Honey was chained up outside.
A neighbor asked the owner if they could take Honey to try to
find her a new home, and the owner didn't care one way or another.
So the good samaritan neighbor took Honey to the shelter. Honey
was very depressed, frightened, and despondent at the shelter.
We are fostering her to try to socialize her and help her learn
to trust people again. We are pretty sure she had never been
in a house before. When she first came to us, she didn't even
know how to go up and down stairs. She has come a long way in
a short time!
Good with
Because of Honey's
background, she is very slow to warm up to people. We haven't
seen a hint of aggression or even barking at strangers -- she
would prefer to hide instead. She is a one-person or one-family
dog. She will bond strongly to her new family and will be very
loyal, but it might take her a little while to learn to trust
you. She is very affectionate with people she knows well. She
would do best in a fairly quiet adult-only home, or possibly
with older children. (Depends on the children!)
Honey *loves* other dogs. Because of her large size and
puppy-like play style (very physical, and she doesn't seem
to realize how big she is!), she would do best with another
large, playful dog. She likes to body slam other dogs but
is not aggressive towards them.
She seems to be good with cats. She is still a little intimidated
by our cat but is getting comfortable enough to start to
*think* about chasing him, so we'll have to see how that
develops!
Best feature(s)
You can really tell
that Honey is grateful to have been rescued from her life as
a chained dog. Once she begins to feel comfortable with her people,
she acts just like a puppy! She is so exuberant when she plays
with her toys, or runs around the yard! This is a dog that will
truly appreciate everything you do for her.
Training
Honey's previous
owner chose to tie her up in the yard rather than investing time
and energy into teaching her anything. Consequently, she is still
learning things that most dogs learn when they are much younger.
She had no concept of housetraining before she came here, but
she has been accident free for several weeks! She knows sit,
recognizes her name, and is now walking really well on leash.
She is crate trained and is one of those dogs that really LOVES
her crate.
Needs
Honey needs an extremely patient owner! It will most likely
take her several weeks to begin to feel comfortable in new
surroundings. She is probably not the best match for a first
time owner, which is just as well, because we would prefer
that she go to a home with another established dog to help
teach her the ropes and help her settle into a routine. She
will need to continually be exposed to new people, places and
things (in moderation -- don't overwhelm her!) in an effort
to make up for the socialization she missed as a puppy.
She needs a fenced yard or an owner who will take her outside
on a leash EVERY time -- spooky dogs like Honey are likely
to bolt when they get scared. She also needs a crate. She should
have access to the crate (with the door open) at all times
in case she is feeling scared or overwhelmed and needs a place
to hide.
I strongly recommend closing her in the crate when she will
be home alone. She doesn't object to the crate at all (in fact
it seems to comfort and calm her), and it will prevent her
from investigating her surroundings by chewing things. She's
not a big chewer but will occasionally "taste" novel
objects as she explores. Remember, since she did not grow up
in a house, she is still learning some of those puppy things!
Please be patient!
Honey's new owner must be committed to gentle and consistent
training. For housetraining, she will need lots of calm praise
for going potty outside, plenty of management to prevent accidents,
and no reprimands if she does have an accident.
Trust me, she is well worth the trouble. Honey is a wonderful,
sweet, loyal and grateful dog, and will be a one-in-a-million
pet for one lucky family!
Fostered Nov. 6, 2003 - Jan. 22, 2004
ADOPTED JANUARY 22, 2004!
Honey *loves* other dogs. Because of her large size and puppy-like play style (very physical, and she doesn't seem to realize how big she is!), she would do best with another large, playful dog. She likes to body slam other dogs but is not aggressive towards them.
She seems to be good with cats. She is still a little intimidated by our cat but is getting comfortable enough to start to *think* about chasing him, so we'll have to see how that develops!
Honey needs an extremely patient owner! It will most likely take her several weeks to begin to feel comfortable in new surroundings. She is probably not the best match for a first time owner, which is just as well, because we would prefer that she go to a home with another established dog to help teach her the ropes and help her settle into a routine. She will need to continually be exposed to new people, places and things (in moderation -- don't overwhelm her!) in an effort to make up for the socialization she missed as a puppy.
She needs a fenced yard or an owner who will take her outside on a leash EVERY time -- spooky dogs like Honey are likely to bolt when they get scared. She also needs a crate. She should have access to the crate (with the door open) at all times in case she is feeling scared or overwhelmed and needs a place to hide.
I strongly recommend closing her in the crate when she will be home alone. She doesn't object to the crate at all (in fact it seems to comfort and calm her), and it will prevent her from investigating her surroundings by chewing things. She's not a big chewer but will occasionally "taste" novel objects as she explores. Remember, since she did not grow up in a house, she is still learning some of those puppy things! Please be patient!
Honey's new owner must be committed to gentle and consistent training. For housetraining, she will need lots of calm praise for going potty outside, plenty of management to prevent accidents, and no reprimands if she does have an accident.
Trust me, she is well worth the trouble. Honey is a wonderful, sweet, loyal and grateful dog, and will be a one-in-a-million pet for one lucky family!