Hello, Sioux Falls, SD!
Megan will be making her RAGOM debut this Saturday, August 4th, at our adoption event! It will be held at Your Pet Stop on 41st Street (just West of Cliff Ave) in Sioux Falls from 12-2. There will also be a nail trimming clinic from 1-3 so be sure to bring your pooch, too! We hope to see you there!
It seems like Megan's fur has all of a sudden doubled in length in the last few weeks! Her buzz cut is getting a little shaggy now and the feathering on the back of her legs and on her rump is starting to come in. I am reposting one of Megan's very first pictures to remind us what she normally looks like. Right now I think she kind of looks like an Ewok! : )

How Megan normally looks
Megan now knows more commands! In addition to Sit and Shake, she knows High Five, Wait, Out (as in "out of the kitchen"), and Go. When it's feeding time I have trained her to Sit while I put her food dish down and Wait until I tell her Go. She is so focused on my eyes during the wait time, wagging her tail across the floor, and listening intently while I tell her how much of a good girl she is. She does not break eye contact, which I am extremely impressed with! Once I tell her Go she is allowed to move to her dish and start eating. I still put a few balls in her dish in an attempt to get her to eat slower. Training Megan is very easy; she is a very smart girl!
Megan still pulls while on walks even in the body harness. She is so driven to GO that she barely slows down by the end of a 1.8 mile walk. She would do very well in a highly active family/household. Hiking, running, jogging along side a bike perhaps, playing in the water at a river or a lake, long walks, playing tug of war... this girl has strength, endurance, and energy! But she is not hyper. When she's in the house she maintains herself appropriately. She takes naps, watches the cat, plays and wrestles with the resident dog, etc., but as soon the humans put their shoes on she knows it time to GO! She bounces up and down and turns in circles by the front door waiting for someone - anyone, to grab her leash and open the door!
We took Megan and my resident dog to the river and she really enjoyed it! The river is so low from the drought that we weren't able to see if she would swim. She noticed my resident dog running up and down the river chasing birds and she wanted to be able to run free, too, but I had to keep her on the long lead. So she cautiously explored where she could.
She stood proudly during her bath, never complaining. Her fur dries very quickly! She didn't mind getting combed but I could tell she didn't want it to last too long. She only had a few tangles in her tail so her grooming was quick. I have not had any issues with touching her tail, but I have noticed what could be an old injury that I will mention to the Vet.
Megan is VERY well behaved inside; someone is going to be a very lucky adopter! She does not counter surf, she does not chew on inappropriate items, she is not destructive and does not have separation anxiety when left alone. Megan has free roam and has never had an accident. She sleeps on the floor or on her dog bed. She has only jumped up on the couch a few times, with a lot of encouragement, but did not stay long. Same for my bed. She has been left alone with my resident dog, and she has been left alone by herself. She has no issues at all either way.
Megan is very independent and on alert a lot. I have started desensitizing her to noises in the building and when there are people in the parking lot by redirecting her attention to me for a short training activity and treat. I am also improving her recall at the same time. I have already started substituting the treat for lots of praise when she comes to me because she learns so quickly.
Because of Megan's history, Megan will need to go to a home that has a physical fence. A fence will give her a sense of security, but more importantly, she needs to experience being in a back yard with free roam, to play and run about as she pleases, without any other restrictions. Megan would not find it enjoyable to be tethered to someone while outside; she is independent and needs to be able to move about as she pleases. Megan needs to experience freedom in a fenced in yard.
We hope to meet some Megan fans next Saturday, August 4th, at Your Pet Stop from 12-2! If you are not in the Sioux Falls area and are interested in Megan, please contact your placement advisor!
All is well in Megan-ville! : )
 Megan likes this new life stuff |
 After a walk |
 Big brown eyes |
 C'mon! Let's go for another walk! |
 Tug of war with foster sister |
 Tug of war with foster brother |
 Tired after a bath |
 Fur is getting longer |
 Look at those big brown eyes! |