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I have to admit up front, Sissy is currently my favorite dog in the shelter. I adore her! Though she and I did get off to a bit of a rough start. Sissy is just about 2 years old, and is a 58 pound hound/shepard mix. Sweet Sissy’s first couple years were rough. Rougher than any of us would ever want to go through. She came to OHS in early March as part of an animal hoarding case. She had previously lived with as many as 7 little dogs, and didn’t particularly like any of them. Much of that was probably due to the kind of ‘everyone is out for themselves’ spot that often comes from hoarding cases. When Sissy first came to Oregon Humane, she was very scared, shut down, afraid of touch, afraid to play, and very barrier reactive toward people who came past her kennel. And her kennel was in a tough spot. She was in kennel 1, which the first one everyone walks by when entering the dog kennel pods. Every time I (and others) walked by, she barked like crazy and just sounded like she was mad at the world. Honestly, she probably was. Admittedly, the way she reacted when I went by her kennel made me not want to go in, and so I didn’t.
But all that changed a couple weeks ago. She was moved to a kennel that didn’t have nearly as much staff and volunteer foot traffic going past, and she seems like a different dog. She’s clearly much more relaxed. I ventured into her kennel for the first time after she was moved, I haven’t been able to stop going back! Once I stepped into her kennel, I realized what a sweet girl she is. I’ve walked her a number of times, and even after coming from a hoarding situation, she walks beautifully on leash. She knows sit, and sits dutifully at doors when asked (and going from the kennel pods at OHS to outside, there are a lot of doors to pass through!). While I’ve walked her a number of times and hung out in her kennel a bunch, yesterday was the first time she and I got to go outside and just hang out in a dog run. She loves the sun- but after a long winter, what Oregonian doesn’t!? She doesn’t seem to care much for playing with balls, but does love stuffed toys. Especially toys that make squeaky and crinkly noises. Oh, and belly rubs? Forget about it! She ADORES belly rubs. Now that Sissy is starting to get more accustomed to being in the shelter, her true self is shining through. And lounging in the sun while getting her belly rubbed seems to be a new favorite activity
Because of Sissy’s history of coming from a hoarding home, we’re looking for an adult-only home with a fenced yard where she can be the only pet. As mentioned, she didn’t get along with her little dog mates, and she also seemed to really enjoy chasing cats- and we don’t want to expose any cats to that kind of terror! And because she’s never been exposed to kids before, we know she’d be more confident in a home without unpredictable little ones.
Are you the right people for this beautiful, sweet girl with a sad history? Can you offer her a loving, predictable, adult-only home with a fenced yard where she can be the only pet? Can you help to build her confidence so she can finally realize how fun it can be to be a dog? If so, please submit the questionnaire at the bottom of her profile and someone from Oregon Humane will call you to chat more about her. Check out her bio HERE!