Quick Facts:
- Breed: German Shepherd mix
- Gender: Female
- Age: 8 months old
- Size: 50+ pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes! (see Cohabitation)
- Cats? Yes! (see Cohabitation)
- Kids? Yes! (see Cohabitation)
Hello!! My name is Zoe. I am smart, playful, and ready for adventure!!
History
In mid-March I started being fostered by a professional dog trainer with rescue experience who wanted to help me! She had heard that my then-family, who loved me and were very kind, were too busy with their 4 teenage kids to provide any of the training and daily activity that I need. Plus, the hustle and bustle of their home was just too overstimulating for a young pup like me! They didn’t know what they were going to do and didn’t want to surrender me to a shelter, so thank goodness that a local dog professional stepped up and said she would let me live with her and would find me a great new home! I am so grateful that CDR is helping to look for that home, yay!
Personality
I am very sweet. I like to give kisses! I enjoy a good back scratch! My face lights up when you tell me I’m really good girl!! I love to be where you are, and especially when you are making dinner because sometimes yummy things drop on the floor!
I am super S-M-A-R-T!! I learn commands very quickly and I LOVE to learn new things! I already know how to sit, down, stay, come, shake, crawl, and feet up (both feet on your arm). I will work hard to learn new things…as long as there are yummy food treats involved!
I love to play fetch! I am getting much better at returning the ball and giving it up when I am told “leave it.” I have a really big tennis ball that I enjoy chasing around too! I’m not allowed to have soft, fuzzy toys because I pull those apart in about 20 seconds (ha-ha!), so, I have a few rubbery toys that I play with. One even lights up and squeaks! It’s awesome!
I am working hard on learning new awesome things! Before coming here, I wasn’t on a leash much, so that was hard to learn, but I’m getting better at it every day (this will be something we will have to continue to work on). I really love to go for walks! And when I say walks, I mean energetic WALKS! I’m not out for a leisurely stroll, I’m a pup on a mission!! I like to go-go-go! We are starting to go more places now and I am learning (a little!) to ignore distractions like other dogs, people, and vehicles. As I get older, I would love to go on hiking adventures with you!!
I am crate trained and housebroken! I use just a blanket in my crate (I unstuffed a dog bed once….oops!). I will go right into my crate as long you have a treat in your hand, but look out when it’s time for me to come out! Like a bull coming out of a chute, haha!! To help me learn to exit more calmly, my foster mom puts a leash on me, I’m told to “wait” and then I walk out much better. I currently ride in a crate in the car for safety (mine and yours)…my foster mom thinks I might climb all over her otherwise!
In my original home, I was allowed to do whatever I wanted. So I did! There are rules in my new foster home, which sometimes isn’t ideal, but honestly, it’s a relief to have some structure and rules and to have a human running the show so I can relax and be a dog! And since I get treats when I do right, I’m pretty happy about it all! I am young and very curious (like all smart dogs), so need to be monitored all the time so I don’t get into things that I shouldn’t. You can either keep me in the same room as you and keep an eye on me, or keep a leash on me so I can’t wander away and “go exploring things.”
I am full of energy and so need lots of daily exercise (physical and also mental)! That can be in your fenced yard chasing balls, going for excellent brisk, longer walks, going on hikes, and learning new tricks and commands! When I am nicely tired out, I patter over to a dog bed and lay down. They say it’s super adorable. I would LOVE to do agility classes or nosework classes or fun doggy training classes! I would also love to play with other dogs!
Cohabitation
Adult humans: I love people and warm up to people quickly! There is a guy in my foster home that I absolutely LOVE!! He is quiet and calm. He tells me I’m a” really good girl!” when I sit nice and wait to be petted. However, I get really excited when I see him and I want to jump on him! So tricky!
Kids: I lived in a home with 4 older kids (12-15 years old) who were nice though 3 of them really didn’t understand how to handle my excitement. The one girl was amazing though, and she taught me all kinds of fun things! I currently live with an 8 year-old boy. This kid is the BEST!!! He is calm, quiet, and best of all, he does training with me! Sometimes I get too excited and jump up at him. He calmly tells me “off” and “oh, we don’t do that, silly” and I get it. We take walks while he rides his bike. I keep a watchful eye on him, I think I am his big sister!
Other dogs: I LOVE other dogs!!! My play style is called “rough-and-tumble,” which is quite normal for my breed, but not a good match for some dogs who have gentler play styles. I’m currently in a home with 3 Beagles and an Australian Shepherd. I am allowed to play with the youngest Beagle under supervision. I get a little too amped up sometimes in the excitement of playing with him, and I need to be reminded to calm it down, that not all dogs like to play so rough! I would love a dog my own size to play with, who also had a rough-and-tumble play style! The other dogs here are older, so I don’t get to play with them because they might accidently get hurt. I would feel bad if that happened.
Cats: There are 3 cats that live here. One I rarely see because she is elderly and sleeps like 23 hours a day. The other 2 aren’t very interactive. They don’t run away from me. I try to get them to play but they just won’t. They sometimes hiss at me. I’m told “leave it” and I usually do. I mean no harm to anyone, am just looking for someone to play with!
Favorite Activities:
- going for walks!
- training! Treats!
- playing fetch!
- learning new tricks and skills!
- chewing on marrow bones!
- hanging with my human peeps!
- playing with other dogs!
Medical
I am young and healthy. I am current on vaccinations. I wear a Seresto collar (April 2021). I will need to be spayed but I am not done growing yet.
Summary
I am a very active, energetic young pup who is looking for a very active, dog experienced family! Ideally I would love a home with a fenced in yard (6 feet fence is highly recommended)., and with people who are game to keep doing training with me! I am working hard on not jumping up and grabbing (I was allowed to do that for a long time in my original home, so this will take some time to unlearn). My foster mom says she will consider homes with children on an individual basis. I will need to be spayed when I am older (1-1.5 years old), as I am not yet done growing and spaying dogs of my breed too young often leaves us with orthopedic problems as we age. I would love to share a home with a well-mannered dog my own size and play style who could show me the ropes! My foster mom thinks I would excel in obedience, rally, agility, scentwork, or barn hunt!
If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca , Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers. The rescue will forward it to my current foster mom, who will a) be in touch with you and, b) make all decisions about my placement!
