Sheila

I'm Beautiful Sheila!

Sheila’s Update 12/5/11:
Sheila is a 3-4 year old female chocolate female, who came to Brookline straight off of an Amish farm, where she had been used for breeding and lived in a barn.  (This is the same farm that Kendra’s black puppy Dixie came from.)  She was in heat when I collected her, but the symptoms have decreased dramatically this past week.  She has a small skin tag under her right eye, which can be removed when she is spayed.  She will need to be spayed in 6-8 weeks.  She is healthy, no medical concerns, and about 90 pounds.  She has some calluses on her front elbows.
In the house: Sheila has adapted very quickly to being a family dog, learning to live with two other dogs, and learning how to live in a house.  Totally housebroken and trustworthy to leave anywhere in the house while we are out.  She has so far ignored comfy dog beds and usually sleeps on the floor in our clothes closet (!) or in the family room.  She has not tried to jump on furniture.  She has just started putting her front paws on your lap, when she wants attention – I’m discouraging this because she is heavy!  I have been saying “off” when this happens.  She seeks attention quite a bit (now that she is getting so much of it versus her prior life) and can be a real noodge about this – pushing on your arm, or putting her head in your lap, and shoving aside the other two dogs!   She will also give you her left paw when she wants attention.  She has learned “sit” very quickly.  We’re still working on “lie down”.  Sheila likes to stay on the move – she is an active dog.
Outdoors: Sheila loves playing outside with Willow and Sally.  She is mad for tennis balls, and usually has one in her mouth whenever she finds one.  She loves to chase them, but is unwilling to drop them.   She puts a death grip on that tennis ball!  She will chase Willow when Willow has the ball and plays “keep away”!  I have tried trading a treat for dropping the ball, but she gets too focused on the treat, and will stop chasing the ball.   She will also chew them to shreds, so Nylabones are a staple here!   Sheila gets a little intense when treats are given by hand, a little too enthused about taking them, meaning she may engulf your fingers while trying to take the treat.  I have been working with her on this – making her sit, and giving them only when she is sitting, calm and somewhat relaxed.  Sally and Willow have been modeling the right behavior for Sheila – sit calmly and take treats gently. :) I would advise adults in the home she goes to, to keep an eye on her when children are walking around with food in their hand, because she will very likely snatch it!  She is pretty good about waiting for her food bowl to be put down, and allows us to pet her while eating.  She has attempted to put her front paws on the kitchen counter, but I correct this, and she doesn’t do it that often.  She hasn’t shown any interest in rawhide bones or chew flips.  She likes those hard yellow (tennis ball-like) donuts and bones that squeak, though.  I took Sheila to a fenced-in area yesterday and let her off leash, and she is very willing to “come” when called.  Not always immediately, but almost there.  She is getting better and better at walking on the leash and staying close to my side, versus dashing here, there and everywhere like she did initially.  A few more weeks of consistent training, and she’ll be a super well-behaved dog.
Sheila loves to play with the children that live across the street – she was playing with them (and their soccer ball) yesterday.  She has been very calm when meeting new dogs, no aggressive tendencies that I have seen.  She enjoys the company of our dogs.  I have not seen Sheila interact with a cat.  However, she did live on a farm, and I’m sure she has been around or seen cats – I just don’t know if she ignores them or chases them!  She has enjoyed wading and splashing into puddles, so I think she would like water.
She has a cute way of wagging her tail:  not straight back and forth, but in circles and ellipses.  My husband calls her “helicopter tail”!  She is a dark chocolate, very shiny, with coarser hair over her back.   Sheila has beautiful golden brown eyes.   She is so purty!  And a sweet disposition, and so willing to please her humans!  She has really been easy to foster, and I love her, but she really deserves a family of her very own…
In all, I think Sheila will make a great family dog – but will need some obedience training, and close supervision around younger children (because of the food issues).

11/30/2011

Hello again, beautiful Sheila here, bringing you up to date on my latest doings.

I thought you’d like to know what my typical day is like, now that I am learning to be a family dog, instead of a farm dog:

My fur-sisters and I get up about 6:30 a.m. and go outside for a potty break.  Then, we bug our people for petting and attention for about half an hour.  Then, we get our yummy breakfast!  I am getting one cup of dry kibble twice a day, and eating it all up.  I seem to be losing some of my rounded maternity shape and becoming slimmer!  Then Sally, Willowand I amuse ourselves for awhile while FM does her house chores and computer stuff.  Then, oh joy! We go outside and play in the yard, and go for a long walk in the neighborhood.  I am becoming much better on a leash, with hardly any pulling, and learning to walk/trot alongside FM and my fur sisters.  Then we come in and snooze for a couple of hours.  FM trusts me to roam the whole house while she is out, because I am totally house-trained.  How about that?!  In the afternoon we go outside and play again for awhile or have another short walk.  I have been very calm and friendly with dogs that I have met in this neighborhood.  Then its’ dinner time at 6:30.  I really love to play with Sally and Willow and they have totally accepted me as part of their pack.  In fact, I don’t like to wander too far from them, or my foster parents.  I’m not a “Velcro” dog, but I sure do like to stick close to the people and dogs I like!

I'm trimming down more each day!

My FM says she continues to be very impressed with me.  Why?  Because I am so responsive when I am called or corrected.  Because I am smart – I learn new things quickly (like “sit” and “lie down”).  Because I settle down so quickly once I’ve had some exercise.  Because I am so affectionate (I keep nudging  FM’s elbow while she is writing this for me!) Because I am a hoot to watch fetch tennis balls! Oh my gosh, do I love tennis balls!  I like to have one in my mouth at all times, although I do tend to chomp on them and eventually destroy them.  *sigh*   Maybe I’ll give that Nylabone thing another go…..  So that’s my latest, and while I really love this family, I’m thinking there’s another family out there that I could call my very own!

Love, Sheila the Beautiful

11/27/11……I’m a Brookline Pup Now…..Wahoo!!

Hi everybody, my name is Sheila.  In Australia that’s slang for “girl”, and that’s what I am – a 92 pound girl of deep chocolate complexion, lots of energy and affection!  I think I’m about 3 years old.  Until a few days ago, I was living on an Amish farm, making puppies for the farmer to sell.  I lived in a kennel and had never been anywhere except on a farm.  Well, that all changed when some of the nice volunteers from Brookline heard that the farmer didn’t want me any more, because I accidentally smothered my puppies – he said I “wasn’t a good mother”.  Of course, Brookline said, “we’ll give her a good home!” and that’s how I ended up here at my Foster home, with a foster mom, dad, and two fur sisters!

I hopped right into the car, and really didn’t want to get out when my FM took me to her veterinarian. The doctor said I was healthy, about 10 pounds overweight (well, I have been having puppies until just recently!), and I was in heat.  She gave me all my shots to keep me healthy, and said that I could be spayed (whatever that is!) in about two months.   I also have some calluses on my legs, from lying on hard surfaces.  Then, we went to the dog groomers for a bath and got all cleaned up.  I was really nice to the veterinarian and those ladies at the groomers – even though I’d never been to either of those places before in my whole life!

When we got to my new home, I met my new fur-sisters, Sally and Willow and after about an hour of checking each other out, we were all wrestling and playing in the family room.  Hey!  This place even has toys that dogs can play with!  Well, for the last two days, my sisters and I have been kind of confused because of all the hormones I’m giving off, and we keep jumping on each other.  Hopefully, this heat thing will be all gone in a few days, and we’ll all be a little calmer.  I have been having lots of fun exploring my new house (upstairs and downstairs), but I don’t get on those things that people sit on or lie on.  I just like to flop on the floor.  Even though I have never lived in a house, I am very good about respecting the house rules, like no begging in the kitchen or the table; going to the door when I need to go potty; and responding to my name very quickly when I am being called or redirected.    I have never had leash training, so I pull on the leash a bit, but I am learning to walk nicely beside people.  I have loads of energy and am in good physical shape.  Today we played a game using a tennis ball – WOW!  Was that ever fun to chase after and catch.  But I really don’t like to give it back.  FM has been teaching me to “drop” so that she can throw it for me again.  I also like to play “tug-of-war”!   I’d say I have a medium-high energy level.   Regular exercise really seems to help me settle down once I come into the house.  I rarely bark, too.

Have I told you how much I like children?  I LOVE children!  In fact, the farmer I came from got me from another farmer who said he didn’t want me because I kept running down to the schoolhouse to see the children!  I really liked the children who lived on the farm.  And when I was outdoors yesterday, I pulled really hard on my leash because I wanted to go visit the little boys who were playing across the street.  I’m really affectionate with my FM and FD too, and love to have my head and ears rubbed, and of course, belly rubs.  I will even give you a paw, so you’ll keep petting me!

What I’d really, really like though, is to have a family to call my very own!  I promise to be your best friend and give you lots of Labby grins and happy tail wags!

Love,

Sheila