My name is WILLOW-pending!

Willow arrived on Saturday weighing 30 pounds. After a long ride, she patiently rode in our car all the way home, sometimes sitting in her crate so that she could see out the rear window and lift up her ears when something interested her, and sometimes lying down. She was a great passenger; we didn’t hear a peep from her. When we got home after dark, my daughter and I took Willow on a little walk around the block where my husband and our dog Ranger met up with us for introductions. Willow and Ranger were curious about each other. Both had tails wagging and they quickly accepted each other. Since then, Ranger and Willow have been out on a few walks together. They are content to be in each other’s company. Sometimes Willow walks right next to Ranger and she takes her time and sniffs all the new smells. She walks well at our pace and doesn’t pull at all.

UPDATE: Today, Ranger and Willow played together for a little bit (under 30 seconds) and we saw glimpse of Willow’s silly side. Overall, she is a sweet, gentle soul who asks for nothing. She relaxes when we pet her, leans her chin on our hands, and sometimes gives looks up to give us a gentle kiss. She allows us to brush her and might even like it. She tolerated a bath last night, but she was scared of the hair dryer so we stuck with towel drying and shaking. She takes treats from us very gently. She figured out that it’s a happy moment when we reach for the treat bag but she only expresses it with a wagging tail. She seems to like her crate, which we padded with a thin dog bed. Sometimes, one of Willow's ears sticks out when she rests in there. She goes into her crate herself or with a little coaxing and doesn’t complain a bit. She has not had any accidents in the crate or in the house. She is no trouble at all and we are happy to be taking care of her.

UPDATE: Willow is showing her personality so much more today. She loves meeting new people and has started to expect that they might want to say hi to her (They do!). With other dogs, she’s sweet, friendly, and - we’ve learned just tonight - PLAYFUL. I was so happy to see her get frisky and play with an exuberant 8 month old puppy in the park for several minutes. Willow would have kept playing but I wanted her to stop because she is recovering from her spay surgery. When we got home, Willow had a little water and then ran right into her crate, where she is now happily and adorably dosing.

UPDATE: Willow is like a totally different dog now. She got a taste of the good life and she’s not going back. She loves going to the park, she’s made friends with all of Ranger’s friends, she walks with a brisk, confident stride, and she makes a lot of eye contact with people and asks for pets and belly rubs. Only yesterday, there were only 2 places in the house where she thought she could park herself - her crate and the front door mat. Then, she migrated over to Ranger’s dog bed and now, she goes into every room and rests wherever there is a person or her buddy Ranger. She’s easy going, eager to please and seems to be smart - she learned to sit for her food and treats in 2 training sessions. She is also great about being corrected - she picked up a sock, I said a calm no - she dropped the sock and walked away from it. It is remarkable what a couple of days of rest and care have done for her.

If you are interested in seeing additional photos, please friend Sheryl's Den on Facebook. You can get a link to our Facebook page at www.sherylsden.org If you are interested in adopting, please complete and submit an application. Be sure to list the dog's names that you are interested in on the first question within the application. Please be sure your application is complete. The 1st question asks which dogs you are interested in. To see additional dogs, see our adoptable pet list at www.sherylsden.org

This animal is currently fostered in a private home. Our rescue is 100% foster home based. We do not have a shelter or kennel. They are cared for by a loving family until adopted. Each pup has had their first vet exam, a shot, and de-worming, etc We make sure they have no fleas prior to going into our foster homes. They are fostered out of the shelter at least two weeks or more prior to adopting to monitor health. We take their care seriously! Please note that the adoption appointments will be scheduled after your application is approved. Once adopted, feel free to change the dog's name. You do not have to keep the name listed in this post.

All dogs over 6 months are spayed/Neutered, rabie shot, heartworm tested, parvo distemper shot, and dewormed. IF YOU ADOPT a pup and live in the State of New Jersey we do have low cost spaying and neutering at very affordable prices. Kindly inquire upon an approved application. We also have an affordable program for out of state adopters.

We also offer low cost micro-chipping! For a low fee of only 20.00 we will have your dog microchipped. You will be able to register the microchip for a low cost fee of only 10.99 at the time of the adoption appointment. The 10.99 fee is a ONE time registration fee. The microchip is for the lifetime of the dog. You have the ability to update the contact information at NO cost. You will also have a one year membership to Home Again. This is a big savings for you.

***** If you're interested in fostering we could always use the help to save more animals. A crate, food, and medical care are provided. The animals are picked up in West Milford, NJ and brought back here for adoption. The time commitment is two to two and a half weeks. Please email letting us know what town you live in and we will forward information to you. *****

Sheryl's Den has teamed up with Petfirst Health care in an effort to offer pet insurance for your adopted family member. If you wish, you can enroll once you adopt. Your coverage will begin following your activation. The first 30 days are free! There is no cost to the adopter for this 30-day protection (This program is available in all US states and Washington DC, but not NY at this time) The 30-day coverage plan ensures the pets adopted are covered for accidents and illnesses. This plan provides $1,000 aggregate/ $500 per-incident limit of accident and illness protection. It reimburses 100% of vet bills after a $50 per-incident deductible. To activate the insurance, pet parents must call 1-855-710-7387. The insurance is not active until the adopter activates it, and is not retroactive to the date of the adoption. Once their insurance is active, they use the veterinarian of their choice and submit their bills for reimbursement, which PetFirst processes in as little as two weeks. Adopters have the option to extend or upgrade their coverage at the time of activation.