ZARA

Foster dog name: Zara

Gender: Female

Age: approx. 1 1/2 Years

Size/Weight: 32 LBS

Color: beautiful tri color

Breed: English Setter

Socialization/training: very little formal training 

Good with Children: Most likely, she is very sweet natured and submissive

Good with Dogs: Yes. She would enjoy having another dog to play with

Good with Cats:  Unknown

House trained: We are still working on this. Zara has become more consistent in going outside, but does still have indoor accidents from time to time. She paces back and forth throughout the house when she needs to go out.

Crate trained: yes, but is not too fond of the crate. She does like to go in and lie down at times when the gate is open. Her crate is positioned butted up next to her foster sister’s so help her become more comfortable with crating

Leash trained: Zara needs to continue to work on leash walking. She wears a harness, but still Pulls very hard. On our routine walks she does tend to settle in on the return walk and not pull. She enjoys walking with her fur siblings, too

Activity Level:  energetic outside and moderate inside. She loves playing chase with her foster sister and zooming around the yard

Fence: Zara would love a fenced yard to hunt, play and run in. She is just now discovering the creatures that she enjoys hunting in the yard. 

Behavior:  Zara is a super sweet, gentle,  submissive and very sensitive girl. If you speak sternly to her she crouches down in a cower type position and sometimes rolls on her back (she does like belly rubs too). She still has a lot of puppy in her and is still learning about being a house dog. She does tend to jump up on people for “hugs”, but she is very light on her feet when jumping up. Zara is learning to not counter surf with a simple “no” and hand gesture. She will need a walk just about every day, otherwise she becomes bored and gets into mischief (foster mom’s slippers, clothing, pillows, makeup brush, etc have fallen victim to Zara!). She is too sweet and soft to be mad with, though. Zara is very treat motivated and has learned “sit” in her foster home with the use of treats. Zara does have separation anxiety, so it would be great if her people could be home with her more often than away, or if she could go to daycare while her people work. Her foster mom feels she will eventually overcome her separation anxiety, as she has been making improvements during her time with her foster mom. She is a Diamond in the Rough, well worth the polishing.

 Medical History:  Zara is current on vaccines, Heart Worm negative and on preventative. She is spayed and healthy. Zara tested positive for anaplasma on 10/19/2018 and was treated. She will be retested on 1/19/2019.  Zara is from Greece, where Leishmaniasis is endemic. She has tested negative, But the parasite can remain dormant in the system.  Potential adopters must be willing to commit to annual testing for the next 7 years.  Your vet can draw the blood and send it to the lab.  The test typically costs $120-150

Foster Comments: Zara came to the US from Greece where she was a street dog in a not so nice part of town. She loves cuddling on the couch with people and snuggling right next to her person at bed time. She LOVES walks and the more walks she has the better for her in improving on her leash skills and exercising her mind and body. She also Loves car rides and rides very well in car. She curls up on the back seat and if she can curl up on the passenger seat, even better! Zara also knows how to play fetch in the yard. She chases the ball, picks it up and brings it back and just needs to learn to “release” the ball. She has a huge bark and also another endearing squeaky kind of bark. She LOVES playing with her foster sister and has learned to play chase and tug with her foster sister. Zara is also quite good about baths and lets her foster mom simply gather her up and place her in the tub for her bath. Zara gets along with all dogs and defers to her foster siblings when they have had enough play or they do not want her in their face. She enjoys stuffies and nylabones.

Zara has a wonderfully soft, strikingly marked and colored coat. She garners attention wherever she goes. She is always happy and joyful. A bit of a mischief maker, doesn't have a mean bone in her body, a cuddler, a goofball at times and just a dear girl.

Zara is a lovely girl and looking for her forever family/person who will have time, patience, be consistent and set gentle but firm boundaries for her to continue to blossom. She has had a lot of changes to learn… living in a home, a new language, not having to scrounge for meals, learning to enjoy brushings, sliding doors at Petsmart, etc. With a little encouragement she tries out new adventures and overcomes her trepidations.