Quick Facts:
- Breed: Hound mix
- Gender: Female, spayed
- Age: 7.5 years old
- Size: 50 pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Maybe! See Cohabitation section!
- Cats? Probably not!
- Kids? Yes…12+ years!
Hello! My name is Sadie and I am a sweet soulful girl!
***Sadie is not a CDR dog but please fill out an adoption application and it will be forwarded to her family!***
History
I was found wandering the streets without a home back in 2016, and landed at the local SPCA. My current family adopted me from there, and I have been happy in their home with mom, dad, and 2 little kids since. Unfortunately, as the kids have gotten bigger and more rambunctious (they are now 3 and 6 years old), I have gotten a bit stressed and overly excited by their enthusiasm, and as I try to both join in, and police, their play, things have gotten a little tense! It’s all confusing for me and the kids, and my jumping around on them and doing play-nipping in my attempt to join in is not as fun for them as I imagine. I’m not allowed to be outside with them anymore when they are running around and it makes me very sad. I would actually feel much happier in a home environment that is calmer, and doesn’t confuse and stress me out in this way. My mom and dad promise to find me a great one, and I’m excited!
Personality
I am sweet, loving, and silly! And adorable! And soulful! And something about me makes people go, “Aww!!!!!” Some of the silly things I do that make my current family laugh include a) making a chirping/muffled bark sound when I dream, and I also snore– kind of a lot! b) when it’s warm out, rolling around in the grass with a super goofy-happy look on my face, and when it’s snowy, bounding through the snow like a deer or a fox and trying to catch snowballs! c) when napping indoors, I do that circle-circle-circle nesting thing before laying down, and then I curl up into a tight adorable donut shape and tuck my face into my blanket! d) I hold my treats between my front paws when eating, and sometimes I tuck my front paws underneath me and look like a little lamb!
I am the perfect dog for someone who appreciates a less needy, more independent, but still very sweet and loving dog. I love being part of a family–being with you, around you, and near you–but I also often like my personal space. I really enjoy some nice gentle petting and belly rubs (especially when I ask for it), and sometimes I like to cuddle or snuggle on the couch or bed with you, and I always love it when you talk to me, tell me what you’re thinking, tell me what’s going on in your day, in your heart, and in your mind! I also love going for leashed walks with you, exploring in a fenced yard with you or on my own, and laying around in the same room as you, but I’m not the kind of dog who always wants to be on your lap or getting snuggled 24/7.
I really do love a good walk with my people, or a good snuffle around a fenced yard. But I also love finding a super comfortable spot inside and snoozing much of the day! I am low key and chill! My favorite sleeping spot is a warm soft human bed or a cozy couch, however my family prefers I sleep on my own dog bed. So when they are around, I snuggle up on my own bed, but hahaha…when they are gone, I sometimes sneak up on the couch or onto their bed! 😊
I’m of course housebroken. And as I have no love for the cold or the rain, on bad weather days, I want to go out and do my business and then come right back inside! Right now my home has an invisible fence and. I like this very much because I have the independence to go out and run around freely on my property. I would be ok without a fenced yard, but I would need to be kept on leash at all times when outside. Hound dogs like me are bred to follow any interesting scents, and not to hear you call once we are locked onto a smell. It’s not a matter of training, or me being stubborn or willful, it’s a matter of genetics!
I love all types of food!! And I will wait patiently, watching you cook, and pleading with my soulful eyes for some of your delicious smelling food! Like most Hounds, I view your leaving food out on tables or in easy access trash cans as invitations to help myself (you are so kind to leave food out for me!), so I need a house in which food is always put away and trash cans are not easy to get into.
As I mentioned, I am a calm girl and like a calm home environment. Fast movements or lots of noise make me anxious. If there is a lot of yelling (even just at the TV!) I will slink away to a dark, quiet spot in the house and hide. It makes me upset, so please only consider me if you are–in general–a pretty calm household.
I am smart! Even though I have only had a little bit of training, I have learned some commands like “sit”, “down”, “off”, and “go to your bed.” Of course I don’t always comply, but truth be told, it’s because I don’t always get rewarded for doing so! If you want me to do stuff, please reward me with treats, then I will be very excited to do what you ask!
I have not had much help learning how to walk calmly or nicely on a leash so will pull or lunge if there are any interesting things going on outside. I might benefit greatly from a no-pull harness like a Freedom harness or a Sensation harness. With some steady positive reinforcement training, I am sure I would improve a great deal, so I am also looking for a home where someone either wants to help me get better at this with positive reinforcement training, or where we live in the country with a fenced yard in which I can get the majority of my exercise and outdoor time without doing leashed walks. I am comfortable staying home by myself all day, so someone who works out of the house would be a fine fit. Before the pandemic I used to stay home alone for about 8 hours a day without a problem.
Cohabitation
I like most people, especially if they don’t rush at me or put their hands all over me before I know them. I like a calm and respectful greeting, where people talk to me sweetly but don’t get all in my personal space. Then I feel safer, happier, and understood, and then I love being around that person! I do sometimes act scared of tall and unfamiliar men, and will bark at them and sometimes even act menacingly toward them. Something bad must have happened in my past with a tall man, so I appreciate if you promise to manage interactions with tall or unfamiliar men thoughtfully, so I learn to be less scared.
I like children of all ages but only in small doses and I prefer they give me my personal space. I find it very stressful to be around kids who run around fast, scream (even in delight), who might chase me, or who might want to hug or hold or pet me too much. For this reason, a home with kids over the age of 12 sounds best.
I have had very little experience with other dogs in the past 5 years. When I was at the SPCA, they tested me and gave me a green tag, which meant that I was fine with other dogs. But since being in my home the past 5 years, I have not had the opportunity to have doggy playmates, and have been very reactive to other dogs that I see when out on a leashed walk or who pass by my home territory when I am out in my fenced yard. On two occasions, an unfamiliar dog was brought into my home territory (into the house or into my yard) in the past 5 years, and both times there was a scuffle/minor fight. It was unclear how the scuffles started, and no dog needed medical attention, so it wasn’t too bad, but clearly it was stressful for me and the other dogs. My family didn’t know that it’s never a good idea to bring a strange dog into another dog’s home territory (yard or house), so we really don’t know if things would have gone better if we dogs had been introduced properly. Probably easiest if I am your only dog, but if you have a calm, gentle, (preferably male) dog at home, and you want to see if we could become friends, I am game! The rescue can send you a really helpful description of how to introduce new dogs to one another to help them feel less stressed and hopefully more friendly toward each other!
I do not have any experience with cats. I might be fine, if they left me alone, we really don’t know. I like to chase my family’s chickens around the yard, but I never seem to be able to get close enough to actually get one!
Favorite Activities
-
- I love:
- Sleeping!
- Hanging out near you!
- Eating! Snacks! Treats!
- Running around the yard and rolling in the grass!
- Chasing the chickens around the yard or barking at the neighbor dogs!
Medical
I am up to date on all of my shots, just had an annual exam at Colonial Vet Hospital on 2/4/22 and was proclaimed a very healthy girl!
I am blind! For unknown reasons, the blood vessels that should be feeding the optic nerves are just totally gone. I sometimes bump into furniture, especially if you move things around, and it’s hard for me to catch balls or find treats thrown to me on the floor, but otherwise I get along wonderfully and have no complaints!
Before my family got the invisible fence I slipped a lead, ran into the road, was hit by a car, and broke my leg. I had surgery to fix my leg, and now has bolts in it! It works just great, but due to my age and this old injury, I prefer to take it easy and not do any strenuous physical activity. Most dogs (or people!) who have injuries like that get some arthritis in those areas as they age, so I will probably do best with joint supplements and maybe some arthritis meds as I get older.
Summary
If you are looking for a sweet, adorable couch potato who will provide quiet and warm companionship, I’m your girl! I would love to curl up on the couch next to you while you read a book or watch tv at the end of the day. I am hoping for a relatively quiet and calm home environment and would prefer a home with a fenced yard or an invisible fence to keep me safe.
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 family, who will a) be in touch with you and b) make all decisions about my placement!
