Posted over 10 years ago | Updated 1 year ago
Maddie is an Australian Shepherd mix who LOVES to play with other dogs and is very cat tolerant. Our dog-saavy cat will walk right by her and Maddie just watches him. She's about 18 months old and weighs about 45-50 lbs. She is housebroken, non-destructive, and loves to play with dogs & toys.
She is a bouncy, bubbly, playful, affectionate dog who needs a large fenced yard (at least 4' high). She especially loves to play in the snow (as you can see in the video).
Invisible fencing will not work for Maddie, as she has a strong desire to chase cars. She would likely run right through an invisible fence and get hit by a car. Because of this, we will only consider homes with very securely fenced yards for her.
She loves to communicate, using her voice to moan, warble, grumble, growl, and woof at us when she wants us to do something. So there's never any doubt when Maddie wants to go out in the yard, as she'll go over to the door and start chattering away until someone lets her out. And if we keep ignoring her, she'll start coming over to us, one at a time, and slapping us with a paw to get our attention. Other than that, she's not really much of a barker. She rarely barks out in the yard even when our other dog is barking.
She came from a rural area where she grew up chained to a dog house with very little human interaction. As a result, she's shy around new people, so it will take her a few weeks to settle into an adoptive home. But once settled in, she's VERY affectionate and playful...and at times pretty comical too!
Ideally we are seeking an adopter for her who is not a first-time adopter, preferably someone who's had a dog that was shy and needed some socialization work. To fully complete her socialization, Maddie will need play dates with other people/dogs, visits to the dog park or places like Petco and Petsmart where she can meet strangers, and also more rides in the car. Car rides still make her a little bit nervous, but she doesn't get carsick or anything like that. Just some shaking and panting. So we're looking for someone who wants their dog to be very much involved in an active lifestyle. She absolutely LOVES to go for walks so would make a great hiking partner.
Due to her shyness, Maddie is not recommended for a home with children younger than 14. Not because we think she might hurt anyone, but because she probably wouldn't understand the fast motions and high pitched voices of young children and it might delay her coming fully out of her shyness. After her socialization is complete, she will probably be fine with child visitors. We rehabbed one of our own dogs who used to be afraid of every visitor to our home and he is great with everyone now. Maddie is following nicely along in his footsteps, so we believe she has the potential to fully overcome her past.
Maddie's an awesome dog and we believe she can be fully brought out of her shyness with a committed adopter who's willing to do the work. She's come a very long way in her foster home and we'd really like to see her complete this process. Please submit an application if you'd like to meet her. We will consider adopters slightly outside our normal adoption area.
* Adoption Area * Adoption Application *
We are not a shelter. Our dogs are fostered in a home environment. All meetings are by appointment. If you are interested in meeting or possibly adopting this dog, please check that you are located within our adoption area and then submit a completed application to begin the process. Incomplete applications will not be processed.