, he’s just a big dog.

Riko would be best suited to a home outside of the city with access to a garden. He needs a moderately active lifestyle with a family who are keen to take him on nice walks and also give him the patience and training that his former family failed to. He is very human oriented and could learn a lot given the opportunity, but he needs someone who is prepared to give him that understanding as he adjusts to a new lifestyle. The rewards will be absolutely worth it - who wouldn’t want unlimited cuddles from a bear dog?! And as a bonus, he’s also completely housetrained and has been extremely clean in his kennel since the day he arrived.

Riko is currently based in Cyprus and has a clean bill of health. He is ready to travel once he finds his forever home.

Please note, any mention of breed is nothing more than an educated guess based on what we know about the dog, their appearance, behaviour, and common breeds in their country of origin. We can never guarantee breed specifics, nor can we confirm the exact age of our dogs, unless they were born in our care. Age estimations are made by our vets based on the development of the dog, their general health and energy, and assessing their teeth.