Dutch Shepherd Forum

We just adopted a very sweet 3 year old dog from Second Chance Dogs in Roy WA. They said she is a Dutch Shepard and she seems to look like one but I wouldn't have minded a blend! Venus and her friend evidently came up from Texas with a couple who split up and abandoned the dogs in Eastern Washington . They ended up being passed around until a super nice foster home drove over to collect the two dogs. The family thought that Venus' friend might have a lot of difficulties finding the right home, but they thought that Venus was the sweetest and nicest dog! She was getting very attached to them also. When her photo and bio came up on Pet finder I immediately emailed the rescue, submitted the application and the references. They held the dog until the weekend when the family (three of us) could make it there together. It's hard to tell when you visit of course but their recommendations meant a lot to us. The funny thing is that she is the same weight as our last dog but a lot taller, so we had to get a different crate, to allow enough room for her ears to stand up!

She is very quiet and has only barked three times in a week and a half! (at four raccoons that were immediately over my head in a tree!) She is very gentle and I can pick up her feet, wipe them off, open her mouth right from the beginning! One quirk- she will only eat if a human is standing there watching her. If you leave she will immediately stop eating and go with you. Now that I stand there and watch her eat twice a day she has gained some weight and seems to be at her right weight more or less. We are walking her a lot of different trail and bike path outings at least a couple of times per day for several miles or hours every day. When we get home she is happy to just lay there and watch you. If I go to bed early (tired from all the exercise) she will then watch my husband do his paperwork or read emails etc until bedtime. We are empty nesters and we are home a lot so we haven't had to leave her alone very long. When I bring in groceries she goes out and watches each bag leave the car and then walks in with you and sticks her head into the cabinet or (tries to ) the frig to watch where everything goes. Interestingly she totally leaves the garbage alone. Our other dog would knock it over and paw through everything given any opportunity if the garbage can was unattended. She just sniffs and walks by. I thought all dogs would be interested in garbage cans!

The rescue doesn't want her to get too many shots right away because they don't have any records and they don't want her to get over vaccinated. I will wait a few months to take her to the vet for shots so she can get a license and go to the local obedience classes. For now we are doing a lot of trail hiking , bike path walking and running and local outings. I am getting in better shape! Watching lacrosse team practice was a big hit with Venus she watched for a couple of hours at full attention looking in different directions from the park bench. She hasn't gotten used to the traffic, crosswalks, sirens , overhead car noise when we walk under the freeway on the trails. She was very unhappy with watching the high school marching band rehearse and wanted to leave immediately. We are teaching her the names of a lot of different things but I am not sure if she is retaining it or not. She isn't that interested in balls, just a couple of throws and she's done. When I tell her Lets Wipe Our feet! then she sits nicely when we come in so I can wipe her feet. She likes to get a pet or hug when I bend over. If I'm not watching she will lick inside my ear when I bend down for something. I am not used to such a quiet, nice dog! thanks! I don't think I can upload any photos from Picasa but if I can I will put some up.

Welcome!

Gorgeous girl.

That shark would be in pieces all over the house if my Radar had it.

OMG, she is beautiful and sounds like a total charm.
my guess is that she is listening to names and might learn a lot more than just nouns if you simplify slightly. you will know soon, but always assume her capacity to learn is much more than you could have guessed at any point in time. her curiosity and attention sound perfect.

good luck with her and THANKS for RESCUING her. it sounds like all 3 of you got very lucky.

WELCOME!

Welcome. Somehow I missed your introduction. Venus is beautiful. She sounds like a great dog. I can't wait to hear more as she grows with you. And of course I can't wait to see more pics.

I dont think she is a DS but she is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo beautiful!!!!!!!

the tip off was quiet and no barking LOL