The Dog Liberatorâ„¢

The Dog Liberator rescues abandoned dogs throughout the Southeast. Based in Central Florida, this non-profit organization fosters all of their dogs in a home environment. Founded in 2009, all dogs are fully vetted, spayed or neutered prior to adoption. The Dog Liberator focuses in rescuing the herding breed, which consists of Border Collies, Shepherds, Sheepdogs, Aussies, Collies, and Deaf/Blind Dogs.

Dixie the Shepherd Puppy ~ Adopted

Dixie the Shepherd Puppy ~ Adopted

 

Dixie came to us from a county pound in Alabama. I had intended to take a break from fostering but then I saw the photos of Dixie and some other puppies. What could I do but take them? 

I’m so glad that I did! They all turned out to be a joy. And all have found homes except for my Dixie. It makes me sad because she is a wonderful puppy but she doesn’t photograph well. Maybe it is because she has one brown eye and one blue eye. Or maybe it is because she cocks her ears at funny angles when she is playing. Or maybe it is because she looks so much bigger in the photos than she really is. I don’t know. All I know is that everyone has missed a really terrific puppy!

Dixie is a very smart puppy. She never misses a thing. When I sneak into my family room to check on the sleeping puppies, her head is always up looking right at me. It doesn’t matter how quite I try to be! She loves tennis balls and will chase after them. She is even starting to get the idea of returning it too. I’m so impressed ~ all of my personal dogs roll their eyes when I throw a ball! Dixie loves to run around the yard (hence all the blurry photos) but calms right down in the house. I must admit, I was somewhat apprehensive about how she would do inside, but she just trots around checking things out then settles onto a dog bed with a bone and lays there quite content. Dixie is also a very affectionate dog. She loves nothing more than attention from you ~ a belly rub would evoke a purr if she were a kitten!
Dixie was born in April and will be around 45 pounds when full grown ~ she is leggy but her paws are not very big. Her markings are very German Shepherd but something about her (the eyes, the alertness?) speaks of Husky. No matter what her heritage, she is a lovely, intelligent, and affectionate puppy! 

I invite you to read the original blog and video posted when Dixie arrived with the other puppies as well as admire her extensive photo album.

 

 

 

August 30 Update:

 

 

Dixie spent the weekend with a family and they couldn’t believe how amazing she is! This is the e-mail they sent me: 

Dixie is quite definitively the smartest dog I’ve ever met. In the very short time I had her, she was learning to walk on a leash, obey Stay (if she’s trying to get ahead of you on the leash, you can tell her to stay and she’ll wait for you to catch up) and Leave It commands, and even Sit. (I’m pretty sure she thinks learning how to sit is a game and will try to engage you in it in exchange for snacks as much as possible.) She was able to learn not to cross a threshold without permission (tell her to Stay, when you reach the doorway and reinforce it once you’re inside), to come when called (I just called her name and said Come every now and then when we were in the house and gave her a little snack when she did), and how to fetch and return (Bring it and Give it seem to work, be careful not to say Give it until she’s right in front of you or she’ll just drop it where she is). We’re talking about two and a half days worth of training here, so this is AMAZING. Granted, every morning there are some things she’s forgotten a bit (or is too excited to listen to) but she remembers quickly and I’m sure will stop forgetting at all once she’s had more time with someone. The leash walking is still a work in progress, since she is a puppy after all, but she was getting pretty good at walking next to me and only wandering when I took her to the edge of the grass, made her stay, and then release her to wander. She will eat whatever disgusting thing she finds, so you must be diligent and tell her to Leave It before she gets it in her mouth or be prepared to fish out partially chewed frog parts. She is crate trained, but likes the company of another dog near her and will whine and howl for a few minutes before settling if left in the crate completely alone. She likes to go outside, but will also whine and howl if left outside alone, even for short periods. This is a dog that LOVES her people! Which is just fine, frankly, because she is not a hyper or overactive dog in any sense of the word. She is extremely mellow in the house, will play by herself, wander around rearranging her toys, or just lay on her dog bed or a nice patch of tile and chill out. She does not jump on furniture or steal things off the table. She will jump up on you, but responds to Down and a little push and will probably get over that very quickly once she’s settled. She is trustworthy in the house as far as pottying is concerned as long as you take her out for bathroom breaks frequently and don’t let her binge on water unless she’ll be outside for a while. She probably needs to work on coming up with a signal to go out, because I never really saw her give one, but still, she doesn’t tend to pee in her crate and will clearly try to hold it until you take her out. When you do take her out though, you have to be a bit quick, becuase once she realizes that’s where you’re going, she has to pee NOW! Also, if she’s being a little whiny or panicky about something, she will stop pretty quickly if you make a display of turning your back on her until she calms down. The bottom line is, this is an AMAZING dog. She’s not just going to make someone or some family a wonderful pet, but frankly, she’s going to amaze you every minute of every day with how smart, sensitive, gentle, friendly, easy going, lovable, affectionate, and balanced she is. All I’m saying is, I would not be the least bit surprised if her adoptive family told me she learned how to make them pancakes. She’s just that good. =)


September 1st Update:

Today was Dixie’s big day! She was adopted by Joann and Dave, and will be living on five acres in Lake County. The transition will be a piece of cake because she’ll be able to play with Mork the Basset. Weeks of playing with my Ralph and Gus, both Basset mixes, have caused her to think that these are the most wonderful of dogs! lol Joann and Dave recently lost their dog to cancer, so Dixie has some big … paws? to fill. I know that she has a happy life ahead of her! She was a bit hesitant of Dave at first because she’s never seen a beard before, but never fear ~ he knows dogs. The last thing he said as they climbed in the car was, “Don’t worry, Dixie. Tomorrow is hot dog day.” He is of the one-for-you-and-one-for-me philosophy. Dixie wagged her tail! lol

Update 9/19/10

She likes the air condition floor ducts. Has made friends with the cats and likes to play with Sassy the Basset Hound. Queen B still has not accepted her but we told her there are days when Queen B doesn’t like us. She is a really wonder dog, very smart and very loving.

3 thoughts on “Dixie the Shepherd Puppy ~ Adopted”

  1. Posted on our Facebook by Maureen J.:

    " Kelly and I had the pleasure of recently visiting Holly's home, meeting her wonderfully supportive familly and enjoying playing with all of the puppies. We hung out there for awhile and got to know all of the pups that are up for adoption. Holly is right…this beautiful German Shepard pup is one exceptionally great dog…sweet, affectionate personality…smart, playful and friendly. Very well behaved too for such a young pup…looked as if Holly has already done a great job getting her started on housebreaking. Actually we were impressed with how well all of the pups in her care get off to a great start being socialized inside her home with her family and taken out for potty and backyard playtime breaks on a regular basis. You are doing a great job getting them off to a good start Holly! You'd never get a dog socialized like that from a petshop or a breeder!!! If we didn't have 7 dogs already, this German Shepard pup would have come home with us for sure! She is perfectly proportioned and it's obvious she is going to be a stunning beauty as she matures. I can't wait to see who the lucky person is that adopts her!"

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