Entered: 08/31/2017
Status: Adopted
Age: 7; Born 03/08/2010
Color: Black/White
Weight: 42 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Colonia, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: Good with people of all ages, good with dogs, reportedly good with cats
Original: “This sweet girl loves a good belly rub and interacts well with company who arrive in her foster home. She has run of the house and is an absolute joy.”
Bella came to MAESSR when her owner relinquished her due to her high energy. She had only lived with her previous owners in Pennsylvania since February 2016, and unfortunately, they did not know much about her history. It was their understanding that Bella was used for breeding purposes and had lived in a kennel for most of her life; she had never been socialized or housetrained. With some loving care Bella was housetrained and now socializes well with people.
Although her high energy and destructive outdoor digging were cited by her former owners, her foster family finds that in the house Bella is very calm and usually sits with one of her humans. She is a sweet dog who is extremely high energy, requiring a good amount of exercise. She enjoys walking around the neighborhood on a leash, walking in the park and, when supervised, she loves as much time as her people will give her in the yard searching for wildlife. If left alone in the yard, she does tend to dig.
Bella does well with other pets. She has the run of the house and is trusted in home alone for 12-14 hours. At night she sleeps on her bed in her foster parents’ bedroom or on the couch. She will not enter a crate. Bella is not your typical Velcro Springer, and is not overly affectionate…unless there is a thunderstorm.
There are no reported signs of aggression and Bella has no reaction to ears or feet being touched. She tolerates being groomed, bathed, and brushed.
Bella does well with both familiar and unfamiliar men, women, and children. When meeting unfamiliar people Bella will sniff and then walk away. When encountering unfamiliar dogs on the local walking trail, she is not bothered by people or the dogs unless the dogs are larger than she is; then she will bark to alert that they are near. She does not snarl or growl. Her foster family continues to work on her socialization with four-legged friends.
Bella has a high prey drive. She will chase after squirrels, bunnies, birds, and deer if she sees them. However, she will entertain herself in the yard searching for wildlife. She does tend to dig if she is in search of wildlife and not supervised outside. If her people command “NO,” she will stop digging.
She does not care for toys, but will rough house some for playtime. She seems to enjoy riding in the car and prefers to sit in the backseat hanging her head out the window. She shows no signs of anxiety or motion sickness.
At mealtime Bella is fed in the kitchen and will sit and wait until her food is put down for her. She does not beg for food – good girl! She does know the command “sit” and will give her paw if asked.
This sweet girl loves a good belly rub and interacts well with company who arrive in her foster home. She has run of the house and is an absolute joy.
Bella’s visit to the vet was a success. She did well with the doctor and his assistant while she was being examined. The office staff loved her!
Bella’s foster family believes that her ideal forever family should be one that understands that she has a lot of energy and should be willing to spend time with her. She is such a beautiful, sweet dog looking to please her people. She enjoys being outside and would do well in a home with a family who has a large back yard and has time to spend with her while she investigates the wildlife there. Daily walks would be a delightful highlight to her day. Although her outside time is precious to her, when Bella is in the house she likes to sit by her humans’ side and keep them company. She does enjoy attention and is always up for a belly rub!
If you think that Bella would fit in well with your family, ask about this little sweetheart!