PIPPA is an adorable young GSD pup who's had a rough start to her life! At just 8 weeks old, she was surrendered by her owner to a local shelter indicating she had been climbing his fence and escaping. It turns out she never had a fence issue, she actually had a birth defect and her internal plumbing wasn’t in the correct place. She was in the shelter's foster care program for around a month while they tried to figure out what was causing the problem. MOGS ended up taking her in and putting her through surgery to correct the problem. Now she is a happy, goofy, playful teenager!

TEMPERAMENT
Pippa is a super-sweet girl!  She was a little unsure of her foster family when she first arrived, but after a few hours of being leashed to her foster Dad, she started to realize she had nothing to fear (except maybe a bath!), and they could be trusted.  When new guests come into the house, she watches from a safe distance but trusts her humans to watch out for her.

Pippa is the ideal walking partner. She is very gentle on a leash and doesn’t pull even on a flat collar. She could easily be a running buddy if her new home would take some time to work her up to the distances. She loves to lie under her foster Dad’s computer desk while he works or next to her foster Mom’s project table. She is perfect as a companion pup!

She has the most adorable face and wet nose, and wants nothing more than to play.  Play with her humans, play with toys, play with other dogs, just PLAY.  She even tries soliciting her resident cat to play by play bowing to him and trotting down the hallway next to him! Similar to a cat, Pippa has evening crazies and LOVES bouncing around the backyard or playing in the living room. She doesn’t understand why everyone likes fetch so much, but will politely get the ball when asked. She adores throwing the ball up in the air for herself and racing around with it. If left unattended she finds a washcloth to carry around the house and lay with. She never damages them but looks pretty cute with it carried daintily by her front teeth.   

Pippa will need strong and attentive leaders in her forever home to help her learn how to be a good doggie citizen.  She does well meeting new dogs and loves to play but doesn’t know when to back down from a dominant dog. Like all GSDs, occasionally she tries testing her boundaries. In the past, Pippa has shown some issues with possessiveness of her food bowl, but her foster parents have found a way to modify her behavior. She will now sit or lay on command and wait for her dinner, whether it is a bowl or a treat.

OTHER ANIMALS
Pippa LOVES other dogs, and will be a great playmate!  If Pippa will have another dog in the house, we recommend a non-dominant dog. She has proven reliable with dogs ranging in size from 20 pounds and up, but a dog of similar size is the best for play time. She's proven OK with her two resident cats and neighborhood cats in the backyard, although we always recommend supervision.

MEDICAL
Pippa has been in foster care since May of 2015 and has had several surgeries and procedures to correct her plumbing issue. It’s important to know that she will have occasional urinary tract infections throughout her life but is otherwise healthy and happy. Her foster parents were surprised to discover that she lets them know when she is having an issue and is very cooperative when asked to take medicine. Her adopting family must have a good relationship with their veterinarian and commit to providing excellent ongoing veterinary care for Pippa.
 
Pippa is a very sweet girl, and will be a great companion dog for one very lucky family!