Contributed by Tracy Smith, Mat-Su Borough Animal Care
Ella is a sweet and loyal year and a half old. Ella was initially surrendered to the shelter due to not getting along with some adults in the household. Her previous owner reported that she was great with children, but scared of adults. She was indeed very fearful during her first week or two here at the shelter. With a lot of work, we were finally able to get her outside on a leash. At that point, she broke out of her shell. She was still very picky about who she trusted, and avoided anyone else.
Now, she seems to have forgotten that she was afraid of adults and just wants a good home. She was adopted from an adoption event, but then returned back to us because of her separation anxiety. She is a very active and loyal dog who loves to play with balls, especially ones that squeak. With her separation anxiety, she has shown destructive habits when left alone for too long.
Ella is house trained and is an indoor dog that’s used to about 3 hours a day of exercise. She is not kennel trained, but needs to be to help with her anxiety problems. This will likely need to be a slow and gradual process, as she has also been known to destroy kennels in order to get out.
She is used to car rides and has not been food aggressive. Ella can be described as high energy, friendly, affectionate, entertaining, playful, cuddly, smart, goofy, adventurous, nervous, protective and shy. She knows the commands sit, stay, here, roll over, lay down and go potty.
Here at the shelter, she has been extremely treat motivated and has shown that she is trainable. She will, however, need additional training as she is full of energy and a very strong girl. She will need to be around adults who let her learn to trust them without forcing her to do so, and she will continue to need positive socialization. Ella will also need a home who is willing to work with her severe separation anxiety. We believe that Ella would do best in a home where she can be with at least one member of her family all the time, or boarded at a proper facility/doggie daycare when she has to be without her family.
While she is full of energy, she also enjoys laying by your side and patiently waiting for your love and attention. Please come by the shelter and see if Ella is the right new companion for your family. We’ll be happy to help you meet Ella, and answer any questions.