Our beautiful Nellie is a 6-year-old purebred female who was sprung from an Amish puppy mill on Monday, May 5, and now resides in rural Rochester. She is a lovely reddish-gold color with just the beginning of a lighter mask on her face. Nellie has adjusted well to our routine and is making progress every day. She came from the same puppy mill that my last foster, Mandy, did. The dogs from this particular breeder are very social and love children of all ages--evidently, his children interact with the dogs on the farm. She couldn't give enough kisses to our grandchildren, ages 3, 8 and 11, so even though children in her forever home must be at least 10 years old, she would be great with visiting kids of all ages.
Nellie received a clean bill of health from our vet, but we still have to arrange her spay surgery. Her heartworm and fecal tests were negative. She is microchipped, updated on her shots, and had flea/tick preventative, but will have to return for her second distemper vaccination in a few weeks. Nellie is a full-figured girl and needs to drop some pounds to reach her optimum weight. Right now, she is getting one cup of kibble with 1/2 cup cooked carrots every a.m. and p.m. She ate all her food the very first night we fed her, which I thought was unusual for a PM dog. It took our last foster several days before she found her appetite.
We have not really had any potty issues with her if we are diligent in letting her out every few hours. She did have several accidents early on when I didn't get up quick enough to let her out. Thus far, she hasn't given very much of a potty signal for us to know when she has to go out, so we go more by the clock. We do not have a fenced yard but she does just fine on a tie-out. She walks very well with a flat collar, but I will also try her with a Gentle Leader to see how she reacts to that.
Nellie has not had any trouble going in and out of doors, jumps right into the van, and spent only the first night she was here in her kennel. She has free roam in our bedroom at night with the doorway gated. She never goes into her kennel to rest or sleep, but prefers to be wherever her people are. We do crate her, though, if we go away. As with most PM dogs, she will hesitate if she is unsure of something, get a little reassurance from us, and then continue on her way. She was given her name on entering RAGOM, so her recall is just a beginning step in learning who she is. She gets along very well with our dog who is usually picky about his friends. Nellie will take toys out of the toy box but really doesn't know what to do with them except to drop them on the floor and get more. Nellie ignores both the two inside cats and the outside cats. In fact, I think our orange tom has a crush on her--she can't seem to go anywhere outside without him following and making a pest of himself. Last week, Nellie and Champ went to the campground with us to open the camper for the season. When we first started out, Nellie watched out the window for a bit and then settled down to nap--occasionally, she would stand up, look out the window, and then go back to sleep--she did not seem overly nervous about riding and never tried to get into the front seat.
Nellie is a quiet, gentle soul who would make a great companion for an older dog or perhaps a quiet home with a single person/couple who want the companionship of a loyal friend. We have only heard her bark once or twice. I will post more Nellie news as we get to know her better--she is a great girl to have around!