


Entered: 01/15/2012
Status: Adopted
Age: 0
Color: Black/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Female
Location: West Grove, PA
Health: UTD, treatment for Giardia complete
Temperament: Good with adults, good with children old enough to respect a puppy, good with other dogs, chases cats
Original:
When Louna and her littermate Rufina from Maryland found themselves in need of a home, their owner contacted MAESSR to help find each one the perfect forever family.
Louna is a real sweetheart who possesses a wonderful puppy personality. Like all puppies, she is certainly energetic, but the energy is turned down a notch most of the time. She is more interested in being as close as she possibly can with her new humans. In just one short week, she became especially attached to the children in her foster home and now spends hours simply lying down with them. In fact, this sweet girl has a calming effect on the children. What a bonus! She is the calmest puppy that her foster parents have ever met, and the vet gave her high praise by stating, “Louna has a puppy body with an adult soul.”
Her even temperament applies to other dogs, as well. Louna shares her home with the resident 5-year old female Springer, and until recently, a senior foster girl who crossed the bridge. All three dogs interacted very well together. Even if the resident Springer would prefer that the young pup find other activities, Louna frequently enjoys being her shadow. Recently, Louna has taken to sharing a doggie bed with her big sister and this is being tolerated. On the other hand, Louna thinks that cats are toys to play with and she has fun chasing them! She might be better suited to a forever home with no kitties.
Louna enjoys playing with toys, which keeps her occupied in a positive way. Given a toy, she will chew on it rather than chew inappropriate objects. Good girl! Although Louna responds to her name, she has not yet mastered any commands.
Housetraining is going well for Louna. There are still accidents, of course, but she is getting better at holding it until her foster family can get her outside. With regular potty breaks, she does well. This smart girl is developing a regular pattern when she goes outside, always going to one place to do her business. This routine acts as a reminder to potty outside, not inside the house. Her foster family has been using treats as incentive for going outside without an accident, but surprisingly Louna’s not very interested in the treats!
The first few nights in the crate were very hard for Louna, but she understands now that the crate means bedtime and usually settles down to sleep in about 5 minutes. For now her foster parents have her crate in their bedroom so that she does not feel alone. Crate-training during the day, however, is proving a little more difficult. Since Louna has become very attached to her foster family, leaving her alone for any amount of time in her crate during the day causes her to become very anxious. Her new family will need to work with her and help her learn how to separate from her humans without anxiety. Of course all dogs under one year of age are required to attend obedience training with their adoptive families, as this is a MAESSR requirement. This will provide Louna with positive socialization and structure to help her achieve her maximum potential as a terrific family pet.
Sweet Louna will soon be ready to join her forever family. This young pup would love a family with children and perhaps one or more canine companions. Having at least one person home part of the day,someone who can provide her with love, companionship, and guidance, would be ideal for Louna. Are you ready for puppy kisses?