ADOPTED

ZOEY

Only two years old, Lovely Zoey was recently surrendered by her owner, along with her sibling, Bubbles, to a large high kill animal control facility, where both girls wound up on the daily kill list. Owner surrendered dogs rarely catch a break in the harsh shelter environment, because the stress and trauma of losing his/her home so abruptly often cause a traumatic response that can impact behavior evaluations. Also, shelter staff can determine a dog's fate after only 48 hours, because the owner ID process is bypassed.

Zoey and Bubbles exhibited some signs of trauma, but earned good enough behavior evaluations to qualify for the shelter adoption program. Unfortunately, they came down with rip roaring upper respiratory infections that bounced them from the adoption ward to the isolation unit. At this point, the girls were slated for euthanasia and came very close to the unthinkable.

These sad girls received a groundswell of Facebook interest, and were brought to our attention. When they joined our Rescue, the URIs had taken hold, and both girls were sick and depressed. Zoey had lost her appetite. Thankfully, she was overweight, 48 pounds, when she came to the shelter, so she had some reserve weight to weather the storm.

Now, after a couple rounds of antibiotics, our vet has cleared Zoey and Bubbles and for adoption. They are 100 percent, and ready to find more trustworthy owners than the first bum lot. While the sisters do share a bond, we have socialized them separately, so that each can be adopted independently.

Shelter staff peg Zoey as a Collie and Labrador Retriever mix. She is a medium sized dog, now 42 pounds, and is now at an ideal weight. She has the trianglular head of a Lab, with ears that seem confused about whether or not to stand at attention. We can see Collie roots in her lush, brown and black coat, and bushy, plume tail, that require some regular brushing, and perhaps professional grooming a few times a year. Zoey's coat was filthy and matted to the skin when we first met her, so she made a few trips to our groomer, where she received rave behavior reviews.

During her shelter behavior exam, Zoey was stiff and nervous, and this earned her a "no children" rating. After several months of R and R, Zoey has relaxed considerably, and could easily join an active family with older children. She could also join a multi-dog home and would probably do fine with cats, if properly introduced. Zoey does give off that Lassie vibe...a lovable, gentle family budinsky, who relishes attention, and she gives as good as she gets!

Obviously, Zoey had not been well cared for in her former home, and it's no surprise that she is behind the learning curve on obedience commands for her age. Zoey is not particularly treat motivated, so we have relied on praise and affection to reward her performance, and she has come along nicely. Adopters should continue her training, and focus on leadership.

Zoey is a medium energy dog, who requires at least one to two leisurely leash walks each day, after which, she will promptly nap. She would be a good choice for a reasonably active single or couple, and would do well in an apartment setting, where she might be alone during the workday.

Zoey has good house manners, and is housetrained and crate trained. Adopters should expect to troubleshoot the occasional accident that could occur during her transition to a new potty routine.

Zoey is in excellent health, and has been vaccinated for rabies and DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvo and parainfluenza). She has had the 4dx test, and is negative for heartworm, lyme, earlichia and anaplasmosis. She has been microchipped and dewormed. If you are interested in Zoey, please write to Denise@eskiesonline.com or call Denise at 720-903-0636 for more info.