My name is Dove!

Dove – UMDR# 022-0706
Fostered By – Karen K.
Dove’s Rescue Was Sponsored In Loving Memory Of Levi By The Residents Of Lynden

Dove is a very sweet girl that would like lots of love and attention. She just loves to be patted and told she is a good girl. Those big brown eyes resting on your shoulder will really melt your heart. She is a 2-year old, 41 lb, Shepherd Mix, who was rescued from a shelter. She is loving this adventure of life. As Dove is learning to live in a whole new life, she has learned training, tricks, and manners, but will need to do it all over again with her furever family. She is a happy and energetic girl, who needs a somewhat peaceful lifestyle with slow introductions while she learns all the new tricks and manners.

Here Is What Dove’s Foster Family Had To Say About Her

Dove is in very good health, has high energy and is just 2 years old. She has a lovely coat that tends to shed very little. Dove needs a backyard where she can safely run free on her own. She loves to please and requires a dedicated furever family who looks forward to training her, as she still has lots to learn. She knows her name when I call Dove/Dovey, and I taught her to sit, stay and she comes when you whistle. She has met a few people and reacts very favorably, loving the attention. Everyone loves meeting her. Dove is not comfortable at the dog park, as she isn’t familiar with meeting other dogs yet. We are working with Dove to help against her running toward any dogs walking with their owners. She will stiffen up in discomfort and try to pull to them. With one on one introductions, she has been playing with other dogs, but as of right now she is still learning to meet in public.

She has never shown aggression of any kind to any of the people she has met. She barks at dogs passing by on the street with their owners and loves watching through the window for dogs walking by. There are no children or cats in my house so it’s unknown how she would respond to them. However, she does want to chase squirrels and other small animals, so I would recommend she stays on her own and to take introductions slowly.
She is afraid of thunder and loud noises, and she will run away under the bed to hide. I calmed her down and she was back to herself again.
She has quite good house manners and takes treats very gently. She doesn’t grab from the hand or eat excess amounts of food. She eats what I give her which is kibble with a few boiled veggies and chicken with a tiny bit of chicken broth. She gets a few treats throughout the day and once in a while a non-rawhide chew. She loves to play with her squeaky toy and I throw it around the house for her to fetch. We are working on her giving it back to me.

Dove would do best with a young couple or single owner with lots of energy, who is willing to play with her and train her. I could also see her with a young family. She acts like a family dog in the house, and just sleeps while I am away. I have left her for 4 hours at a time and she was lying beside my bed when I came back. She is fully house trained (with no mistakes in the house) and prefers to go out 3 or 4 times a day. I have not left her for 8 or 9 hours as some people might. Dove does best with a quiet and peaceful surrounding, with lots of mental stimulation. With ample time, I think she could be acclimatized to cats, dogs or children, but this would take time and active training.
Her very favorite thing to do is to go outside for walk, and later to play. She would chase squirrels, rabbits etc. if she could. She can be found often tossing her toy in the house or chewing her latest chew stick, although she saves those for night time.

Dove is normal activity in the house but high activity if she gets to explore new rooms in the house. She loves looking through the window and barking at those going by. If I am with her, she will play for a bit and then she is fine to lie down or rest. She does get zoomies at night and before she has to go out. She would sleep on the bed if allowed and has tried to many times. She is very curious of doors left open, and will run and explore whenever she gets the chance. She is often seen sitting or lying at the front door. If left with nothing to do, she will get bored and find something to do. (And has once taken it out on a toilet roll in the bathroom.)

As for obedience I taught her to sit, and she loves the attention she gets when she does well. I try to get her to sit before we go out, so she will remember. She knows “Stay” now as well. She answers to a whistle when we are outside and knows it means it’s times to move when she is sniffing an area for too long. Just whistle and she will follow.
Walking on the leash is a bit of a struggle as Dove loves the outdoors and will want to follow anything else she can see moving. She follows any critters to the trees where she can’t climb and can only look. We are working on leash training but she still pulls quite strong, especially trying to get to other dogs.
Dove has never been confined to her crate but has a small area of the house with her crate in it. She sleeps in there at the moment. She does come when called but needs work if she is outside, as she is too busy exploring to come back right away. We keep a leash on her to always have control.
Dove was great in the car ride to my home. She just laid in the back seat, but she was stressed and tired at that time. She was very eager to see out the window when we stopped at the gas station.

Overall, Dove is a very loving dog with all the adventure for life, but also training that does need to be done. She has calmed down from her shelter life, and begun learning a whole new world, but needs to do it all again with her furever family. She is a very smart dog and quickly figured out two learning toys. The second one is more advanced and she learned them very fast, within an hour of using them. She is a very bouncy and happy dog who likes all the humans she meets! She has learned to settle and play with other dogs, but she still struggles meeting them outside the home, and will need active supervision. She is very loving and will melt someone’s heart. She is very well house-trained, and loves the outdoors. She has recently joined me for TV in the family room and she loves to sit beside me on couch. She is very interested in people pleasing, and thrives on praise. It’s how she learned sit and stay. She needs a reminder of the good things!

If you think Dove would be a good fit for your family, please submit an application for consideration here: https://www.uglymuttsdogrescue.com/adoption/adoption-application/