Sadie has been adopted!

Sadie was adopted about a month ago by a wonderful couple in Costa Mesa, CA. Hooray!

Update on

This morning, Sadie literally crawled into my lap. She wanted to be held, she wanted to snuggle, and a few minutes later after I had put her down, she put her paws on me on my lap, asking for more attention. She has asked for attention before, but has never been so comfortable touching me and has never been so relaxed while being held. She was just soaking it up.

She's been with us just over a month now, and in foster care since mid-October (with Melissa, another foster home). She is so wonderful, we love her so much. She's doing great with her training, and her reactions to sounds in the environment have decreased to almost zero (meaning she is not as vigilent and nervous out in public). At 6:30am we were having a romp on the front lawn, and she was offering me sits and earning treats-- this setting is not one she could have done that in 3 weeks ago! Hooray for clicker training.

Here we are for a few minutes in the kitchen:



This video is from weeks ago, when Sadie was just learning the concept of clicker training. We like to start with something super simple, and here we are teaching her to touch a dot in order to get a click-treat. The point is to really teach her that this is a fun game she can win, that we are interacting, and that I am waiting for her to offer me behaviors.

Update on Feb. 1st

Sadie continues to do really well. She's offering us the "sit" and the "down" on a regular basis, and looks so proud of herself when she does.

We have received at least 2 applications for her, and as soon as the first one came in the applicants looked great on paper. The homecheck is being done this week and they will meet Sadie on Saturday. They and we are crossing our fingers that their Sheltie gets along well with her (I think she will, Sadie is great with other dogs).

So she MAY be going to her forever home soon. But if you're here on this blog because you're looking for a Sheltie to adopt, please, go to the Sheltie Rescue website (www.adoptasheltie.com) because we have other Shelties that need placing, and we also never know what we might have soon. We really appreciate having great applicants in the wings so we can make an introduction (and hopefully a great match) as soon as we have a dog come in that may meet the applicant's criteria.

We hope we're close to a very happy ending for Sadie. And I just want to thank and acknowledge the many volunteers who got her to this point-- especially Kathy Parsons and Melissa Henning. But there were others, too, including the network I still don't fully understand that rallied to help these dogs when the government decided to close down the puppy mill Sadie came from. Thank you, thank you, to everyone who formed the chain to get Sadie out of that hellhole and into a wonderful permanent and loving home.

Sadie goes for a walk

This morning before work Sadie and my other two dogs and I went for a walk around the block. This sounds like no big deal, right? For her, it's another victory. She used to buck and panic if you put a leash on her. She used to freeze and panic if anything happened, like a car going by, a sprinkler turning on, a tree rustling in the breeze. Life outside the crate used to be scary to her. Now, she's clearly having fun and she did beautifully on her walk. Afterward, all three of them had a chase-me romp on the front lawn. She's so adorable and sweet. It's a joy to see her cheerful, enthusiastic side blossoming so much. She is relaxing and takes comfort in understanding the routine of the household. We're really in love with this little girl and if we were interested in having 3 permanent dogs, we'd keep her in a heartbeat. As it is, we're really enjoying being her foster home.

Sadie's story

Sadie
Purbred Shetland Sheepdog, blue merle coloring
Just over a year old
2 beautiful blue eyes
Soon to be spayed
Weighs about 18-20 lbs
Great with other dogs
Good with children over 10 who approach slowly and calmly

SEE VIDEOS BELOW


Sadie was one of a number of dogs rescued from abhorrent conditions at a puppy mill in Missouri that was shut down by the government. Through a rescue network she found her way to Southland Sheltie rescue where she was placed into foster care.

She was in total shock. She had spent her whole life in a cage, and had never walked on grass, never gone on a walk, never had a collar or leash on her. Everything was totally terrifying to her.

Fast forward 3 months. Under the care of two different foster homes, both of whom are experienced trainers, Sadie has made a dramatic transformation. Both Melissa, her first foster mom, and Diane, her second, agree that she has shown incredible courage and willingness to push past her own fear and constantly step out of her comfort zone. We can tell it's not easy for her, and the secret seems to be to go slowly.

She has proven her ability to learn to trust people and bond to both people and dogs. She loves other dogs, and her ideal home would have at least one other dog. Today, she seeks out touch and affection and play from us and you can see her conquering the fear and urge to run to her crate to hide whenever something new happens. I would expect that with continued patient work, in a year no one will be able to tell she was once a frightened, neglected dog.

Other characteristics of her ideal home:
- No children under 10 years old
- A household that is willing to continue her crate training and go slowly with her, giving her a few months to settle in.
- A home that is willing to supervise her so she can continue her housetraining. She goes in the right place outside when we take her out, but if we leave her unattended in the house she will still have accidents. Treat her like an unhousebroken dog for the first 3-4 months.
- She must sleep indoors, in your bedroom, in her crate. This is her routine, it makes her feel secure, and it needs to be continued.
- We would love to find someone who would be willing to learn how to train her using the positive reinforcement method called clicker training. She is responding to this beautifully, and we'd like her to be able to continue with this. It's easy, and her foster mom will offer to coach her new family as much as needed.

Today she is a bright, cautious, playful young dog who longs to relax and belong to a family. She has bonded to us, and has learned many things that we take for granted-- how to be touched without running in fear, how to hang out in the kitchen while we cook while she's tethered on a thin leash to a doorknob, how to respond to a clicker and start to understand clicker training sessions.... She even runs around the block with us while I ride my bike using a K9 Cruiser attachment. This is huge, the progress she's made deserves a gold medal. She has tremendous potential and is ready for her forever home.

Sadie is being fostered in Palos Verdes. Applications for her can be submitted to Southland Sheltie Rescue. Click here for their website.