You can fill out an adoption application online on our official website.Skye will charm you with her calm demeanor, her sweet nature, and her funny quirks. This girl is one chill dog, which is uncommon for a Border Collie – especially one who is just a year old. She sleeps most of the day while I work at home, waking up every few hours and staring me down with eager eyes that say she is ready for a play break. Ten minutes of chasing her foster brother or tossing a toy around are enough to satisfy her before she settles in for another snooze.
But despite those angelic traits, she can be “sneaky naughty” in a mischievous way. She is a periodic counter surfer, and her long legs make this easy for her. So her owners will have to work on that with her and keep food out of her reach. She may do things like very quietly raiding the dog food in the pantry when you are not looking, or sneaking off with Grandma’s knitting yarn (yes – all of those things have happened).
More seriously, she also has a very high prey drive. That instinct, combined with her long legs, makes her a flight risk. She jumped a 5’ fence at her shelter and a 41” dog gate (twice) in her foster home. For that reason, Skye requires a privacy fence higher than 5’. Also, when she gets excited playing with another dog or person, her exuberance can lead to humping or getting too wound up. She does back off when she is told, however that tendency might be too much for small children.
She was not interested in balls her first few weeks in her foster home, but just recently discovered how much fun they are. She also loves her stuffed squeaky toys. She has not gotten excited about her frisbee yet. She is not very food motivated, so it’s hard to know how good she might be at agility or flyball. While she does like chasing her ball or her foster brother around for a short amount of time, she is not the kind of high-drive energetic border collie that is more typically involved in those activities.
If her tail full of burrs; her pesky fleas; or the matted fur between her toes and throughout her coat didn’t give her away, you would never know this girl was an unclaimed stray who ended up in an unmanned shelter (staffed only long enough to feed the dogs and take them out to potty). She knows several commands, including “sit,” “lie down,” “come,” and “stay.” She loves walks and does well on a leash, although she has not been taught to heel and she will bark at other dogs who pass. She is fully housetrained (never had an accident in her foster home) and is crate trained. Her foster brother would not let her sleep on the bed at first, so she has slept in various places, including her crate, a sofa in the living room, and an armchair in the bedroom. She finally graduated to the bed. She is nothing if not adaptable! Once she falls asleep, she is very quiet all night. She loves car rides and does not get car sick. She has a delightful howl when she hears sirens, wants something, or is impatient that you’re taking too long to get her leash or her toy.
She gets along well with other dogs. While she can get a little intimidated by large dogs at first, she does seem to adjust in time. She was annoyed with a puppy she met at one point, although she did not bite or growl – she just turned away and tried to avoid the situation. I have not seen her with any cats, although I am guessing that, given her prey drive, she would not do well with them.
Skye is easy to have around. She will smother you with kisses and roll over for a belly rub when you lean down to pet her. She would do best in a home where she can play with another dog that is not too intimidating or hyper. She thrives around people and loves attention, so a home with kids older than 7 or 8 and/or a single adult/couple who are around often would be an ideal environment for her. She seemed especially drawn to my 78-year-old father when we visited recently. She does not need a ton of exercise – a short walk a few times a day and periodic play time seem to be enough for her, although she does still come out of her shell a little bit every day and her energy level will likely rise to some degree as she continues to adjust.
Skye is a gentle, sensitive girl who requires a soft touch. She is looking for a forever home where her daily outpouring of joy, affection and fun can be matched by nurturing humans that appreciate her quiet companionship, laugh at her goofiness, and love her friendly nature.
To summarize, Skye needs a 6’ privacy fence to keep her safe, and no cats or very young children. She would love a non-intimidating dog and/or kids older than 7 or 8 as playmates. She would also do well with adults that could be home with her. Skye is about 40#, spayed, up to date on all routine vaccinations, microchipped, heartworm negative, and on monthly heartworm, flea and tick prevention.
Skye is being fostered in the Des Moines, IA area.
Click here to watch a video of Skye.Visit this organization's web site to see any additional information available about this pet.April 19, 2024, 3:31 pm
