Nickie 3

Original: Nickie is a lively little girl who can wiggle with the best of them! She came to MAESSR through a free ad in the local paper. Emaciated and dehydrated, poor Nickie had what looked like four ears because of huge mats. She was living outside in a pen, and for the last year, had been with another dog with whom she had to fight for food and water.

Even though she had been so neglected, Nickie loves people. There has been renovation work in her foster’s home, and she loves all the workmen! She wasn’t a bit afraid of the noise of the saws, nail guns, and very loud Classic Rock music! When a neighbor was target shooting outside, she did not react at all to the sound.

Nickie will stay quietly in her crate as long as she is near her people. She is especially attached to her foster mom, but loves attention from her foster dad as well, sleeping in his lap in the recliner and watching television with him. If Nickie is out of her crate, the resident dogs have to be elsewhere. Poor Nickie does not like other dogs and has been especially aggressive to the Springer in her foster home possibly because the other dog in her pen was a Springer. She is very fearful of the six dogs in her foster home and avoids any eye contact with them, turning her head away if they get too close. Any dog who gets close to her foster mom is in danger.

In order to keep everyone safe, Nickie is kept confined to her own space, but in the same room with the other dogs and cats in the house. She’s come a long way in the time she’s been in her new home. When she first arrived, she exploded in a fit of barking and snarling when she saw the other dogs; now, she is able to lie quietly in the same room with them and can even be walked on a leash as far as the door to go outside when everyone else is there. It’s really funny. She seems to respect the bossy little Pekinese more than anyone else; of course, the Peke has a BIG attitude! Nickie sleeps in a crate in the bedroom where everyone else is at night. She is quiet all night and waits patiently while everyone else is put outside. Then, she spins in circles and jumps all the way to the door. Nickie loves mornings! In time, with lots of love, attention and a firm, loving hand, Nickie may realize that not every other dog is a threat. She continues to make progress every day!

Nickie loves to play Chuckit in her foster home. She brings the ball almost all the way back, chews on it for a bit, and then nudges the Chuckit with her nose so her foster mom will throw it again. She will play tug nicely, but much prefers playing ball. She even plays with the ball all by herself, tossing it in the air and chasing it around the yard. She walks nicely on a leash, but that may change when she gets more comfortable in her environment. She had probably not been out of her pen, so the world is very big to her.

Nickie rides well in a crate in the car. She was also a very good girl at the vet. She was fed dog treats while the vaccinations were administered and didn’t seem to notice. She noticed the anal exam though!! She also didn’t mind having blood drawn for the HW test, but did not like the taste of the alcohol when she tried to lick it off. Silly girl! She has kept both her crate and larger pen dry and clean when her foster mom is out of the house for several hours at a time. There shouldn’t be any issue with her housetraining.

Nickie is waiting for a forever family that would be hers to love. Could that be yours?

Update 03/27/09: Nickie was moved to a second foster home since she was unable to get along with the other dogs in the original household. She has quickly found her place in her new home, becoming confident and at ease in her new digs.

When going for walks around the neighborhood or playing at the park, she has not shown signs of increasing ease with other dogs, though she does seem less fearful and less aggressive with small dogs compared with big dogs. As the only dog in the family, she has free run of the house and couldn’t be happier to follow her foster parents from room to room and lounge on the couch while they are gone. She will occasionally pull items out of the recycling bin when left alone, so all recycling is now moved outside or behind a closed door. She has an excellent appetite, which has helped her to gain much needed weight. She is about 6 pounds away from reaching her ideal weight. As her health improves, so does her energy level, making daily exercise more important. She knows how to sit on command and is learning to stay.

Nickie is a true people’s dog and loves everyone she meets. She keeps tabs on everyone in the household, going from room to room, checking in to make sure all is well. She loves to play fetch with her tennis ball outside, chasing it over and over, occasionally pausing to throw it in the air and catch it herself. After a hard day of play, Nickie would like nothing more than to crawl onto her foster parent’s lap for a good cuddle and long snooze!