Entered: 04/07/2007
Status: Adopted
Age: 1
Color: Black/White/Tan
Weight:
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Ewing, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, good in all areas
Temperament: Good with people as young as 11 years, good with dogs she knows, considers cats as prey
Updated 5/11/07: Life has been very busy for Gracie ever since she arrived at her foster home. She immediately became fast friends with the resident 9-month-old puppy and they run around their fenced yard, stopping only to hug each other…so cute! It’s noteworthy that their fence is a 6′ stockade type. Having watched the play, Gracie’s mom feels that anything less than a 5-foot fence would surely be cleared by this athletic bird and squirrel-hunting gal. Gracie was curious with the two older springers and has tried playing with them too. This darling little girl loves the water and will dive head first into the pond at the dog park. She will need at least one hour of full throttle running every day to burn off her youthful energy.
Gracie has a soft, shiny coat with beautiful tri markings and freckles on her legs and belly. She is a petite 32 pounds and 15 inches tall. At first, her foster mom thought she was more like a cocker spaniel until she observed Gracie springing into the brush after butterflies and at the fence after the critters trying to invade the yard! Gracie makes big growlie noises at the resident cats and they in turn have decided to hide in a safe place. She probably wouldn’t hurt them, but her foster mom is not taking any chances.
There have been no accidents and Gracie appears to be fully housebroken. She is crated next to the puppy while her foster mom is at work but has been allowed free run of the house for short periods of time. When someone is home, she and her foster siblings are running in and out of the house. Gracie prefers her meals in her crate and has shown no signs of food aggression, but she does like her privacy!
Gracie does well in the car and will position herself between the puppy’s crate and the seat in order to be as close to her as possible. Often their paws are touching through the wires of the crate. Gracie does not counter-surf or get on the furniture without being asked. She does hop up onto the bed at night for a belly rub but will get down when told.
Like most young dogs, Gracie will chew up her soft squeaky and rubber toys. Gracie took chewing one step farther one day, deciding that her foam crate pad should be used for confetti. She took the cover off, chewed up the foam in small pieces and flung it out of her crate. Her foster mom was not very impressed with her creativity! Lots of pup still in this girl!!
Gracie has not been around young children since in her foster home, but she did fine visiting with young teens at a MAESSR picnic. She may be too rough and tumble for children under 10 years and will probably look for a family without little ones.
This youngster needs a home that can provide her with vigorous exercise on a daily basis. A fenced area to run and play in will be important. Another active dog for her to play with would also be good. Grace loves attention and is very affectionate but is not overly needy. She needs love in her life in equal amounts to exercise and training. She only knows a few commands so an obedience class would be an excellent way for her adopting family to begin with her. Do you have the time and energy to keep up with this sweet girl?
Original: Gracie was found as a stray in western VA. A nice lady took her in and tried to find her owner but with no luck. So, she contacted MAESSR.
Gracie is a lovely pup who is starting to settle in at her foster home. She just needs a great deal of socialization and will be spending some time at her foster home. Stay tuned for an update.