Entered: 02/22/2006
Status: Adopted
Age: 6
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Galloway, NJ
Health: UTD, HW-, on medication to assist with separation anxiety
Temperament: Good with people down to 2 years old, good with dogs, unknown with cats
Update 4/7/06: With lots of patience, and an understanding of how to help dogs with true separation anxiety, Jessie’s foster family is seeing good progress in her. Jessie is still benefiting from medication but is now only on one, which she receives twice a day. She cannot be crated when left alone but has been left in the house with the company of her foster siblings for several hours without incident.
Abundant exercise and canine companionship have helped Jessie make headway. Jessie loves to run and has large fields near her home where she can stretch out daily. This has benefited her a great deal. The company of other dogs is very helpful to her as well. She finds great comfort in cuddling up for a snooze alongside one of her foster sisters in particular and often puts a paw out to touch her.
Beyond these vital needs, Jessie is a normal, beautiful, healthy, and extremely well-mannered lady. She has so much to offer the right family who will understand and work with her. Are you the special someone who has that kind of love and devotion to share with her?
Original Jessie is an absolutely stunning bench bred lady. She was purchased as a puppy six years ago and given much love and attention by her family. Due to changes in their schedules, though, her family was increasingly away from home for long hours every day. When Jessie developed separation anxiety, the family felt it would be best for her to be placed with people who could help her resolve this problem.
Jessie is in good physical health. It’s her emotional health that needs special attention. She came into rescue on two medications prescribed to help with separation anxiety. Once in her foster home, her meds were reevaluated by two veterinarians. The result is that her medications are being titrated to achieve a lower dose while still maintaining the benefit for her.
In her last home, Jessie’s anxiety over being left alone made her react in a destructive way. When crated she would try to chew, or dig, her way out of her crate. Sadly, she would do the same in the house when not crated. In addition to adjusting medication, work with behavioral experts has begun to help Jessie with her problem. She has a new routine which includes going to work each day with her foster mom. At first, Jesse seemed skeptical of new people coming into the office. To make her feel welcome, everyone coming by her foster mom’s desk was instructed to drop a treat for Jessie. The extra effort paid off quickly and now when Jessie enters the office, she runs from one room to the next, greeting everyone with her own special “Good morning.”
Jessie is a quick learner. She has mastered the lever door handles in the office so she can move from room to room without “bothering” her foster mom. She also knows to “go get a toy”, “sit”, “down” and “paw. In fact, she loves to sit up and give her paw in a friendly exchange. She’s not a counter surfer and, importantly, stays off the furniture. She loves to go in the car and settles down immediately once in. Jessie could use a little refresher on her leash manners. In her eagerness to get to the car, or into the office, she will pull a bit, but with her daily outings, that will come along too.
At home Jessie gets along great with the resident dogs, bonding in particular with another female. These two are a good match and, when they are taken to a local field, they both show how much they love to run and chase each other.
In her original home, Jesse lived with a toddler and did well. During one trip to the vet’s office, she saw a small child and got so excited. A favorite time for her is when an 8-year-old comes over to play.
Jesse is a very sweet, laid-back girl who will need a very special family. The family will need to appreciate the headway she is making and be able to pick up right where her foster family leaves off. A family that either works from home, or could take Jessie to their workplace, might be perfect. Making sure she gets tons of exercise as well as chances to increase her confidence will help her get the most out of life. She would probably do best in a home with other dogs as having their company may also help her put anxiety to rest for good. Updates on her progress will be added as progress is made!