Entered: 05/07/2005
Status: adopted
Age: 6
Color: Liver/White
Weight:
Gender: Altered Female
Location: Little Egg Harbor, NJ
Health:
Temperament:
Original:
Tessa’s original family released her into MAESSR’s care when changes in her behavior toward their other dog, a 3-year-old female lab, caused difficulty. It seems that this gal would like to be the alpha female in her home, and while she doesn’t fight with other dogs when she is introduced to them, she will challenge other dogs in the same household. If they are easy going, as in her foster home, she can get along with them, sharing water bowls and a game of fetch. But she seems to prefer ball play with people to playing with other dogs. Part of her new daily routine is greeting her foster family every morning with a tennis ball in her mouth. Tessa is also lively, smart, alert, and affectionate and loves many things in life.
Obedience classes have helped Tessa become a generally well-behaved lady. She is house broken, crate trained and knows her basic commands, including “off”…..as in soft beds and couches that she finds so inviting! When it comes to counter surfing, she does find the temptation is too great to resist. She will test to find out if she really must listen to her human, but when requests are made clear to her, she will obey.
Tessa loves naps in the sun and is loving toward her foster parents. She whistles when they come home or when she is excited. She is very vocal and, although she can be timid and occasionally hand shy, she is a very good watch dog who will bark if anyone comes into the yard or house.
Tessa’s foster dad feels that she may not be sure what is simply playfulness and what is a challenge when it comes to other dogs who share her homelife. She could be a wonderful companion for people in a one dog home or in a home with a resident dog who was not at all inclined to challenge her desire to be the “top” dog. With a little bit of TLC, she might even realize that playing with other dogs can really be fun too!