NEEDS FOSTER HOME

12/3 Sammie has settled in well here. She enjoys going on walks and playing with her toys. It seems she has selected a slightly deflated soccer ball as her favorite but an orange lacrosse ball is a close second. Sammie is my shadow and follows me everywhere around the house. At night, she only sleeps in my bed and isn't happy until she burrows under the blankets.

Sammie does not like other dogs of any type or size (particularly small dogs), squirrels, cold weather, rain, and being left alone for any duration of time. She often acts out when she is left alone by investigating the assortment of objects on the spice rack, or defecating in the dining room.

I have started using a Halti head-collar which definitely gives me the most control while walking. Regardless of whether she's wearing the Halti, though, she still wants to go after other dogs. I'm continuing to work with her on this but it will definitely take time before she is ready to interact with other dogs, even at a distance.

After arriving at my house, Sammie refused to use the crate she came with. I purchased another one, but I think this was also traumatic for her. We have since stopped using the crate.

Sammie knows sit, wait, paw, other paw, down, and we're learning spin. She's very smart but can be distracted easily if there are other stimuli in the area. She is very affectionate and loyal to me.

10/25 Sammie is having some issues with separation anxiety and will have accidents when left home alone. For this reason she would do best in a home where someone is home more often than not. Sammie still hates the crate--every time we try to put her in there, she explodes with energy and refuses to come near us. She runs around the house so as to escape us, jumps on the furniture, spins around and does 360's, and doesn't calm down until we close the crate door. I don't think crating her is going to be a possibility.

She is left alone usually for no more than an hour. I believe the longest she has been left since she's been here is 4 hours.

10/5 In an effort to help Sammie put up with squirrels, we bought her a stuffed squirrel. Attached you will find a picture of her with it. We call it her "friend" around the house and ask her to be gentle with it.

Sammie is much improved with the itching; I washed all the bedding, vacuumed the house, and gave her a bath. She HATED the bath but certainly enjoyed the treats for being well-behaved afterward.

Sammie continues to do well here; she is a very smart dog and seems to enjoy learning new things. Sammie does not like other dogs, however when she first came here, she didn't like squirrels either and now almost ignores them on our walks, so I think there is hope for dogs too. I really don't think she has been around any other dogs besides the tiny one she shared a crate with in her last home.

Sammie is the house princess and is extremely loyal to me. She will constantly look over her shoulder for reassurance if she is uncertain about a particular situation or if she needs encouragement when learning new things. I've really fallen in love with her.

9/28 She continues to do well here; we all spoil her with numerous walks everyday. She is now eating 1.5 cups of food in the morning and 1.5 cups of food in the evening, although she was not interested in her breakfast this morning.

Yesterday, we worked together to learn "down" and after some coaxing and two treats, she happily obliged and laid down. We will continue to work on this command and others in the coming weeks.

9/21 Sammie is adjusting well at her foster home. As soon as she arrived she stole everyone's heart. She eats twice a day, one cup of food in the morning, one in the evening. I've taken her out to explore a whole bunch and she seems to enjoy the areas surrounding our home. We took a walk on a popular street with shops and restaurants and she did really well. She LOVES people and has gotten a lot of attention on walks. She also loves to give kisses. Her favorite toy is a blue tennis ball and she also likes the squeaky Kong "Wubba." Her favorite game to play thus far is pushing the tennis ball under the couch and running around to the opposite side to retrieve it. It occupies her for about an hour at a time.

The dog aggression piece is certainly one that requires attention and work. She saw two dogs today, and had adverse reactions to both. The second dog looked more like a mop than a dog and it took her a minute to figure out it was actually a dog, but after she did, she was not too pleased. She is pretty easy to calm down though; I walk her with a harness and can fully control her with it. I asked her to sit and wait after removing her from the area and she obliged quickly. I'll continue to monitor and work with her on this.

She knows how to sit, wait, come, give paw, other paw, and lay. She responds well when asked not to jump on the couch or other people. She is really a wonderful dog and I'm looking forward to watching her blossom.

9/20 Sammie has arrived at her foster home and is doing great so far. She doesn't seem stressed out at all. Loves everyone. She went for a long walk, she peed/pooped no issues. She was nice greeting people, licking everyone's faces and she checked out the house. She got some new toys and was enjoying playing with them. More to follow as she settles in.

Sammie is a gorgeous white boxer girl, with her natural tail. Sammie currently lives with another dog that she gets along with fine but she doesn't always do well meeting new dogs. She would be best with a fenced in yard as she will take off if given the chance. She is housebroken and crate trained and knows some basic commands. She is very sweet and friendly.