Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
Good with dogs,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
📖 THE PAWS HANDBOOK
📍 Pickup Location: Fairplay, CO
Adopters will need to come pick up their new furry family member themselves.
📝 Apply here:
https://www.pyrpawsandfluffytailsrescue.com/adoption-app
Congratulations! If you are reading this handbook, you may be considering the adoption of Elsie, originally known around here as Paws. She may have gotten a name upgrade along the way, but rest assured, the personality package remains fully loaded. Before proceeding, please understand that Paws is not merely a dog. Paws is an experience. A lifestyle. A very enthusiastic participant in absolutely everything you were already doing perfectly fine without her.
Paws(Elsie) is a 6-year-old, 72-pound female Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix whose story with us actually began many years ago. She was originally adopted from our rescue as a puppy and spent the years that followed exactly where we hope every one of our dogs ends up—deeply loved, completely adored, and happily settled into a family of her own. Sadly, Elsie recently found herself back in our care after her beloved owner passed away. With no family members able to take her in, this girl who had known the comfort of home and the love of her person for nearly her entire life suddenly found herself sitting in a shelter. When we learned what had happened, our hearts absolutely broke for her. Elsie hadn't just lost her home—she had lost her person, her best friend, and the life she'd known since she was a puppy. The last place we wanted her trying to make sense of all that change was from inside a shelter kennel. Thankfully, some pretty incredible foster families stepped up when Elsie needed them most, allowing us to spring her from the shelter quickly and welcome one of our former fluffy kids back into the PPFT family. ❤️ Now Elsie is safe, surrounded by people who care about her, and beginning the next chapter of her story.
Paws is what happens when you combine a happy-go-lucky optimist, an attention-loving goofball, and a neighborhood watch captain who takes her unpaid position VERY seriously. Her philosophy on life is fairly simple: Outside is amazing. Humans are amazing. Other dogs are amazing. Being involved is amazing. At an energy level of about 8/10, Paws wakes up ready to participate. Open the back door and you've essentially announced that Disneyland is accepting one additional guest. She LOVES being outside, whether she's romping with her foster's two Great Pyrenees, investigating the property, keeping tabs on neighborhood developments, or occasionally making questionable landscaping decisions. And by questionable landscaping decisions, we mean she once dug herself a lovely muddy hole, got a mud bath, and then invited one of her foster siblings to wrestle with her. Naturally, he also became very muddy. This was apparently a team-building exercise. The good news? It led to the discovery that Paws is surprisingly calm about being marched into the shower and washed off afterward. So while management cannot guarantee she won't make poor choices when it comes to mud, we can confirm she accepts the consequences of those choices with dignity.
Paws absolutely LOVES other dogs. Her introduction to her foster's adult female Pyr and six-month-old male Pyr was basically, “Oh good, you ordered me friends!” They wrestle, chase, play-fight, and generally have such a fantastic time together that her foster says they're a joy to watch. Now remember that 8/10 energy we mentioned earlier; well, here is the important thing to remember: she actually understands the concept of downtime. When the resident Pyrs settle down, Paws initially wanders around for about 20 minutes looking as though she's checking to make sure everyone REALLY intends to waste perfectly good daylight like this. Once she realizes there is no more tomfoolery to be had, she throws in the towel and joins the four-hour Pyr nap convention. This is why we'd love to see her with an active family, ideally one with another playful dog. She doesn't absolutely require a canine sibling, but having a built-in wrestling partner would give her another outlet for all that enthusiasm when her humans have rudely decided they have jobs, chores, television programs, or other responsibilities unrelated to entertaining Paws. Humans, however, remain her favorite subject. Paws is VERY Pro-Human. When her foster picked her up from the shelter, she was understandably nervous—panting, looking around, and trying to figure out why life had suddenly changed again. Then someone introduced mini Milk-Bones. And thus began diplomatic relations. Before they'd even arrived home, Paws was happily taking treats from her foster's fingers as he reached toward the back seat. Apparently her trust-building program includes a very straightforward bribery clause. She also loaded herself into the car when asked, stayed politely in the back seat when left there briefly, and hopped back out without any drama. We don't have enough road-trip data to declare her America's Next Great Traveling Dog, but considering her general outlook on life, we'd be surprised if she objected to adventures involving her favorite humans. In fact, Paws seems like the kind of girl who would hear, “Wanna go?” and have absolutely no interest in where. Hiking? Sure. Camping? Absolutely. Quick trip to Tractor Supply? Let's do it. Walks are still a work in progress. She's compliant on leash around the yard and did fine walking a little way down the street when she first arrived, but when her foster attempted a group walk with TWO Great Pyrenees also involved, Paws pulled. To be fair, three large fluffy dogs attempting coordinated movement sounds less like a leisurely stroll and more like someone accidentally entering the Iditarod without a sled. She'll need continued leash training, but she's already shown that she's extremely trainable. In only a couple of weeks, her foster has watched her begin figuring out the household routine. She knows Sit, Outside, and Shake, and she's also familiar with the internationally recognized dog command known as ERK! You know the one. That noise humans make when words temporarily fail them but the dog needs to stop whatever foolery they were about to get themselves into. Her personal favorite command, though, might be Shake. When she'd particularly like you to notice what a spectacularly Good Girl she is, she'll proactively sit down and hold up one paw. No command necessary. "Hello. I have prepared the Shake. Please acknowledge my excellence." And yes, you should probably acknowledge it.
A securely fenced yard is going to be our preference for this girl. She absolutely adores being outside and has enough energy and curiosity that having a safe place to romp would be fantastic for her. Outside, Paws has also appointed herself Chief Neighborhood Correspondent. You see, Elsie is part Great Pyrenees and part Anatolian Shepherd, which means somewhere deep within her DNA is a very important ancestral instruction: When in doubt, sing the song of your people. And Elsie takes her cultural heritage seriously. She doesn't feel the need to narrate every second of her existence, but when something noteworthy happens outside, she considers it her civic duty to make sure the household has been properly informed. Paws is potty trained aside from one completely understandable accident her first night. She doesn't chew things she shouldn't. She readily hops onto the couch, because obviously she didn't come all this way to sit on the floor like some sort of peasant. She once put her front paws onto the bed as though preparing to climb aboard, was told no, and simply got back down. We haven't tested her with cats yet, and her interactions with children have been limited. Given her energy and enthusiasm, we think she'd have a blast with an active family and potentially dog-savvy kids who actually want a four-legged participant in their daily shenanigans. Paws also hasn't been left completely alone yet, so we can't officially stamp the HOME-ALONE CERTIFIED page of this handbook. What we can say is that she doesn't appear distressed when her foster steps away to the garage or isn't actively interacting with her. She may wander around for a while hoping someone will reconsider the entertainment schedule, but eventually she settles herself down. Paws isn't looking for a home where she'll simply exist somewhere in the background. She wants to be part of the family. She wants someone who talks to her, trains her, includes her, laughs at her, adventures with her, and appreciates the fact that sometimes a perfectly reasonable afternoon needs to be interrupted because there is a DEER and apparently nobody else was going to tell you. Give her another dog to wrestle with, humans who enjoy actually doing things with their dog, a securely fenced yard for her daily investigations, and enough structure to keep that busy little brain pointed in the right direction, and we think Paws is going to absolutely flourish. Just remember the most important rule in The Paws Handbook: You may technically adopt Paws. But Paws will be operating under the assumption that she adopted you. And from that point forward, all household activities will be subject to her participation. 🐾😂
If you've reached this point thinking, “Yep. I think Elsie is my girl,” fantastic! There is just one teeny-tiny administrative detail standing between you and your future career as Elsie's personal assistant. You have to fill out an adoption application. Unfortunately, despite Elsie's willingness to accept mini Milk-Bones as legally binding friendship contracts, the rescue has been advised that this is not an adequate screening process. So you'll need to complete an adoption application for her. Once submitted, we can send it over to Elsie's foster family, aka the people currently living with her and therefore uniquely qualified to determine whether you are worthy of inheriting her couch privileges, muddy-hole construction projects, enthusiastic paw offerings, and neighborhood news subscription.
And before anyone asks…Elsie is located in Fairplay, Colorado, and her adopter will need to travel there to pick her up. No, Elsie cannot be FedExed. No, we cannot ask her to meet you halfway with gas money. And no, unfortunately, typing “but I live really far away 🥺” into Google Maps does not cause Fairplay, Colorado to relocate closer to your house. If Elsie is your girl, she's worth the drive. Besides, consider the trip home your first adventure together.
Elsie certainly will. 🐾❤️
