Carmello has been a pleasure to foster. Her happy and affectionate personality makes it difficult to not fall in love. She is young and still has a lot of boxer puppy energy, but she is eager to please and quick to learn. She is constantly by my side, and curious about what I am doing. Mischief is easily deterred by verbal correction. Carmello is a young girl approximately 8 - 9 months old and currently weighs 30 lbs.
Here is what else her foster family had to say:
Carmello is a confident dog, but not overly so. I have another dog at home, and they quickly determined that she was not the boss. She has loved every person we have encountered with no shyness or aggression noted. She will alert by barking when someone comes to the door, but this is short lived. She does like to jump up on people to say hi, but with consistency this has been improving - 'four on the floor' is our rule. She doing very well in her crate and does not make any noise when we put her in at night anymore. Also, she will let you handle her feet and touch her teeth without complaining. She has a gentle mouth, and takes treats very softly. Carmello loves to be touched and accepts belly rubs without hesitation. She is snuggly in general, and likes to spoon. She also has the cute habit of placing her head in your lap for a pat. She gives a very wiggly greeting when I arrive home. Physically, she has an "X" marking in the middle of her forehead which I find quite endearing.
I have not had her around children, but she has been friendly with everyone she has met so I don't see a problem there. She is excellent around dogs. She loves to play and plays hard. I have not seen her around a cat.
She has not had any potty accidents in her crate. She is very good that way. She will bark and whine when she is crated and you leave the room. She does stop after a few minutes and gives up and lies down. At night, our crate is in our bedroom and she falls asleep without any barking or whining and sleeps through the night. Her favourite thing to do are to run and play with other dogs. She also likes something to chew in the house, like a hard bone or nylabone. She also enjoys snuggling. She is not a retriever. She is quiet in the home for the most part.
Carmello is still a puppy so she needs to be supervised. She would try to steal food if left alone. When I have caught her eyeing up people food, a verbal correction is generally enough to get her to stop. Sit is mastered, we are working on down (in the lay down context), we are working on the word OFF - off of me, off of the furniture - 4 on the floor. Her recall is excellent, and she always comes when called. She has done very well with her house training. She does pee often, but we let her out often so this has not been a problem. She goes right away when we let her out. She is not perfect in her crate, but doing very well. She stays in over night without making any noise. She is coming along nicely with her leash training and and doesn't chew at the leash or barrel roll. She is very good off leash. She is pushy at the door. But we have been working on this and she is learning.
The family who adopts her should be aware of her energy level. She needs lots of exercise. If she gets this, she settles without an issue in the house (playing with other dogs has been an excellent outlet for her) Also a family with patience - she is still a puppy and learning the rules.
With a family who will let her run. She likes having another dog around. I am unsure what she is like around children, but she has been great with everyone else. I would avoid a family that is too busy, as she does need attention to ensure she is on her best behaviours in the home. If the family is too detracted with other things she would probably find her own fun as her mind is always working. She needs consistency.
If you think Carmello would be a good choice for your family, Please submit an Ugly Mutts Adoption Application for consideration.
