My name is Zara!

Hi! My name is Zara and I am a 4 month old black Lab/German Shepherd girl puppy! That's right! I am ALL PUPPY! I am a wiggly-squiggly happy girl who loves people and dogs and (chasing) cats and running laps in the back yard and going on walks and chasing the ball and chewing on my toys! Anyone interested in me needs to know that I am going to be a big girl as I take after the German Shepherd part of my breeding when it comes to size. I will probably be around 70lbs or so when full grown so my forever family will need to be prepared for that.

I was once a scared and lonely puppy found wandering all by myself. I was brought to a rural animal control facility. I was very scared and I didn't like it there. The best day of my life was when the great people at Pound Dog Rescue rescued me and took me into foster care! I was SO HAPPY!

There is so much to learn when you're a puppy! I am learning this house-training business. I'm catching on to it but still learning. I am also learning how to greet people. Apparently you're not allowed to jump up on people and say Hi!!! I am corrected when I do that. I am learning that I am only allowed to chew my toys. I am learning not to stand over my foster brother dog and bark in his face to play. I am corrected when I do that. I am corrected a lot. I am also being fostered with these moving furry toys called cats. Apparently you're not supposed to chase them either? I do that a lot. I can't help it! I would be best suited in a home that doesn't have cats or have cats that can tolerate me wanting to constantly chasing them and an owner who will be on me to correct me when I try. I will only learn with repetition and firm leadership and supervision. I will be a puppy for a while!

I would also really like a big backyard! Sometimes my foster mom thinks I am training for the Olympics because I run crazy laps in the backyard! Run, run, run in wide circles! It's so much fun! I am really fast! I definitely need a fenced yard. I also need an active family that loves the outdoors as I am an all- weather girl. I need daily walks now to burn off energy and will need longer walks and even runs as I get bigger and more energetic. I will be a large and active dog that will need multiple walks/runs/play sessions a day to stay happy. Even though I need a backyard for running around, it is not a substitute for getting out on a walk and exploring and socializing. If you aren’t already an active and outdoorsy person/family then I am probably not the puppy for you. I would love another playful and young dog in my new home to play with as I love playing with dogs! I would not be a good fit for a home with a senior dog or one that doesn’t like running and wrestle play but if you have a suitable playmate for me, all the better!! I don’t have to go to a home with another dog, it would just be on my wish list, but if you don’t have a dog for me then you will have to find doggie friends for me to play with. This will keep my social skills up and will make me a happy dog.

I love going for walks and am being walked with something called a gentle leader. My foster mom says it helps me stay in control when I walk. I walk really, really well! I don't pull at all and I am pretty good at not zig zagging when I walk. My favourite part is when we meet people on the sidewalk who want to pet me! I get really excited and wag my whole back end! I try to jump up on them just so they know that I am really happy to see them! But then I get corrected. I am learning to sit when I greet people. I am working on that but haven't mastered that yet. Because I am still a rambunctious puppy who chews toys and still is learning not to jump up, I am not suited to a home with children under 8 years old.

That's another thing. Because I am a puppy, I will need to go to this thing called OBEDIENCE SCHOOL. Puppies are a lot of work because there is so much to learn! I definitely need you to make a commitment to take me to training. I need to learn how to greet people, how to come when I am called, how to heel, how to "leave it" (like the cats or food that gets dropped on the ground). Boy, there is so much to learn when you're a puppy! I need a confident and authoritative person to be a leader for me. If you are a softie, then I’m not the girl for you. I will be too big and too energetic to live without rules being enforced. My rescue wants me to be well trained and a great member of society. My foster mom is starting me off really well with exercise, training, discipline and love…I need all of this from my new family as well. I can’t believe I’m saying that I need rules and discipline!!! But, my foster mom has talked to me a lot about what makes a good dog, and I really want to be a good dog, and to make my future family proud!

I like to run and chase things and play and chew on my toys because I am teething. But after I have my puppy outbursts, I sleep a LOT. Want to know why? Because, just like babies, when puppies are sleeping, they are growing! That's another thing you need to know about me. I am going to be a BIG GIRL. I am already 40 pounds and I am very tall. My legs are long!

I am also a bit of a princess. I like to lie in dog beds when I'm in the house. My favourite combination is lying in the dog bed while chewing on my bone toy.

I am crated during the day while everyone is at work. I am a very good girl and I stay in my crate without complaint but I do like to have a chew toy in with me. I am also in my crate at night. I don't even cry at bedtime. My crate is right beside the human bed so I know that there is someone with me at night. I sleep all through the night.

I am a good girl who doesn't have any food aggression at all. I don't beg for food and go play with a toy outside of the kitchen when humans are eating. I am a happy puppy with a lot to learn! I will require a lot of training and patience and rules as I grow up into an adult. I love people and playing and running and chasing a ball. If you have a fenced yard and are willing to put in the training work I require, I would love to meet you!



All Pound Dog Rescue dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, de-wormed (if required), and micro-chipped prior to adoption. The adoption donation of $400 is applied to assist in the costs of veterinary care and the overall care of the dog. For more information and adoption applications please consult our website at www.pounddog.ca.