Ernie - American Staffordshire Terrier Dog for Adoption in Des Moines, Iowa

- Likes playing with toys and goofing around

- May prefer to explore and do his own thing here in the shelter, but will likely open up more once he's in a home environment and has had time to decompress

- Does best with a harness on walks

- Young, noisy or busy children can be too much for him, and he can also be bouncy; may do best in a home where all family members are big enough and mature enough to enjoy his size and energy

- Can be socially awkward around other dogs, but may enjoy like-minded dog friends (dog intro required)

This pet qualifies for our 7-day Foster-to-Adopt program. If you're interested in fostering to adopt, please reach out to meetme@arl-iowa.org.

The ARL's shelter software requires that we choose a primary breed for our dogs. Visual breed identification in dogs is unreliable, so for most dogs we are only guessing at primary breed. We get to know each dog as an individual and do our best to describe each of our dogs based on personality, not breed label. Primary Color: Silver Weight: 66lbs Age: 2yrs 1mths 3wks Animal has been Neutered

The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the Amstaff, is a medium sized, muscular breed known for its loyalty and courage. Developed in the United States, they are intelligent and affectionate dogs, making them great family companions. With a distinctive short coat and strong build, American Staffordshire Terriers are often misunderstood due to their past as fighting dogs, but they are actually loving and playful pets when raised in a nurturing environment. They thrive on human interaction and are eager to please their owners.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa Inc. is Iowa's largest nonprofit animal shelter, caring for many thousands of pets each...