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Missouri German Shepherd Rescue
Love In Action - Restoring Hope for German Shepherds an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit organization |
German Shepherd Dog : : Female : : Young : : Large
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Learn more about the German Shepherd Dog.
Polly needs a caretaker or foster! Won't you consider helping her get a new start?
About Polly | |
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Polly was turned in as a stray to a shelter, but shelter staff believe the person who turned her in was her owner. (They're very experienced with this and know the signs.) She was a "wild child" at the shelter, bouncing off the walls and refusing to let them put a leash on her. The shelter called us because they were about to euthanize her, and now she's safe and sound with us.
We knew immediately when we met her what her background was. Her behavior and demeanor clearly showed she was an outdoor dog all her short life. She had no manners. She'll jump up on anything and everything (you could just see her jumping on the picnic table and patio furniture at her owner's house). She wasn't potty trained and had never been in a kennel in her life. She'd never had a collar or leash on and was terrified of anything around her neck. She had no idea what other dogs were. This was a girl who someone got on a whim - a cute little German Shepherd puppy who was tossed outdoors and mostly ignored, a life treated like a stuffed animal to be discarded at will. She was probably played with occasionally when she was still small, but then she grew up and became 60 lbs of unrestrained energy and untrained behavior. What was "cute" in a 20 lb puppy wasn't at all cute in a 60 lb ball of fire. So the owners wanted rid of her and dumped her at a shelter claiming she was a stray. Sadly, it happens all the time.
But Polly will make someone a terrific companion and pet as she finishes growing up! She's loving and would be in your lap if you let her. She craves affection and loves to be around you. And although she's full of energy, she settles nicely most of the time. And even though she didn't like her bath, she did very well and was still willing to just play with the towels. And boy, did the dirt come rolling off her!
Right now she's going through a huge adjustment from outside to inside dog, and so is a little bit of a 'project dog'. She's being crate trained by her foster mom and they're working on potty training. She's starting to become familiar with house manners and is learning to wait at doors. "Sit" is still hard for her but is in process. She startles at unfamiliar noises, like dropping the TV remote. Her leash manners are also in process. She's making good progress on many fronts, too -- she's no longer afraid of coming indoors or of her leash, and in fact loves to pick up her leash in her mouth and carry it around (very cute)! She now understands she's not permitted to come barreling out of her crate and will wait for a short time (a huge improvement). She's a smart cookie and we thinkg she'll pick most things up pretty quickly.
She clearly isn't very familiar with toys or how to play a game with a human and is just starting to learn that, too. She especially seems to like the soft toys and the soft toys with crinkly water bottles inside. Like a typical puppy, she'll also steal shoes and socks if given half a chance, as well as the remote -- just like all puppies. So far she doesn't seem to chew things apart much (at least not yet).
Her biggest single adustment is with other dogs. She's curious about them and a bit intimidated at the same time. She's been at an event with 6 other GSDs and did well, though she hung back a lot. She spent a few days with a mellow natured husky and did great. However, she has NO idea what doggie play is and no idea there are boundaries. She's a little like a freight train roaring through town with no brakes ... she wants to go hell-bent-for-leather to "play", which can easily cause a fight if the other dog doesn't understand it (which most don't). She's fine with a calm dog, who will let her approach and sniff, and get used to the other dog gradually. But if a dog is high energy, she feels threatened and will react by trying to go after the other dog. This is strictly a reactive behavior and not any native aggression, but she still has to be trained out of it. Her foster mom is also working with her to stop her 'mouthing' (a typical GSD puppy behavior that's a natural herding behavior and is trained out so it doesn't scare people when the adult GSD grabs an arm with their mouths).
Overall Polly is one part spitfire, one part puppy, and one part dollbaby - a typical confused puppy who just needs good leadership, time and guidance to learn, and consistsent rules with consistent enforcement. In a year or two -- with good leadership -- she's going to be one incredible dog!
Are YOU the lucky family who will be her angels and in return be blessed with her love, spirt and joy? Are YOU the ones to teach, teach, teach her how to be a great dog, how great life can be, and how loving humans are? If so, apply now!
DOGS: YES - would LOVE to have a doggie play buddy PROVIDED it's a calm and non-reactive dog who will understand that she's never been around other dogs and doesn't yet understand "appropriate" play. NO REACTIVE, DOMINANT OR AGGRESSIVE DOGS. Needs to also be a medium or large dog due to Polly's tendency to play hard and rough
CATS: Has not yet been tested
KIDS: Has not yet been tested. Believe she'll do well but with the same issues any large, young, rambunctious, untrained dog would have -- the potential to accidentally knock over a small child in play, while running, etc. Must have supervision around kids, especially during her "transition" to a loving home
IDEAL FAMILY: An active family who's able and willing to take the time and effort to teach, teach, teach this little girl how to live in a loving famiy with indoor manners!
If you're looking for a gorgeous, young, trainable German Shepherd
who will love you forever,
and are willing to spend some time and effort training her,
POLLY may be your dream girl!
This fee covers only part of what we spend to vet, board and rehab the dogs we save. On average we spend over $450 on each dog. We made a decision to keep our adoption fee at the 2005 level even though vet prices have doubled and tripled since then. We are constantly fundraising to cover the deficit. At minimum, your adoption fee includes the dog's spay/neuter, heartworm test, heartworm treatment if needed, rabies shot, distemper/parvo shot, bordatella shot, deworming, monthly heartworm and flea preventives, and microchip. In many cases it also includes surgery and various types of vet treatment for standard issues such as hot spots, ear infections and so on.
INTERESTED IN ADOPTING POLLY?
Complete an Adoption Application Now!
STOP!! READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER! Have Questions? Email us at mogsrescue@gmail.com
Thank you for considering a homeless dog or cat.
Other Pictures of Polly (click to see larger version):
