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Play It Again Sam
You would never know to look at this adorable little face that Sam had never been in a house. Sam missed out on quite a few things in his 6 years of life. But, no more! And so he has become "Play it Again Sam." The rest of his life must be awesome and little Sammy is acquiring the skills he will need to make it so. He is heartworm negative and his bloodwork is surprisingly good for a dog that only ate cat food. By the time you read this bio, he will have been neutered and microchipped. We have already caught him up on vaccines and introduced him to regular bathing and grooming. We have explained to him that he is only to go potty outside and THEN come back in. And he is doing well with a little supervision. He also taught himself the doggie door by watching a couple of the regulars go in and out. This is a smart pooch!
Sammy is not sure of kind treatment and so he shows submissive behavior to ask for acceptance. For example, if you reach for him he will roll over on his back to expose his tummy and he is asking you not to be angry at him. Shelties are gentle little souls and harsh words and actions land on them like a ton of bricks. In his foster home, Gary is working on not acknowledging the submissive behavior and instead, is asking Sammy to be brave and make eye contact and approach him with confidence. It has taken a while for Sammy to be so submissive and it will take some time and some patience for him to cast it aside.
'PIA Sam' has the makings of a first class doggie pal. He is smart and fun. He adores kids which is not necessarily typical of shelties. He already knows how to sit and the other commands are coming along. He is on a low fat premium dog food with a touch of canned and hot water to make it yummy. Cars seem to frighten him but if he is on a dog bed on the seat, he does better. He walks nicely on a leash and he has been introduced to toys. But he has no idea what to do with a toy. That also will come with time and a doggie friend to show the way. Sammy likes men, women, kids and other dogs if they are not confrontational. I can't imagine a problem with cats although we have not cat tested the little fellow. A level 1 obedience class would give him some confidence and it would not surprise me if he was the star of the class.
Our first step toward adoption is a completed application. Reading the adoption information sections should answer many of your basic questions. We review the applications and then forward it to the appropriate foster family for their input. We call to chat and try to determine if this match will be good for the dog and the humans. We check references and do a home visit. And somewhere in there, you get to meet the dog! Please be patient. We are all volunteers with real lives aside from dog rescue. But we are passionate about dogs and we would like to share that with you.
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