Archive for the ‘Adoption’ Category

Arabella! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Arabella (2)

Arabella is a beautiful Border Collie (cross?) with a wonderful temperament and lovely manners.

She has only been in Waikanae a couple weeks but I expect she will be in hot demand. She gets on well with the other dogs and walks nicely on a lead. She has obviously had some previous training. The work I did with her was simply to introduce her to the clicker and help her get comfortable in her new environment. (Clicker work is a fantastic confidence builder!)

Spring is on its way already, so now is a great time to get that dog you have been wanting to keep your feet warm all winter! Arabella loves a cuddle and is a soft and gentle soul. She would love to spend time, and maybe even go to work with you!  As a Collie she will have a lot of energy, and she is not quite 2 years old, so you may want to think about doing agility, she is a quick learner and would love the exercise!

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Moe! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Moe (6)

Moe is a playful and sweet, 7 month old, who has been brought up in the puppy run of Newtown and has now been down in the dog run for 2 months.

He is confident and confortable playing with most other dogs and loves people. So far in training, we have practiced sit, down, focus, target, choosing to heel and stay! He really enjoys the training and is very attentive! a couple weeks back I decided to see how he was on a walk. With Moe’s confident attitude, in play and socializing, I figured he would be a bit of a lead puller, boy was I wrong!

We walked for 30 minutes around the SPCA/Newtown area and he was calm but by no means a confident puller. He stayed close to me (especially if anything surprising happened) and responded very well to the clicking for a loose lead exercises. We had a really nice walk, no barking or scared behavior, just a little unsure of the big wide world. He seemed happy and relieved to have me there to watch his back!Moe (4)

If you are thinking that Moe might be the right, new member of your family, I would suggest calling the SPCA and setting up an appointment to meet him in the play yard where you can see him at his best, then take him for a short walk to experience his more cautious side. If you meet him in his kennel, keep in mind that he has been in the stressful dog run for a while now and is not doing well in the kennel environment, not enough contact with people! He acts desperate to be let out and this can include barking, if this happens simply ask for a sit and offer him a treat and he will calm down quickly.

I think Moe will be a great dog for practically any home, but will need a fair amount of exercise (at least 2 walks a day and lots of play) for quite awhile.  If you are interested in an active dog, that will really enjoy training and maybe agility in his future!? Then get down to Newtown and check out Moe!

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Clyde! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Clyde (4)

Clyde is part of the same littler as Mylie, Kylie and Pixie. They are reportedly Mastiff /Greyhound crosses, although some of them look  more like German Shepherds! Clyde is now 10 months old and still hasn’t even been on trial once! No one has given this boy a chance.

Getting to know Clyde is easy. He is a soft hearted guy who loves a good belly rub (and will frequently throw himself on his back in order to get it) and a good cuddle. He yields quickly if he perceives a threat from a person or another dog, although he loves to play and doesn’t mind being knocked around a bit by dogs who like to play a bit rough.

Although Clyde does get along well with other dogs and should continue to socialize, I think he would benefit extremely well from a home where he was the only dog. He is so yielding that another more confident dog would push him out of the way and he would always let that happen.

Clyde has gotten along really well with the volunteer’s kids that come to play with him ( two boys ages 5-8) so I think a family with kids in that age range (or possibly even younger) would do well with a dog like Clyde.

Clyde does startle easily, so you may find that walking him initially may pose a few minor challenges. But he recovers quickly, so I would recommend starting with short, fun walks before moving on to areas with high traffic or long walks.

Please come meet our Clyde at Waikanae SPCA on one of these nice weather days!

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Cole! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Cole (5)

Cole came into the Newtown SPCA at the age of 5 months and is now 7 months old. He is described on the website as a Huntaway Cross, but he is completely Tan and has a a huge notch taken out of his left ear, evidence of abuse from his previous life?

He was under protective custody for the first few weeks at the shelter until he was officially surrendered.

Personality wise he gets along really great which many of the dogs, he especially likes to hang with the younger pups  like Ted, or Veronica.

With all of the dogs at the SPCA right now, I have to admit I have only had the chance to work with Cole a couple of times in the weeks that he has been living in the kennels. Both times we have trained together he has been attentive, interested, but not pushy at all. He sits beautifully and seems very patient. He also has keen eyes that seem to look straight into your head! It isn’t a hard stare, but a look that seems to see into your soul. It almost makes me think I am looking at a Dingo or some sort of wild animal, except that he is so gentle and loves to just sit together and watch the world passDSC_0863 by.

He is going to be a tall dog no doubt, but not a big dog, he is leggy and graceful.

He is not doing well in the kennel environment because he is so social that he just wants to be with people, and interact. I don’t think he would need his new home to have someone there all the time, but someone who didn’t work full time would probably be best unless he was going to a multi-dog home.

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Ted! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, June 19th, 2011

Ted (10)

Ted has been with Newtown SPCA now since he was a little cuddle puppy. He was born just after Christmas on the 29th. He is a Staffy/Bull Terrier Cross with a busy personality.

When he was first moved down from the puppy run into the dog run about a month ago he was very nervous of the change. I was pleased with how quickly he settled in and learned that the way to get attention from me was to sit quietly instead of barking.

I enjoy training with him in the dog yard and last week when the yard was busy I decided to take him for a training walk. I expected him to walk with confidence and although he didn’t react badly to anything, he would regularly stop and sit. This told me that the walking was a bit scary for him, so I waited for him to get comfortable and he quickly decided to join me. We passed bicycles, skateboards, a baby in a pram and even passed a leaf blower! by the end of the 30  minutes he was walking nicely along side me and checking in regularly with eye contact.

Ted plays with the other dogs his age but does tend to get a little too rambunctious on occasion, so needs lots of breaks while playing. I think heTed (1) would do great with a family who could give him plenty of structure and training. He would need positive interactions with other dogs and people regularly, and he would do really well as a second dog if the first dog is older and confident and would help him learn polite doggie behaviors!

Overall  Ted’s personality is friendly, and outgoing, but cautious in new situations. I enjoy working with him now and I really hope that whoever adopts him will give me a call and take advantage of their free training certificate!

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Zac! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

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Zac is a Brindle Labrador mix, has has gotten to be quite a chunky boy since he was first surrendered to the SPCA in Waikanae in February. At that time he was not quite 4 months old and had been rescued from a neglectful owner.

He became fast friends with the other dogs, in fact he really looks up to Tane, who is the  confident older dog of the group.

Zac is initially nervous of new people so don’t be surprised if he gives a good bark when he first sees you, but offer him a treat anZac (3)d get to know him and he will warm up very quickly. He loves a good cuddle and belly tub!

He learns cues pretty quickly, although during training he is laid back and very relaxed. If I get distracted from training by a question from the staff, Zac will settle into a ‘down’ and just wait for us to finish chatting! So he is not overly demanding of attention. He will probably be a fairly big dog (my favorite) which also means his energy requirements are going to be a bit lower than the typical medium sized dogs. He gets along well with the young boys who visit him regularly (age 6-10).

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Pumba! Dog of the Week!

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Pumba (2)

Pumba is a rough and tumble girl with the face of a comedian. She is a Mastiff cross, born in October 2010. She arrived at Newtown SPCA in February at 4 months old. She spent some time with the puppies upstairs then moved down to the dog run at 5 months old.

The thing that stands out the most about Pumba is her strikingly, twisty face. No one is completely sure what happened to her before being surrendered to the shelter but the right side of her face is twisted up like she may have been in a bad accident.

Although she has a face only a mother could love she is a friendly and dynamic young dog who loves people and games! One of her best traits is that she is so quiet in her kennel, while other dogs may be barking she will only move from the comfy spot on her bed if someone walks up to her door and says hello!

Her training is coming along nicely. The first time I worked with her the first thing I noticed was that she tended to jump up (very common issue) and she had what we call a “hard mouth” that means when I offered Pumbaher a treat she grabbed it as if I might take it away at the last second. As she has gained confidence  and practiced a ‘gentle’ cue, her mouth has become much softer and she has learned the beginnings of a very solid ‘leave-it’ cue! She still occasionally tries to jump up for attention but quickly remembers that sitting is the way to all good things!

I would recommend Pumba to a moderate-active family, as she has lots of energy now, but will probably need less exercise than your average high energy puppy. My guess is that she will love to play and run a couple times a day  but will happily curl up and be a couch potato as well!

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Joanie! Dog of the Week!

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Joanie (11)

Joanie has had a hard time finding the right home. She was brought into Newtown SPCA at about 10 weeks old with her mother and all her litter mates. Slowly each one of her litter mates has found a home and Joanie herself has been on trial twice.

Why didn’t they keep her? She is very interested in livestock! Both homes that have looked into adopting her eventually brought her back because of her livestock focus.

She is fantastic with other dogs, aJoanie (30)s she is not an overly confident girl on her own, an older calm and confident dog would be just the thing to make her feel at ease in a new home home.

If you go to Waikanae to meet her keep in mind that she is a very relationship oriented dog. That is, she needs a relationship to be able to interact with you. Joanie is a dog with a lot of fidelity to offer, she will look to you for leadership and support when she is nervous. You will find that when she does warm up to you, she is a dog who loves a good cuddle!

I have been working on her on obedience cues since she arrived in Newtown at 16 weeks old and she is now  almost 1 year old. She is a fast learner, although confidence is an issue so we take things slow and steady! She is very Joanie (50)good at sit, down, target, focus, stay, heeling, and walking on lead with the Gentle Leader. Though much of the time she would prefer to hang out and sit together calmly. But don’t let that fool you, she is a young and active dog and will need a good bit of exercise!

So if you don’t live near livestock, maybe you have another dog, and you want a dog who will be a fantastic companion, then you should definitely come meet Joanie!

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Mylie and Kylie! Dogs of the Week!

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

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Mylie and Kylie are Sisters. Brought in as young puppies with a large litter, they were registered as a cross between a Mastiff and… wait for it… a grey hound!

They are both amazingly sweet girls who get along well with other dogs and seem to love everyone.

I got the opportunity to walk Mylie at Lyall Bay a few weeks back for the Myliedog walkathon and although she was only 4 months old at the time she learned quickly to walk with me and politely greet the other dogs. She is a big girl (must take after the Mastiff!) and she just loves to cuddle!

Kylie is much smaller than Mylie, she has tighter skin. She is laid back and loves to learn! I have only had a chance to work with her once, so far and she picked up behaviors like ‘target’, ‘sit’, and ‘focus’ quickly.

I have 3 of their sibling as clients, and have enjoyed working with all of them, frankly I am surprised these two are still looking for homes! They are both at the SPCA in Newtown waiting to meet just the right person or family to adopt them!

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Tane! Dog of the Week!

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Tane (3)

Tane showed up at Waikanae SPCA a few weeks ago. I actually met him the first day he arrived so he was quite worried and paced around, wouldn’t take any treats I offered him and cried a little as he explored his new temporary home.

Still, as I sat and watched him pace and sniff, he would occasionally shuffle up next to me, give me a nose nudge and a quick lean. Then he would be off again.

A week later he was a much more relaxed dog. He had settled into his new routine and felt comfortable with the other dogs. He actually seemed to have some sort of calming affect on the other younger dogs, (although Tane is only 1 year old).

To start some training I introduced Tane to the clicker and as he realize that the click was related to what he was doing, he started to offer me, not sits, but downs! In fact I have never met a dog who is so enamoured of the ‘down’ position! If you ask for a sit you get a down, target?- down, focus?-down. And not some lazy down either but a full fledged obedience, attention giving, solid, I won;t move unless I am hit by a car DOWN.

Over the last few weeks We have worked on a few new behaviors, like sit. Tane still offers a ‘down’ first, but then has learned to fix himsTane (1)elf by sitting up from the down position, as of yet he has not mastered the art of sitting form a standing position! Although he has learned a focused eye contact (very good at this being a herding dog breed) and a pretty solid ‘target’ cue which has helped him learn to follow a hand signal and lure.

So, if you are looking for a smart, sweet, cuddly dog, who gets along well with other dogs (I have a feeling he would be very gentle with children) AND you really like a dog to LAY DOWN, then this is absolutely the right dog for you.

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