Willow

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Willo was taken from an abandoned house by local animal control. She and another dog had been left tied to the bottom of the basement stairs. She was filthy, underfed and surrounded about feces. So far, she seems to be in good health. She will need to be spayed before placing.

Not surprisingly, this girl needs some work on her housebreaking. She is very afraid of, but not aggressive toward the other dogs in the household. When she is outside, she hides from the other dogs. She will do really well as the only dog in a household, where she can really begin to shine. She should also be taken to an obedience class that stresses positive training methods. This will help her get socialized around other dogs. This girl is so happy to see you when you come home, she stands on her hind legs forever till you acknowledge her. That’s with not leaning against anything! Her foster dad took her for a walk with the other dogs today. She has NO interest in chasing bunnies, but she enjoys the walk. Doesn’t go far, listens well.

UPDATE:
Willow is doing really well in rescue. We’ve taken care of her diarrhea which has made housebreaking her much easier. She has gotten used to the other dogs in the house, though she typically ignores them. She met a little girl this weekend and was quite well-behaved.

UPDATE:
Willow went to her new home. Check out the picture below to see how happy she is with her new family!

UPDATE:
Wanted to send you a quick update on Willow – it’s been a while! She continues to do great. She’s a wonderful dog & we’re super happy with her. She’s completed her first session of basic puppy obedience classes. She wasn’t the best in the class, but wasn’t the worst either! She’s mastered sit, stay, and come very well. We’re still working on down. I think the best part of the class for her was the socialization. She’s doing much better now with other dogs & with strangers that come to the house. Much less barking (if any) and no growling now.

She’s getting along very well with my Mom’s terrier Lewis who comes to visit a few times a month. They try to pretend they don’t care that the other is there, but when they go outside they run in formation, side by side, around the fields. And she gets sort of mopey for a day or two after he goes home. They’re very funny together, but I must say they’re more than twice as much work as one dog when they’re toghether….

She’s developing a sense of play. Still not too interested in balls or squeaky toys, but she will chase squirrels (her new favorite activity) or rabbits if she sees them while we’re out on our walks. She actually flushed a doe a few weeks ago – took off through the grass towards a stand of trees. The next thing we know, out pops a deer! She didn’t react to it, so I’m not sure if she did it on purpose or not, but we’ll give her credit. While she does enjoy riding in the car her number one activity is still running around outside smelling the smells and exploring in the grass.

Happily we haven’t had to make any unscheduled trips to the vet yet. She’s healthy and happy. Still doing well on dog food (dry with some water for gravy) until Grandma comes and spoils her with a cheeseburger. What are grandparents for, right?

She’s very good with Ben. Very gentile despite the fact that he’s getting to the age where he can GRAB. We’re teaching him to be gentle with her, but sometimes his interest, and her enthusiasm for attention (wherever she can get it) brings them together and he gets a hand full of ear.