Pretty, STAR #2017

Melanie saw Miss Pretty on our website and it was love at first sight. She will be an only dog and get all the loving she deserves. Lots of walks, play in the backyard and just “hanging out” with Melanie are in her future. We couldn’t be happier for this sweet girl and thank you, Brittnee for the great foster job and letting her go.

Pretty is a lovely Red Merle Female, roughly 54lbs and is around 7 years of age. She came to STAR from a group known to be reputable breeders. They have had her since a puppy but unable to keep her due to a recent death in the family. Pretty is beautifully behaved – is housetrained, fully vetted, spayed, microchipped, and ready to find a family to love. Here’s the bio on Pretty from her foster mom:

“Pretty was timid at first, but fast forward to today, she’s settled in and her calm and sweet personality shines through.

We found out a few days into her stay with us that she needed an FHO surgery on her left hip, which was not caught previously by her original vet. She received the FHO surgery on 7/25 and her recovery has been marvelous.

Her activity levels were low the first few weeks with us while she recovered but as her recovery has progressed, she has shown her love to play fetch (in a very controlled way for now) and greets you in the most adorable way with tiny little bunny hops when you come home. She is incredibly loving and affectionate and will be your shadow all around the house.

She is already walking and putting weight on her left leg which is great strides after a surgery like this. Her left leg was shaved for the surgery, but the hair is already starting to grow back, and the surgical site has healed wonderfully. You can barely notice she had the surgery if it wasn’t for her shaved leg!

She is crate trained and will take naps in her crate in my office during the day and will sleep in a crate at the foot of our bed at night. She will go in and settle very quickly without any coercion or treats which is remarkable.

She does great on a leash and enjoys walks. We’ve kept her walks at this time short & controlled due to her recovery, but we see no issues with on-leash behavior. She loves to stop and sniff but will also keep pace in between stops.

She is not a barker whatsoever. She will periodically bark to show excitement when her foster brothers are excited but is not an excessive barker outside with neighbors/neighbor dogs whatsoever. She’s done great with meeting new people but tends to warm up to women quicker than with men. She’s taken to her foster dad over time and now she loves his pets and kisses he gives her.

She’s been perfect with the two male dogs in the home and visiting an older (14yo) female dog. No scuffles over toys or food. She loves small, soft toys or balls. She’ll drop the toy or ball at your feet trying to initiate playing fetch which is adorable to watch. She’ll let you take the toy from her but more often than not, she’ll drop it for you before you even have to ask!

She’s very curious when you open the front door to retrieve a package and will want to go with you, but with some small training, she could very easily work through this curiosity.

She has not been around children yet but her even-temper suggests that she’d do really well. We’d suggest a home with older children for now (7+y/o) due to lack of experience with children in her foster home so far. If a future home had younger children, we’d want to ensure that their introduction went smoothly before finalizing the adoption.

In terms of food, she has been quite the “princess” as we like to call her. It took lots of trial and error in the first few weeks of her stay with us. Her “diet” in her original home was something we’d never seen or heard before, but after working through various food avenues, we’re finally getting her to eat kibble (Purina One Lamb & Rice recipe) with some chicken broth consistently every day. She is not a fan of your typical dog treats whatsoever – and prefers treats like cheese, chicken, and cream cheese.

Due to her surgery, she is still on pain medicine for the next month to help alleviate any residual pain she may experience, but she’s shown no pain to us at all in the last few weeks. She has to take her medicine in cream cheese that we roll up into a ball. When her medication is hidden within the cream cheese, she takes it very willingly and without issues. That’s the only way we’ve been able to administer her medication during her stay with us, but her forever home can trial & error this until they find another way that works for everyone! We’re also happy to show potential adopters how we administer her medication if there’s any questions or hesitations with this.

She knows how to sit but some of the other basics may or may not be known. We plan to test the other basic commands in the coming days/weeks since she’s on the other side of her recovery. But with her even temper, she rarely, if ever, needs commands.

She loves to be by our side during the evenings, whether that’s on the couch or resting in bed with us before we put her in her crate to sleep. When on the couch or bed, she’ll just lay there and sleep but is always welcoming of any gentle pets or kisses you give her. She’d be great for people who love to binge TV shows or love to watch their favorite shows or movies every night!

We’re not letting her jump on the couch or bed yet due to the surgery, so we lift her up and off the bed or the couch when she asks to get up, which she’s been perfectly fine with. If she’s not on the couch, she’ll sit by you and rest her head on your leg politely asking for pets and some kisses.

She does great in the car! Similar to the couch/bed situation, we are still lifting her into and out of the car but when she’s in, she likes to sit and chill. She’ll sit by the car window and if you roll down the window, she’ll stick her head out a tiny bit but really just likes the smells from outside.

She has seen a cat but she didn’t have a reaction so she may be fine with them, but we don’t have a cat in the home to test her with.

She has a beautiful coat with some curls at the top. She has mainly brown eyes with a spec of blue at the bottom of each. Her face & features are stunning, and she’s probably the prettiest Red Merle I have seen (I even have one of my own already, which is saying a lot).

She’s such a doll and will make the perfect companion to someone willing to give her all of the love and attention she deserves in her golden years!

We look forward to meeting her future family to share all things Pretty and are happy to answer any questions about her during her stay with us.”

Pretty’s foster home is in New Braunfels, TX. Please complete an application to be considered as an adopter, learn more about and meet her.

Introduction to the Adoption Process – South Texas Aussie Rescue

Pretty is a lovely Red Merle Female, around 7 years old and 60lbs.  She is being fostered in New Braunfels and so far, so sweet. STAR will get her evaluated and she may be available mid-August.