Sadie

INTRODUCTION As told by Sadie

Hi, there! I’m Sadie, a 3-year-old retired breeder. My name means “princess,” and I think if you look at my photo, you’ll see that I have a certain regal bearing. In fact, dogs with my name often exude grace, elegance and sophistication (at least according to this thing called the internet).

Yes, I am one classy lady – at least until mealtime. Then I get so excited about food that I jump around and start barking. Foster mom calls me a “goofball” when it’s time to eat. I gobble my kibble so fast that mom had to get me a slow feeder so that I can learn to savor every morsel. I suppose that doesn’t fit with my profile, but even royalty must let their hair down sometimes, and I let my hair down around food.

If I am a princess now, I started out as Cinderella. Previously, I lived as a breeder dog, so I didn’t really have a pampered, cushy life. My fairy godmother was really an As Good as Gold volunteer in a van who rescued me and introduced me to a new life.

A wonderful family took me in and has been working to help me uncover my inner princess. When I first arrived, I was anxious and shut down. But thanks to my foster mom and dad, I am learning how great this new life is. Companionship, good food, a warm bed and lots of loving pets are all part of my new castle. Unfortunately, so are stairs.

For some odd reason, I am opposed. It’s not that I can’t do them because I have no trouble going up and down the few steps that lead in and out of the house. I’d simply rather stay on the first floor of my palace when the rest of the family retires for the evening. There’s nothing wrong with that except that very early (say 4:30 a.m.), I realize I am alone and want company, so I start to howl until someone joins me. Apparently, that’s not a desired behavior. I’m sure that a strong mentor dog would teach me the ropes of stair climbing, and once I could be close to my people all night, this issue would quickly resolve. (Or maybe you live in a ranch where there are no stairs!)

I also have a couple other quirks that I am working to overcome. One is a fear of getting my leash put on or having someone grab my collar. Once they’re on, I’m fine and enjoy walking with foster mom or dad and sniffing all the world has to offer. I’m also uncomfortable when someone approaches me from behind. Similarly, even though I’m ecstatic to see you after you’ve been gone a while, I might cower a bit if you reach out to pet me. I guess I just don’t fully trust the goodness of this new life yet, and I feel like I must be watchful. But again, I think if I had the coaching of a mentor dog and a family willing to take the time to build trust, I’d be fine.

I’ve been around other animals and done fine. I’m not (yet) crazy about toys, but I do like to run zoomies across the back yard. I’m slowly uncovering my inner playfulness, and I’d love to have you help me. Would you happen to have a glass slipper in your back pocket that would fit my fine, furry foot? Let’s talk.

BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS

• Mostly housebroken but has had occasional accidents.
• Anxiety improving (taking Trazadone and Gabapentin to reduce anxiety).
• It’s unknown how Sadie would be around young children.
• Tolerates being in a restricted area well.
• Has counter surfed on occasion.
• Barks only before meals and when she hears a sound, or someone enters home.