Gender: Female
Age: 3 years (approx. DOB 1/1/2015)
Weight: 39 lbs
Color: Orange and white
Breed: English Setter
Good with Children: There are no children in Lucy’s foster home, but she does well with the teenage children who come to visit. Lucy can be a bit nervous, so I don’t know how she would do with very young children or toddlers and she can be boisterous, so I would have reservations about sending her to a home with little ones. I think she would be fine will older kids.
Good with Dogs: Yes, absolutely. Lucy loves other dogs. There have been a long parade of foster dogs (in addition to the resident dogs) in Lucy’s foster home, and she has done well with all of them. She especially likes to play with her sisters Noelle and Sara. They love to run, chase and wrestle. Lucy doesn’t have a great understanding of personal space though, so she might irritate an older or less patient dog. A home with another young, energetic dog would be great for her.
Good with Cats: Unknown, but highly unlikely. Lucy has a very high prey drive, and chasing squirrels and birds is a favorite activity, so I would not trust her with a cat.
House trained: Yes. On rare occasion, Lucy gets too distracted outside to remember to go potty, and she may have an accident in her kennel overnight if I don’t get her back out for a potty break. She was on medication for a while that made her have accidents, but since she has been off the medication, she has been very reliable in the house.
Crate trained: Yes. Lucy runs straight into her crate whenever she sees her food bowl or a treat come out. She would prefer to be out of the crate and close to her person, but she goes in well and will relax and settle in her crate overnight and if I am out of the house.
Leash trained: Yes. Lucy is OK on the leash. She tends to pull for the first few minutes and if she sees a squirrel or something else exciting. Otherwise, she does fairly well on leash, but could still use further training. She does not heel perfectly by your side.
Activity Level: High Energy. Lucy is an “on-the-go” kind of gal. She was clearly a hunting dog in her native Greece, and her instincts are very strong. She loves to run in the big back yard and can go tirelessly for hours, especially if there are birds or critters to chase. She would probably take well to hunting if she could find a family with the time and patience to train her. Lucy definitely needs an active family and a big yard in her forever home. Once she has had a good run outside, she loves to come in and cuddle. As long as she gets enough exercise, she settles down well in the house.
Fence: Very Strongly Preferred. A home with an unfenced yard will only be considered if she will have frequent (daily) access to a fenced dog park or safe fields when she can run freely. Lucy is not a dog who will be content with a couple of daily leash walks only.
Training/Behavior: Lucy needs a family who will continue to work with her on training. She has very selective hearing, particularly when she’s focused on something else, and her recall is not reliable. She also has the habit of counter-surfing and jumping on people for attention, so her family will need to continue to work with her on her manners. Although she needs training, Lucy is a clever dog and wants to please. I think she would benefit from a formal obedience class.
Medical History: Lucy is now healthy and up to date on all appropriate vaccinations. She is also current on Flea/Tick and Heartworm prevention. Lucy came to A&B positive for heartworms, and it took a long time to make sure she was completely recovered. During her treatment, she became extremely sick and went into anaphylaxis (we aren’t sure if it was from the heartworm treatment as it happened just a few days after her first injection, or something else which we never discovered). As a result, we had to stop her treatment for a number of months and then start over. She is now 100% heartworm free, and the doctors do not see any signs of damage to her heart or lungs from when she had the worms. When she was ill, she was tested for every disease you can think of (and a bunch you have never heard of) and she is negative for everything.
She now has a fully clean bill of health. Since she did have heartworms previously, it is particularly critical that her adoptive family keeps her on HW prevention year-round.
Lucy originates from Greece where Leishmaniasis is endemic. She tested negative for Leishmaniasis before coming to the US and again over the summer, but the parasite can remain dormant in the system for many years, so potential adopters must be willing to commit to having her tested annually for the next 7 years.
Foster Comments: Lucy is a wonderful dog who needs a very special family. She has a lot of energy and definitely needs an outlet for all that enthusiasm. When she is inside, she is a bit of a clingy dog and wants to be as close to her person as possible. Lucy doesn’t really understand the concept of personal space, so she will be in your lap, kissing your face, on the couch curled around your neck – wherever she can be close to you. Furniture privileges are an absolute must for Lucy’s forever home.
Lucy is used to being in a home where she isn’t alone for more than 3-4 hours, and often less. She would not do well in a home where someone is gone 8 hours a day unless she went to a doggy day care for exercise and stimulation. Lucy can be a bit reserved when she first meets someone new, but once she is comfortable, she becomes very attached and bonds extremely closely with her people. Lucy has been in her foster home for a year, and it will be extremely hard to see her go. She is a silly, funny, loving, spazzy, happy, devoted dog and I am looking for a very special family who will love her always and help her become the best companion she can be.
Adoption Fee: $300.00
Dog Location: Temperance, MI
Volunteer transport can be arranged in the Continental US within a 1,000 mile distance between adopters & foster home.Typically, we are able to transport your adopted dog to within 2 hours of your home.*Dogs can be adopted outside the 1000 mile transport distance; however, adopters must be willing to either fly their adopted dog, drive to a location within the 1000 mile transport range, or make independent transport arrangements for their adopted dog.
Dog Location: Temperance, MI
Volunteer transport can be arranged in the Continental US within a 1,000 mile distance between adopters & foster home.
Typically, we are able to transport your adopted dog to within 2 hours of your home.
*Dogs can be adopted outside the 1000 mile transport distance; however, adopters must be willing to either fly their adopted dog, drive to a location within the 1000 mile transport range, or make independent transport arrangements for their adopted dog.
