NINA
|
NINA is fast becoming my favorite. She is so sweet and playful and becomes happier every day. I love watching her bounce around the exercise yard, just enjoying life. She is such a funny looking little thing and the least like an Airedale, it is hard to get her out in front of the right audience. ADOPTED!!
|
|
Her coat is more like a shepherd than an Airedale . . . very black and straight and shiny. She does have some red whiskers and more the square terrier body type than sloping shepherd type body. She is the smallest of the dogs and is very calm, sweet and affectionate. She loves having you sit and pet her. She keeps her kennel clean. |
NINA
|
|
She is getting more confident every day and walking better and better on the leash. She doesn't feel like she needs to hide between your legs anymore. She will now explore the training yard and trots with her tail up - it is wonderful to watch her gain confidence. She is very playful and tosses her toys around in the kennel run, but does not tear them up.
She should get along with dogs, kids and maybe even c*ts. When you first see her, the sprinkling of white hair around her eyes make you think she is older, but I would put her at about 2-3 years.
Personally, I think she looks like she should be in movies.
BLACKIE is such a sweet guy, but isn't doing well at the kennel. The early 4th of July celebrations right by the kennel were hard on all the dogs, especially BLACKIE. When I take him out to the training yard, he is constantly looking up for danger.
He will be a great dog with just a little basic obedience work. He's very affectionate with all people, including children. He loves to be scratched and petted. I'm guessing 3-5 years old . . . great teeth, ears, eyes, tail, coat and conformation. ADOPTED!!
| |
|
He keeps the inside of his kennel clean. He sits while you put his leash on and takes treats gently.
He has the most beautiful head-up, tail-up, high-stepping prance when he trots. Completely black except for a white patch on his chest. Once the feathers grow back on his legs, he is going to be really handsome.
|
BLACKIE
|
|
BLACKIE, BUDDY & NINA all wait for me to take them out to the training yard in the morning and evening before they will go to the bathroom. BLACKIE, however, still marks on everything. I picture the three of them waiting for me at the kennel with their legs crossed, which keeps me motivated to get out there after work as soon as I can. I am hoping that BLACKIE can get along with Jack & Riley and I can bring him home and get him housebroken. Unfortunately, with the combination of his blackness, his alpha attitude toward other dogs, his fear of loud noises and unknown dangers in the sky, and his marking, it is going to be hard to find the perfect home for him. ADOPTED!!
CHELSEA is really opening up . . . she gets excited about her walks, and last night all four guys and gals went out on a walk with me. I felt like Ben Hur without the chariot.
She is very sweet girl, very gentle. She met a local Irish terrier on his morning walk in my neighborhood, but was very apprehensive with the owner, a man in his 40s. She has been friendlier, but still spooks pretty easily, so fast movements and new people really set her back outside.
CHELSEA feels very safe at home, and very comfortable with another dog, possibly would be a good companion with another dog, male. ADOPTED!!
On 7 July, Sidney reports:
On Sunday, I forced GRACE & CHARLIE to come out to the training yard. I then just had them stand for half an hour while I stroked them and let them listen to all the new sounds. Rick, the owner of the kennel, came by and stroked them all over too. ADOPTED!!
Today, instead of having to crawl through the dog door to trap them in the inner room, they stood in their kennel runs while I put on their collars and leashes . . . trembling and nervous . . . but standing instead of trying to hide.
GRACE lead me all the way down the run to the gate to the outside, wagging her tail and visiting with the other dogs in their runs. Once we got to the gate leading to the outside world, she wasn't so sure, but did walk with me out to the field where we again just absorbed the sights and sounds while I stroked her all over. ADOPTED!!
CHARLIE actually had his tail up and wagging the whole time and was bumping his head under my hand for pets. However, he was also panting heavily and drooling quite a bit. I think he is just naturally a pretty high-strung dog. Of course, he is also still unneutered . . . he & NINA have their appointments this week . . . so that might have something to do with it. ADOPTED!!
A great Monday so far!
ERNESTINE and Riley, Jack & Rose [SidneyDales] -- ready to go out on the town
(The 'Danas are from The Tulsa Trio Fundraiser.)
The 10 July report from Sidney:
When I last wrote, I told you BLACKIE had regressed and was frightened to come out from the covered kennel area to the open training yard. It got to the point where he really didn't want to leave his kennel run. ADOPTED!!
NINA, in the meantime, gets more and more confident. She is still shy when she meets a new person, but with me she is a happy, bouncy, playful, normal dog.
So, I had the thought . . . use NINA to help the others. It worked like a charm. One at a time, NINA helped me lead the others out to the yard, where every time they started to get a little nervous, they would look to NINA and see that she was running around and sniffing and they would relax. This morning, I let each one off leash in the yard. It was such a relief to see BLACKIE back to his normal confident self . . . running around lifting his leg on everything. ADOPTED!!
Even GRACE ran around with NINA, sniffing at the ground and gently wagging her tail. GRACE & NINA had what I think was a play session, but kept under control in case it was going to turn into a fight. You know how they bounce around stiff-legged and put their paws up on the other dog's back? They each did it in turn to each other and the tails were wagging, but there was also some growling, so I made them stop and just run around together. ADOPTED!!
CHARLIE ran around a little, but felt safer standing by me and observing the world. ADOPTED!!
NINA reminds me of those calm little quarter horses they use to bring out the high-strung race horses at the track, or the very, very helpful older daughter to a family of younger siblings. ADOPTED!!
Stephanie reports that LESLIE let her scissor her body and brush her out again. She wouldn't let her get near her head. She is still easily frightened by ordinary household noises and the kids are discouraged that she doesn't seem to like them. I think she has made great progress and hope they will have the patience to let her gradually get used to them. ADOPTED!!
INDY is housebroken, crate-trained, gets along with dogs, kids, people and cats. The only thing he won't do is respond to "come". ADOPTED!!
| |
CONTINUE WITH THE STORY OF THE AIREZONA 19 HERE
