Lassie
Lassie 2
Entered: 09/02/2022
Status: Adopted
Age: 7
Color: Liver/White/Tan
Weight: 38 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Goochland, VA
Health: UTD, HW-. treatment for Lyme complete, ear infection cleared, UTI cleared
Temperament: Good with people as young as 12 (and likely good with younger children), good with other dogs but would do best with male companions, not so good with cats
Update 11/02/2022: “She has met many people and loved them all and clearly thinks they all came just to see her.”
Lassie continues to improve in her foster home. This little girl loves attention…the more hugs and snuggles the better. She is extremely nosey and wants to know what everything is and exactly what you are doing. While she can be a little annoying with it at times because she is always under your feet, it is also adorable.
Lassie has not shown any signs of growling or similar behaviors since she joined her new foster home. She has met many people and loved them all and clearly thinks they all came just to see her.
This adorable little beauty is ready for a new home and a new life. Would you like to come along for the ride?
Original: “Lassie is a doll! She is very sweet, loves people and attention, and has quickly learned how much she enjoys cuddles.”
Lassie was recently purchased from an Amish farm for $70.00. The Pennsylvania owner saw this seven-year-old posted on a puppy sale site and knew she had to save her. Although the owner knew she would be unable to keep Lassie herself, she was determined to make sure Lassie was appropriately placed with a loving family so she reached out to MAESSR for help.
When Lassie originally came to MAESSR, she went to a different foster home than she is at now. There she decided her foster dad was her EVERYTHING. She would snarl/growl at her foster mom if she tried to sit on the sofa with her husband and Lassie. Lassie loved her when the husband was not around. It’s probable that this reaction was due to the fact that Lassie was getting lots of love for the first time and she did not want to have to share. For everyone’s safety Lassie was moved to a more experienced foster home. Lassie has not shown this behavior in her new home; however, her new foster mom is firm with her about what is acceptable and what is not. Her adopting family will need to continue with firm boundaries. Lassie responds well to structure.
Lassie is a doll! She is very sweet, loves people and attention, and has quickly learned how much she enjoys cuddles. Though she has a lot to learn, Lassie is adapting to house life very quickly.
In her first seven years, Lassie was an outdoor pup with free roam of a 20 acre Amish farm. She had a nasty UTI when she came to MAESSR which made the beginnings of housetraining harder. Since the UTI has cleared, she has done wonderfully. She has currently gone eight days without an accident in the house. Good girl!
Lassie is really a puppy in a seven-year-old body so she will need work on basic training. She does not know any commands, but is quickly learning correct behaviors. MAESSR will be requiring one series of obedience classes for her with her adopting family within three months of adoption. MAESSR wants to ensure she has every opportunity to succeed. She rides nicely in the car but does try to get out when the driver does, so her foster parents have to be cautious. She also seems to do well on a leash. Although she is crate trained, she does not really like it.
Since Lassie was showing signs of anxiety when she first came to MAESSR, she was started on an inexpensive supplement that has made a HUGE difference for her. Her adoptive family will be required to keep her on this supplement for a minimum of six months after adoption.
Upon arrival in her second foster home, Lassie did not do well with the other dogs. She was afraid of them and would snarl/growl at them. Now that she has been in the foster home for a while, she has calmed down and plays with all of the other dogs and has a blast! She would like to be top female, so it is recommended that she only be placed with male dogs. Lassie is not bad with the other females; she just is pushy and it would require her future family to be watching all the time and telling her to knock it off.
Lassie is used to being around farm animals, too. She does have a prey drive but it doesn’t seem obsessive. The previous owner had four cats and the encounters between Lassie and them were not great; there wasn’t aggression on Lassie’s part, but more curiosity until the cat did something that startled her. Then, she would bark.
Learning to be a well-mannered house dog is sometimes a struggle. Lassie does counter-surf and is quick to grab something that smells good. She is very good with correction, but her people don’t trust her long-term. She does not have much impulse control when it comes to good stuff on the counter.
Lassie seemed to enjoy her recent bath and blow dry. She was great for grooming! She does still have her dew claws, so her new owners will need to make sure those are trimmed regularly.
Lassie is a very sweet girl with lots of potential. She loves people, especially children, and would be fine with a male dog as a companion. She needs a family that will provide her with firm boundaries and structure she needs to be the best dog possible. Are you willing to ask her, “Lassie, come home” and be ours?