Sadie, STAR #1987

Sadie, STAR #1987is heading off to be Josh’s best buddy. She’ll be his partner in marathon training and so many other adventures. This is his first dog – and are happy to have him join our STAR family.  Thank you, Victoria for fostering this good girl, and to David for the home visit.

Josh sent me a video of the backyard.  It is totally secure and seems quite large.  If they travel, they take the dogs with them.  They are a very active and close knit family. He listed Obi Wan in his application.  I also brought up Diesel as a possibility and he was agreeable to either dog.  He had not yet seen Diesel and thought he looked great.  Josh very much wants to work on manners and have a well trained dog.  We talked about Diesel’s food aggression issues and he felt like he could handle it.

I was not super excited when I found out how old he was.  Throughout the conversation, I became very impressed with him and thought he has a really good head on his shoulders.  This dog will truly be his best friend and have a very active life.  I called the vet and both female dogs are current on all vaccinations and take Simparica Trio for heartworm.

Sadie is a lovely Black Tri Female, roughly 35lbs and is around 24-36 months old. She came to STAR from a shelter in Richmond and has thrived in her foster home!  She’s now housetrained, fully vetted, spayed, microchipped and ready to find a family to love.  Here’s the bio on Sadie from her foster mom:

“Sadie came to us knowing just a few of the basic manners and was very timid.  Fast forward to today – she’s learned a lot and her personality shines through! She’s been a textbook 3/3/3 – 3 days (everything is new, I don’t know what to do) and 3 weeks (I’m learning, help me learn more), and I feel like we are going to see her continue to transition significantly during the rest of her time with us.

She is VERY active with many puppy-like characteristics (likes to play with toys) and will occasionally, she will snag a “stray” sock and shake it vigorously—just as she does her toys—but will release gently upon request.  She is loving and affectionate, Velcro without being annoying, and for whatever reason is not a dog that begs for belly rubs (yet?).

She is now housetrained and with that said, she gets let outside frequency and will quietly approach the door OR ring the bells VERY softly.

She is a good gentle walker, “light on the leash,” generally not reactive to bikes, cars, trucks, people or other dogs.  Other dogs in close proximity on the street may result in some barks and walking on her rear feet (“Meerkat” style), but very manageable.

Our typical day consists of a walk in the morning (0.5 to 1.5 miles), breakfast, a 45-minute session at the dog park (3 sessions of fetch, two rest sessions), serious napping afterwards interspersed with a short walk or two, dinner, and sometimes a walk in the evening.  Unlike our other two Aussies, she is not a “sniffari” walker; her head is on a swivel, surveying left to right constantly.

She has done well with our two alpha males (Loki and Remi) once we got everyone “talked into” the house rules.  She now actively spars with Remi, nose to nose, and they can romp together for 20-30 minutes before collapsing into naps. She will grab Remi by the neck, and he will perform in kind. Loki has continued to guard his personal space, and she has learned to accept it.  I think she will do well as an only dog OR with another dog that is NOT domineering.

She crates easily and we do put her in for the night and any time we leave the house.  With time, training, and additional bonding, crating may not be necessary. She is a counter surfer, and short sharp reprimands have been effective.

We believe this little lady had little or no training, certainly not any consistent training and may have been outdoors most of the time.  In her time with us, she’s quickly learned basic manners. She seeks encouragement, is mildly treat motivated, and does not like any sort of reprimand or punishment.

Sadie is a really great girl, and we look forward to meeting her future family to tell them all about her.”

Sadie is untested with children and cats.  If you’d like to learn more about her, the first step is to complete an application.  Her foster home is in Corpus Christi.

Sadie is a black tri female… 2-3 years old and 46 lbs.  She was found at the shelter in Richmond that also gave us Moss and Shyla.. She is a sweet easy going girl.. Her nose is just scratched and is already healing.. She is totally vetted and will be evaluated by her foster home in Corpus Christi.. Sadie should be available for adoption around the middle of April.