THEA

THEA ABIN#20 – 025 – F, 5 Years

Foster Dog name:  Thea

Gender: Female

Age: Estimate 5 years

Size/Weight: 58.6 lbs

Color: Orange Belton

Breed: English Setter

Socialization/training: Thea is very calm and friendly, especially in new situations.  She does not get anxious or nervous around new people or animals.  Thea has adjusted to living in our family very quickly. She rarely barks or growls and does not have any problems or issues with sharing people, toys, crates, etc.  She is learning basic commands (using training treats) like sit, down, stay and is very eager to please her people.  When we take her outside to play, she does pretty well coming when called to go inside.

Good with Children: Yes, Thea has been very good with all of our kids (5 of them ages 6-20). She is very calm with them and I have never once worried about her behavior with them. She calmly stands and waits for them to love on her or work on training with her. She loves when they come snuggle with her or play with her.  She IS very large and strong, so even though she is calm, she can be quietly demanding by leaning against or laying a heavy paw of them. For this reason, she might be too much for very small children.

Good with dogs:  Yes, Thea is very good with our two resident dogs. One of our resident dogs tends to be shy and uncertain around new dogs, but Thea has been quietly patient with him and with careful introductions in the beginning. She is curious and does not exhibit any signs of aggression.  She also barks very little when neighbor dogs are walking past our yard or when she sees them on our walks.

Good with cats: Unknown

House trained: Yes (she has only had two accidents early on as we learned to recognize her signals).

Crate trained: Yes (never barks or is anxious and waits patiently for us to return home).

Leash trained: Somewhat -- Thea is a VERY strong girl and should always have a harness for walks/jogs. She loves to go on jogs with us, but she still tends to pull at slower speeds when we go on walks and requires a strong handler. I think she will learn to walk nicely on a leash over time (as long as she is also given time to run sometime during the day)  because she is very eager to please.

Activity Level: Thea is very calm inside the house and a low-medium energy dog. She plays a little with the resident dogs and when the kids first get home from school, but she mostly likes to look out the window or intently watch our high-energy dogs without getting too involved in their rough play.  She LOVES going on jogs with us!

Fence:  Thea enjoys exploring and trotting around our fenced yard. She probably would be fine with invisible fence or with daily walks/jogs.

Behavior: Thea loves to please her people. She has a very soft personality with humans and quickly acts “sorry” if she is corrected. She gets along well and is very patient with the other resident dogs, although she is not afraid to eventually stand up for herself if the other dogs are trying to boss her around too much. She loves to be with her people whatever they are doing and she is very calm most of the time.

Medical History: Thea is spayed, UTD on all vaccines, microchipped, and on HWP.  She tested negative for heartworms and Leishmaniasis. Thea came to us from Turkey where Leishmaniasis is endemic.  She was tested right before coming to the USA and her tests were negative, but the parasite can remain dormant for up to 7 years, so her new family must commit to testing him annually for the next 7 years. 

Foster Comments:  Thea is a very sweet, loving girl who is always looking to please her people. She is content to lay around or look out the window most of the time, but she does like to play when given the opportunity.  Thea enjoys going outside to investigate our fenced yard and look for evidence of our resident squirrels and birds. She is VERY good with our children because she is so loving and patient.  She is great with our other dogs, and enjoys hanging out with them.  She is well-behaved for the most part and doing well with behavior training.  She is very patient while crated when we are gone and would probably do fine outside a crate because she is not destructive at all and does not get into trouble.

Thea will do well in most homes, whether there are no dogs, or many dogs, children or no children.  She is very strong, so she will need a strong handler as she continues to work on her leash training. 

Adoption Fee: $350.00

Foster Location: Pittsboro, IN

Volunteer transport can be arranged in the Continental US within a 1,000 mile distance between adopters & foster home.  If interstate transport is provided for your adopted dog, there will be a pass-through charge of $50.00 for the required Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (“Health Certificate”).  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. Transports to far West states, from Eastern states, may have additional restrictions.