- Breed: Lab/Border Collie mix (our best guess!)
- Gender: Female spayed
- Age: 2 years old
- Size: 40 pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes! Even better with confident/happy dogs that are respectful!
- Cats? Yes! I love cats and will give them gentle kisses if they let me!
- Kids? 8+ if quiet and gentle, just like me!
Hello! My name is June and I am the most gentle, sweet, adventurous, and smartest girl around!
History
Not much is initially known about me, but this is what I do know: I have already been through a lot in my life. I was found pregnant and roaming the streets in Texas last summer. After some very nice people found me, I moved to New York, had my puppies, and have been adjusting to life in the house since then. I was adopted by my current mom this past November and have lived in Ithaca with her for the past 6 months. Because I’ve gone through a lot of changes, I am adjusting as best as I can and require some loving patience and positive reinforcement. I am still learning how to be a dog and I need a very gentle and loving hand in my forever home please!
Personality
Once I come out of my shell, I have a big, sweet personality and I love to do things with you both inside and outside! When in the house, I love nothing more than chilling out and having you nearby. My energy level indoors is generally low, so I enjoy doing more low-key activities like chewing my chew toys/bones, sleeping on my dog bed(s), and observing you from a distance while you do household tasks. I just got the courage recently to try the couch while hanging out with my human, which she encouraged, and I love that this time allows me to snuggle her while sleep next to her on a cozy blanket! I also LOVE watching TV (really!) and will listen to voices, music, and sounds as I watch the shapes move on the screen – one of my favorite shows to watch is Bluey. And I love Pixar movies!
Once I’m outside, the world is my oyster! My daily walks in the morning and afternoons are my favorite times of the day!! I especially love going on adventures, and hiking has become one of my favorite activities. My mom and I have been working on my leash manners since she adopted me, and I’ve come a long way from pulling and shying away at loud cars to walking confidently by her side and ignoring loud noises. Everyone is so proud of me! I may pull slightly when I see another dog or a bird that I want to say hello to, but I am pretty quick to refocus with gentle and positive redirection to sitting, watching, and having some kibble while I wait :). One of my favorite things about walks is having some off-leash time in a safe area to sniff things, explore, and, most importantly, to play fetch! My mom just taught me this wonderful game and I have gotten very good at bringing the ball back!
Along with learning fetch fairly quickly, I have learned many other commands and tricks very quickly too (so long as there’s kibble or treats involved!). As of right now I know “sit”, “give paw/paw”, “lay down”, “roll-over”, “heel”, “go to bed”, “all done” (usually mom says this when I want more kibble from her and she ran out – how silly of her!), and “go potty.” I am especially good with the command “wait” and will sit and wait patiently a) after mom puts my leash on, b) before I eat breakfast/dinner, and c) when another dog or person walks past us, which helps me observe them without reacting. This allows me to safely say “Hi!” if their parent says that they’re friendly! Another one I know is “car.” Mom will give me this command and I will jump in the car and lay down along the backseat until we reach our destination! I was not always a huge fan of this at first, but with time and patience I learned that the car will take me somewhere fun and I am much more willing to come along!
Something else that I love to do. that not many other dogs like is… to dress up! Give me any bandanna, shirt, sweatshirt, sweater– you name it– and I will happily wait for you to put it on me! I get pretty cold when the weather is chilly outside, so I love sweaters and jackets and coats!
In the early days of living with my mom, I was quite anxious when she left the house and I was home alone. I didn’t know if she would come back, or when, and it felt scary. I began to pee in the house during these times, even though I am totally housebroken. The vet gave me some anxiety medication, mom lovingly worked with me to learn that pottying outside, always, was the most rewarding thing possible, and I’m over that now (have not done this since April 1st!). There are a few important things you should know about this. 1) I can never (never!) be put into a crate. This was one of the methods we tried, but it terrified me so much that I spent the whole time chewing on the bars and trying to squeeze my body through the crate bars…my mom came home and found me terribly scraped and bruised all over, and my collar torn. Dogs truly do strangle themselves and die this way. Please do not ever put me in a crate or small/confined area. It could be fatal for me and is overall a terrifying experience. The good news is that my mom switched to baby gating me in my favorite room (the living room!) and that worked great! I’m even starting to get a little curious and exploratory when left alone (very good signs that I am SO MUCH more at ease!) but haha, now you need to put away your favorite shoes or any stuffed animals or they might get chewed up while you are gone! 2) Though I am fine at home alone now, it is highly likely that I will have some accidents in the house for the first month or so in my new home. So I need a new home where people will be understanding, patient, and helpful. And NOT put me in a crate!
Cohabitation
I love people! I am a teensy bit nervous with new people and it helps a lot when strangers ignore me at first and don’t immediately try to pet me, giving me a chance to observe them (easier for me to meet a new person outdoors too!) Pretty quickly, if they ignore me, I will feel brave enough to come and say hi, and if my mom gives them some kibble or some treats to offer to me when I approach them, then we are best friends and I will ask them for belly rubs! The only time I ever growled when meeting a new person was when that person had a beard. It took me 3 meetings (with him doing everything right) for me to feel comfortable with him, so we wonder if someone with a beard wasn’t so nice to me in the past. I generally become your best friend in 1 meeting, but if you have a beard…maybe in 3!
I LOVE dogs! Very hyper or large dogs can be a little overwhelming for me but I LOVE nice dogs and would love to share my home with a non-hyper dog! I am amazing with puppies–I like to run around with them and I teach them manners by gently tapping them to sit down when they are in my face! They remind me of my own puppies that I had, so any chance that I see one I love to stop and say hello!
I LOVE and am very gentle with cats and other small animals like pet rabbits. I give them gentle sniffs when we meet and calmly watch when they run all around the house!
Though I am fine with kids, loud and sudden noises or movements frighten me, so living with young kids would be stressful. I enjoy calm kids when they are gentle with me, so kids 8+ are the best fit. Calm introductions with lots of snacks is the best way for us to get to know each other best!
Favorite Activities
- Going for walks/hikes!
- TRAINING!! I love kibble rewards!
- Licking a frozen kong with wet food in it (when mom is away)!
- Sleeping in my beds (and yours!)!
- Playing fetch and chewing on my toys!
- Watching TV!
- Hanging out with my cat roommate! I love cats, dogs, and other animals!
Why I am looking for a new home
My mom is a graduate student and her schedule changes drastically every 4-8 weeks (yikes!) as she moves through new classes and clinics and rotations. Not living with a predictable routine is quite hard on me, and will get worse and worse over the next 4+ years of her schooling. The decision to find me a new home makes her very sad, but we both know it would be best for me. I am so grateful that she got me out of the southern shelter and has taught me to love and trust in people and in the world and even though it will make me sad to leave her, I know I will thrive and be happiest in a stable, predictable environment with routine and consistency.
Medical
I am very healthy and up to date on vaccines!
To help me with the anxiety I was having, the vet put me on Fluoxetine (doggy Prozac) and Trazodone (mild sedative/anti-anxiety medication). These help me stay calm when my mom goes to school every day and helps me feel safer and happier (haha, along with the Kong filled with frozen wet food inside!). She also turns a white-noise machine that plays very lovely music which I also find soothing!
Summary
I am a very smart, sweet, gentle girl looking for a more stable forever home. I would do best with someone that either has a consistent work schedule, or someone who is retired or works from home. I do my very best when my humans are positive and patient with me, and I get along great with other animals and people. I need my new family to understand that I am still learning, so I will need someone that is willing to still work with me and keep up my training. This is easy for me since I pick up new tricks quickly and I am very eager to please with some time and kibble.
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.
