Sasha was returned to the program because her activity level was stressing out the resident senior dog.
Sasha is a rescue from a shelter. She is about 6 years old, 15 inches, 34 pounds, UTD, fecal negative, spayed, and has been treated for heartworms. We have actually DNA tested her, and although she is a “Sheltie wannabe,” she needed our help and we agreed. Her test revealed that she is 60 percent Australian cattle dog (heeler), with the rest a mix of Australian shepherd, miniature American shepherd, and border collie.
Sasha craves affection. She is thrilled to be petted and talked to, almost to the point of being needy. She is normally very friendly to any visitors to our house and in fact she is a bit pushy, wanting to be first to be greeted. When she comes out of her crate every morning, she is so excited to see me, you would think we had been apart for weeks. In fact, I’m trying to break her of the habit of jumping up on me. She knows “sit” and will do so when I tell her. Sasha’s coat is fully recovered and she is silky soft. She doesn’t seem to shed much even when we brush her or during pats.
Sasha is very food/treat motivated. We got her a puzzle bowl to slow down her eating. We’ve had a few storms, and she has been nervous but not overly frightened. We initially crated until she got comfortable and we trusted her more. There have been a couple accidents – 1 possibly marking territory and the other from fear after being warned off our other dog’s food.
Sasha gets along with the other household dogs, although she can be bossy and crowd the others away when she wants to be first for attention. My cat loves her and will curl up beside her on the floor. I was surprised at the empathy and concern she showed for my senior Sheltie when she was in failing health. When all the dogs were going outside, Sasha would go back to check on her when she didn’t come out. She would check on her and lie down near her on the floor.
Sasha is obsessed with squirrels and is very quick out the door. She gets along with our dogs, and they play together – sometimes rough but within bounds. Early on there were a couple times they set boundaries with her when she was too aggressive or crossed a line of respect. Our dogs are 55-60 pounds and Sasha is about 35 so there is a size difference that plays into it. She demands affection by nudging your hand with her nose or bumping you with her butt. She likes to snuggle and does try to cut the other dogs off. Sasha is very curious, follows us everywhere and always wants to be involved.
She would enjoy a home where she could go on walks and be active, and in fact, she might make a good agility dog. Even though she is young and full of energy, she is also content to lie at my feet and happily participate in whatever we are doing that day. She is very sweet and lovable and eager to have a forever home.
She received some training recently and those habits are sticking and we are trying to reinforce them. She is doing better on walks and on the leash than when she first came to us. We are doing more to reinforce the boundaries when we meet other dogs on walks.
