Hailey

Hailey went to her forever home in RI on February 23, 2008.

Hailey is living in RI with a family with over 20 acres of land and she is loving getting to know her extended family. Great job Hailey.

Hailey arrived safely. They are thrilled with her. Nancy said she was
more beautiful than the pictures and so friendly. They even had a
gathering of family and friends to welcome her. I've been promised
pictures.

Diane

Name: Hailey
Age: Approx. 16 months
Gender: female
Spay/neuter: spayed
UTD: yes
HW status: Negative
Date of intake: 1/31/08

Hailey has easily integrated into our family of four people and one male Golden Retriever. Last night a group of family and friends talked about words to describe Hailey, and the word soft was the first to be suggested. Her coat is incredibly soft, and is the first thing people mention upon meeting her.

The second word mentioned was “mirror”. Hailey senses the mood around her and quickly matches it. If human or dog wants to play, she joins in the fun. When we are calm and quiet, she lies at our feet. When we move around the house, she is right beside us. She will often push her nose into our lap asking for attention, but when told no and gently pushed away, she backs off and lies down.

The third word to describe Hailey is cautious. She is very submissive. Her head goes down and her tail is between her legs when meeting every new person, and often with the family, even after having her a week. When told no, she will quickly stop and go into a submissive stance. We do not think she has been beaten or abused, since she isn’t afraid of broom and mop handles, ignores noisy vacuum cleaners, and does not run away from us, even when we say “No”.

She has not chewed on anything except tennis balls, nor has she jumped on the cabinet or table for food. She has never play nipped at anyone and gently takes food from our hand. We have taken her into an unfenced portion of our yard several times and she stays close to us, immediately coming back when called. We took her into a wooded area today and let the two dogs off the leash for a few minutes. They ranged ahead of us on the path, but would stop and wait when they started to lose sight of us around bends, and came back without hesitation when called. Her trot is brisk and very fluid. She could easily keep up with a jogger.

Hailey does not pull while on the leash. If she does start to lean into the leash, a slight tug is all that is needed to stop her straining against the leash. She does not know heel, sit, stay, or any other basic commands.

Hailey’s only problem is that she is not totally house trained. She does not go to the door when needing to relieve herself. She has had a couple of accidents in the week she has been here. I don’t think she will have a problem brushing up on this skill. She does not bark to be let inside, but this could be because our dog does it for them!

Physically, Hailey is 55 pounds, though the vet said 60 pounds would be a better weight for her. Also, she HATES being in a crate, and has howled continuously when put in it.

We are still learning about Hailey, and will update her story weekly. Please call about Hailey. We will honestly answer all questions to determine if she is the right fit for your life and family.