Entered: 03/31/2013
Status: Adopted
Age: 1
Color: Liver/White
Weight: 45 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Audubon, PA
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: Good with people as young as ten, good with other dogs, unknown with cats
Update 04/26/13: “This girl is totally acclimated to life in a home.”
Wow, in less than 2 weeks Sweet Sioux (aka Honey) has learned so much. She is nearly 100% housetrained and signaling that she needs to do her business by scratching at the door. Of course, since this is all so new, her foster family remains attentive to her at all times unless she is confined in order to pick up her signals and hurry her outside. Honey gets lots of treats for her successes. Keeping to a schedule has also helped tremendously.
This girl is totally acclimated to life in a home. After a few early sniffs, she has shown no further interest in the food on the counters. She is still prone to episodes of mischief which seem to have rubbed off on the resident dogs; just today the senior resident Springer was caught nibbling on a table leg! Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks, even bad ones. Honey is a chewer and needs to have lots of good choices available. Luckily, she is easily redirected when offered a bone in trade for a plastic bowl.
Honey has met more neighborhood children and has gone for several car rides with lots of success. With each passing day this youngster is proving how smart she is and how ready she is to learn about life. She’s a sweet, affectionate girl who will win your heart, even if she chews your TV remote!
Original: “As a tall girl, her nose can reach up to the table, but is easily redirected.”
Sweet Sioux and her litter mates, Cherokee, Cheyenne , and Pocahontas were four of five dogs surrendered by a Good Samaritan who had cared for them for four months after finding them dumped on his property. They were in an Ohio shelter for a month before coming to MAESSR.
Sweet Sioux has learned so much in the very short time she has been in her foster home. A schedule has really helped her learn to do her business outside. She has mastered “down,” learned to “sit” for treats and to move “off” the couch even though it really seems to call to her. At night she happily settles on the dog bed with the resident dogs and has never looked to get into the human bed. The stairs were terrifying the first night in her new home, but within a day, she was able to cautiously go up and down. Now, Sweet Sioux is the first one racing down in the morning.
The lovely lady’s house manners are a work in progress. As a tall girl, her nose can reach up to the table, but is easily redirected. Similarly, although she does not have access to trash, she would probably be very curious if she could get her nose into it. Sweet Sioux is still learning which toys are for dogs and, a true puppy, will chew anything she finds including a shoe, sock, TV remote or chair leg! But, this young one is a smart pup and is learning about proper chew toys—good girl! However, since she can get into mischief and potentially hurt herself, she is crated while her family is not at home.
Playing in the yard with the middle aged resident Springer is one of her favorite activities and Sweet Sioux often jumps over her buddy in attempts to start a game of nip and chase. She is, however, definitely submissive around other dogs, offering her belly to show she is no threat. She is a bit timid around people and will cautiously approach and offer her belly to most anyone she meets—maybe it’s her way to get a belly rub! When no dog or person wants to play, Sweet Sioux is happy to toss her squeaky ball in the air and pounce on it, springing straight up in the air before making her “lethal strike” on the unsuspecting ball. Still an enthusiastic pup, she may be too exuberant for little ones and she is definitely too much for the senior Springer girl in her foster home.
Sweet Sioux walks well on her leash, but needs encouragement to walk past a bicycler or jogger or through a crowd of people at the park. She also needs coaxing to get in and out of the car, but does ride quietly.
This young lady, although somewhat timid by nature, is sweet and gentle and will continue to blossom with patience and training and grow more confident with exposure to different situations. She is still just a puppy with a lot to learn and needs a forever home willing to continue her training. MAESSR only places puppies in homes that are committed to training and bonding with the pup in obedience classes. The decision to get a puppy and raise it to be a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted dog is a serious commitment. To reinforce this commitment, MAESSR requires all adopters of dogs a year old and younger to enroll their puppy in obedience classes within 60 days of adoption. Sweet Sioux will benefit from the experience and will likely be the class star!
Sweet Sioux, with beautiful blond highlights on her ears, is truly a honey and that—Honey—has become her name in her foster home. She has a lot of sweetness and kisses to share as well as a happy thumping full tail. She’ll soon be looking for that forever home where she can be petted and get close to her family for ear and chest rubbings. With love and patience, MAESSR’s Sweet Sioux will grow into a wonderful dog.