Sophie - poodle
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Sophie - poodle Has Been Adopted!
***Sophie - poodle is not a CDR dog and has not been evaluated by CDR. This is a courtesy posting for Sophie - poodle’s parents, who will make all decisions about Sophie - poodle’s placement. To apply for Sophie - poodle, fill out an online adoption application and the rescue folks will forward it to my parents, who will be in touch!***
Hi! My name is Sophie - poodle. I am a beautiful and loving, 4-year-old female standard poodle with soulful brown eyes and a gorgeous, hypoallergenic coat!
- Quick Fact Sheet:
- Age: 4 years old (DOB October 1, 2010)
- Breed: Standard poodle
- Weight: 57 pounds
- Gender: Female
- Good with dogs? Yes!
- Good with cats? Not sure
- Good with children? Yes!
Background:
I am not a traditional rescue dog. I've led a pretty nice life so far. I was born to a poodle breeder in North Carolina. I was purchased by a couple in Watertown, New York, who thought they would try to breed standard poodles. I had one litter (12 pups!) and I was a good mom and family pet, but my owners quickly realized they didn't want to be in the dog breeding business.
My current owners bought me when I was two years old and I've been living happily in Ithaca since then. Why am I on this site? Because my current owners have found themselves unexpectedly moving to Manhattan this summer, and they're not sure I'm going to be happy in a small apartment in the noisy city. They decided to try finding a perfect new family for me through Cayuga Dog Rescue. I love running off-leash in Ithaca's green woods and I happily spend hours nosing around my peaceful big, fenced back yard... but if I can't find a perfect new family in Ithaca, I will happily move to the city and learn to become a city dog.
Personality:
I love the people I know. When my owners come home, I wait at the top of the stairs where I jump straight up and down on my hind legs to celebrate their return. I follow my humans around the house like a woolly brown shadow. With strangers, I'm polite but hesitant unless you're sitting down, in which case I will nuzzle you with my furry nose and ask you to pet me. I'm gentle with children of all ages; when the new infant I'm living with fusses and cries, I try to soothe him by gently licking his feet and hands. For owners that have the time to give me the peaceful life, exercise and attention that I crave, I am a beautiful and kind-hearted family dog.
I am completely housebroken and love to snuggle. I lean against my owner's leg when they pet me. If you sit on the couch and you permit me, I'll climb up and lay my head in your lap. In the mornings, I listen carefully until my owners speak or open their eyes and then I jump into the bed with them to start the day by gently licking their faces and snuggling against their legs. If I'm permitted into the bed, I'm an epic nap-taker. Since I don't shed or smell like a dog, I'm like a stuffed animal come to life.
I do wellwith positive reinforcement, and do poorly with punishment. I'm a sensitive soul so raised voices or swats or being chased around are not for me. A firm "no" and frown are all it takes for me to immediately stop whatever I'm doing. I'll do anything for praise or a treat.
I like to stare out the front window and bark at people walking past the house. I behave nicely off leash and always come when called. I am a rare poodle who doesn't get bored playing fetch in the back yard-- I bring the ball back again and again without complaining that the game is too repetitive! I even peacefully hand over the ball to you so you can throw it again.
I like other dogs quite a lot! I live with a 9-pound Maltese mix who's old and a bit grouchy but she and I play nicely when she's in the mood. Because of our size difference, I lie down and wrestle gently with her and let her nip my ankles and nose. At doggie daycare, I roughhouse happily with other big dogs and chase them around and have a fabulously good time.
We've talked about my good qualities; now let's talk about my challenges. My biggest challenge is that I do not like being home by myself. I have mild separation anxiety and it causes me to do some chewing of things when you are gone, but don't panic! I don't chew any big ticket items like furniture or doors or windows, thank goodness! I might chew a slipper or something like that, so it's not perfect, but it's not too bad either. I've gotten a lot better over the past two years thanks to maturity, lots of exercise, and the soothing effect of a calm and loving home.
To ease my anxiety, my owners give me a prescription medicine every day called clomipramine, which works like a charm (50 mg per day tablet; my prescription costs about $30 a month). When I started the clomipramine a year ago, my chewing almost disappeared. Now, if I'm left home nice and tired from running around and am given a Kong stuffed full of liverwurst, I'll peacefully hang out at home for several hours at a time without incident.
I know that some people don't believe in medication for dogs, so my ideal home would be with people who feel comfortable with the idea that my life is much happier if I take the daily medication that helps me control my anxieties. I know people mean well. However, taking me off my medication means that likely I will return to chewing again and have to be crated, which is not how I want to live my life. The veterinarian said I'm in perfect health. The good news is that personality-wise, I'm still the frisky, goofy dog I was before I started taking the medication, just less fearful and more confident in my own skin.
My second challenge is that I am timid with men I do not know. If an unfamiliar man approaches me too suddenly or runs over to pet me, I will cower and run in the opposite direction (though I'm never aggressive). I love my own male human, but it took him a few months of giving me lots of treats and soft words and petting until I became completely comfortable with him. I feel much better if men ignore me and don't advance toward me and don't try to pet me until i know them a bit.
- Favorite activities:
- Snuggling with my humans
- Gently playing with my little canine "sister"
- Running in the woods
- Going on long walks in town
- Following my human around the house and nudging her with my nose to get petted whenever she has a spare moment
Co-Habitation:
I am great with people and kids.
I like dogs and am very playful with them. I like to romp and I am not the least bit possessive with toys or food.
I have not had an official cat test, but with some time and patient introduction, I might be able to live peacefully with a confident cat who does not run away from me but stands its ground
Medical Concerns/Special Needs:
- 50 mg Clomipramine tablet each morning
- I had Lyme disease but am now clear with no ill effects, according to the Cornell vet. My owners treat once a month with Advantix, a prescription anti flea and tick medicine"
Summary:
My dream home would be a quiet one where my owners are either retired or home a lot and have lots of energy to take me for long walks and off-leash runs in the woods. I need to live with people who are comfortable giving me my anti-anxiety medicine each day and are patient about my foibles. I need people who can forgive me and not get too upset when the inevitable day comes that I chew up a favorite book or pair of expensive headphones. I am loving and gentle to humans and in return, the right family to adopt me should be patient and gentle with me.
If you are interested in adopting Sophie - poodle, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca , Syracuse, Binghamton, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can't do home visits where we don't have local volunteers.
