Lucy (Katie 11-425)

Profile

January 6, 2011

This adorable girl is Katie, a yellow lab, possibly border collie mix. She was found wandering in rural Iowa with her sister and one other dog. She spent some time in boarding and has been with us for a week. Starting when she was first seen by a Vet, Katie has had issues with diarrhea. I am currently preparing a bland diet for her. She was on one medication that did not help, so she will be starting a new antibiotic. Hopefully it will do the trick.

Katie is a big bundle of love and exuberance! She is very loving and sweet and loves kisses. Because she was foraging for and protecting her food for so long, she has some issues with resource guarding. She has improved but will require patience and training. Katie is almost 50 pounds and gets very excited. We are working on her jumping but it will require time, patience and training. I think it would be best if she were placed in a home with no young children and where she is the only dog. She does quite well with my cat. At this point she still needs to learn her manners and that the food and water will keep coming. Katie also needs to be with someone with very flexible hours. She does not care for the kennel and will need time to gradually get used to it. I think that, being abandoned, Katie is prone to some separation anxiety. While in a kennel here, she has shredded a sheet and soiled it. We are currently going from 30 minutes to 60, hopefully that will work. As you can see, she is adorable and so full of love, she just needs to get used to having people love and care for her. As soon as her tummy is better, I will change her status to available.

At a Glance #11-425

Mixed Breed Born: June 2011
Female 45 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

January 6, 2011

This adorable girl is Katie, a yellow lab, possibly border collie mix. She was found wandering in rural Iowa with her sister and one other dog. She spent some time in boarding and has been with us for a week. Starting when she was first seen by a Vet, Katie has had issues with diarrhea. I am currently preparing a bland diet for her. She was on one medication that did not help, so she will be starting a new antibiotic. Hopefully it will do the trick.

Katie is a big bundle of love and exuberance! She is very loving and sweet and loves kisses. Because she was foraging for and protecting her food for so long, she has some issues with resource guarding. She has improved but will require patience and training. Katie is almost 50 pounds and gets very excited. We are working on her jumping but it will require time, patience and training. I think it would be best if she were placed in a home with no young children and where she is the only dog. She does quite well with my cat. At this point she still needs to learn her manners and that the food and water will keep coming. Katie also needs to be with someone with very flexible hours. She does not care for the kennel and will need time to gradually get used to it. I think that, being abandoned, Katie is prone to some separation anxiety. While in a kennel here, she has shredded a sheet and soiled it. We are currently going from 30 minutes to 60, hopefully that will work. As you can see, she is adorable and so full of love, she just needs to get used to having people love and care for her. As soon as her tummy is better, I will change her status to available.

Updates

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Lucy is all tuckered out from helping Foster-Dad build a shelf. She has been such a good girl this week.  I had some procedures that slow me down so she has been walking/running with our houseguest, Jane. Jane says Lucy is improving daily on her walks. I really think she is getting past the puppy naughty stage. She will do so well with a great family and kids to play with. She remains the funniest and most loving dog ever! I definitely love Lucy!!

 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

We have had another wonderful week with miss Lucy. She is loving this great weather. We have had many long walks around Como Lake, she is getting better all the time on the leash. The biggest thing that we have been working on is getting her to calm down before we go outside. She gets SO excited to go out for a walk or to play ball with her brother Stanley or her friend Vinnie, she can be a bit crazy. Because I am disabled it has been especially important for me to get this behavior in check. She is doing so well. When she starts to get crazy, pick up her leash in her mouth or just bark a lot, we tell her to sit, first, and then "No Bark". It is really working. She has shown major improvement. The key with Lucy, which is no surprise, is consistency. Any time her puppy enthusiasm starts to escalate we tell her to sit and use the same technique. She is a smart girl, she has figured out that she will get what she wants a lot faster if she behaves! For a two year old that has been bounced around a bit, she is doing really, really well. I am a proud Foster Mom!

We were at an Adoption Event last weekend where a wonderful Ragom volunteer took the picture that goes with this update. Finally, you can see her beautiful eyes! Lucy is a really beautiful girl, people stop us all the time to tell me that. Now I have some pictures that show her off! We will not be at the event this weekend, but we will be at the Pride Festival on 6/29 from 12 to 4. Come visit us! If you can't make it but are interested in our beautiful Lucy, just let your Placement Adviser know. Once you meet her you will know what I already know, she is a magnificent dog!!

Monday, June 10, 2013

And Lucy sleeps... Such an angel

she is...when she is sleeping! :) This week Lucy has been having a blast. She got to swim in a lake, something she adores. We have been playing tennis, Lucy-style, which gets her good and tired. Lucy's two-legged cousin, Maddy, who she loves, has been here to take her for a long run/walk several times this week. We have several helpers for the times when I (FM) have to have procedures on my back. Lucy loves everyone who is good and kind to her. She has been passing out kisses to the neighbor kids and their parents (some people don't love doggy kisses, go figure)! Lucy is an adorable, lovable bundle of energy! She is doing really well on her commands, sit and lay down are mastered! She is still jumping up so that is my next goal. She will be fantastic with kids, she just needs to be a bit more gentle. Lucy may not look like a Golden, but she is one beautiful girl!!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Lucy is a little tired today. :) She was at home with only Stanley, no humans, for 7 hours yesterday. She was very good, no issues at all. We have had a long walk every day for the past week and she is really improving on the leash. Both dogs sit at every corner. She is learning "Leave it" for those dogs that have less than friendly owners or for runners. 

Lucy is an exuberant and energetic young girl, for sure! But, she also loves her people and wants to please, which definitely helps in training.
When Lucy is naughty and I have to scold her, it takes all my control to keep from cracking up! She scrunches her face up and gets the best look on her face! It is both adorable and a riot!!! I wish I could capture a photo of it, but it happens with no warning.

 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

This is Katie/Lucy. She is an absolutely magnificent dog! She was adopted by my sister, but because of health reasons, she can no longer care for her. She is, once again, my foster and we love her dearly. Lucy is just under 2 and a mix of several breeds; Border Collie, Yellow Lab and Golden is as far as we have gotten. Whatever it is, it is a magical mix! Lucy is beautiful, SO loving and wicked smart! She is also naughty. She will benefit from a strong hand. 

Katie/Lucy can live with or without kids and with or without other dogs. We had a fenced in yard and she jumped the fence, so she was always on a long tie-out. She is the cuddliest and most loving dog ever! She fills each day with abounding love and laughter. She has personality plus!! 
She is not ready to be left alone for more than 5-6 hours. She will act out and chew things. She does a lot better if she has plenty of exercise. I try and walk her 3-4 miles, 4 days a week. She gets 2 other short walks and the dog park a couple times a week. 
She is also a counter-surfer and will eat anything and the plastic it came in. She has gotten a lot better about all of this since being back with us, but she needs training, time and exercise. It will all be worth it, because Lucy is one amazing dog!! She just needs love and the opportunity to love back, she is so very good at it!!