Jasmine the Aussie Puppy~Adopted
Jasmine is a lovely brindle and white Aussie puppy. Born around March of this year, she first came into our rescue as Fergie and was adopted by one of my favorite people, Joanna. A year earlier Joanna had adopted my Lexie and later my Ariel. Everything was going along swimmingly until Fergie, now Jasmine, got to be the same size as Lexie. Suddenly Lexie, who has always had an opinion about everything, had an opinion about Jasmine and started fighting with her. We’re not talking about your normal play fighting. No, this was the real thing. Fur flew, a baby tooth was knocked out, cuts and blood. Joanna called me in tears. Never fear, Paul Pipitone is here! A great trainer, Paul went to her home and showed her how to establish dominance and leadership in her pack, with Joanna as the leader. Unfortunately, after Paul left, Joanna struggled to keep up what she had learned. You see, unlike me, Joanna is a really nice person, and Lexie knew it. The fighting quickly began again. What to do? After many conversations, Joanna came to the very difficult decision that the best solution in her case was to get Jasmine out of her home quickly before Lexie would do serious and permanent damage. With Jasmine gone, Lexie would then be less tense and allow Joanna to enforce the rules and techniques that Paul taught her so as to avoid this in the future.
A tearful Joanna just left my home, having met our wonderful foster Melissa to whom she has entrusted her baby. I’ve promised Joanna that Jasmine will quickly find an amazing home, one where she doesn’t have to be afraid, one where she can thrive.
The advantage that we have with Jasmine is that we know far more about her than we usually do our dogs. According to Joanna, “She knows the basic commands: sit, lay down, up, stay, shake, and is kennel trained. She’s a big girl, but thinks she is a little lap dog. She loves to cuddle and give kisses. She likes to play fetch, but isn’t always good at returning the toy to you 😉  She is currently on Sentinel for heartworm preventive and flea control. (She does not have fleas.) She is about 6 to 7 months old and is 27 pounds. ”
I took advantage of the short time that Jasmine was at my home to observe as much as I could. At first, she was very tentative in my yard, as most dogs are given the number of smells. She quickly relaxed, perhaps remembering when she was here before. Then I let out my basset/lab Ralph. He came charging out and she took off squealing (really, that is what it sounded like). Within 10 seconds she was wagging her tail, bowing down to Ralph (no small feat since he is so low to the ground) and soon dancing around with him. Ralph is a fabulous dog for our fosters ~ he has a loving and nurturing personality that quickly puts dogs at ease. Of course, I didn’t have my camera out, so I missed all that. I then let out little Loli the puppy. She is as submissive as Jasmine, so they struggled with who was going to sniff whose butt (I just love dog etiquette). I was please that it was finally Jasmine taking the lead, appropriate since she is older and bigger. I then made the mistake of trying to step inside, only to have Jasmine slip in with me. A mistake because Gus, my basset/bulldog was waiting. He is not submissive. Ummm, no, definitely not.  But that went great too. He didn’t knock her over or anything of the sort, just sniffing her with enthusiasm. That is a really good sign. Gus has an instinct for detecting dogs that are overly dominant or overly submissive. Apparently Jasmine did not fall into either of those categories!
So, Jasmine is great. She’s really pretty with a coat that catches the sunlight. It has waves in it, especially on her back quarter. Her ears are usually cocked, but stand up all the way when she hears something interesting. She is very slender and still has some growing to do. She is used to cats and loves the company of people. Joanna has definitely been doing training with her as well. Really, what is there not to like about this girl!
Jasmine is being fostered in the south Orlando area. You can see lots of photos of her in her photo album. If you think that she might be the perfect dog for you, please first read our article on Starting Out Your Dog Right, then review our Adoption Process and e-mail me at holly.thedogliberator@gmail.com. I love this puppy. I always have. You will too!
Update:Â A couple of days ago I told you I had a secret. Here it is: our Jasmine has been adopted! And she didn’t have to wait long at all for her family. Shannon and Wes lost their corgi Colby to a brain tumor in January. It takes a while for that pain to abate. Finally ready for another dog, they wanted one about 6 months old. Here’s the neat thing: they weren’t looking when Jasmine first came to our rescue, but now they are, just when she is the exact age they want!
It is as if Joanna was simply fostering and caring for her until her forever family was ready! The timing is undeniable, the connection they felt with her was real. You can see how happy Jasmine, now Lily, looks in this photo with Megan and Shaun. This, my friends, is an adoption that was meant to be!!! Jacksonville, welcome your newest Dog Liberator pup! ~ Holly
