Ellie (fostered 10/11/08-12/12/08)

Final 12/12/08: Today, I brought Ellie into the vet for her final visit. She did not do well with her temperament test. She decided last week that she didn't trust the petsitter who has been coming in regularly since the first week. Since last week, she growls snaps and runs and hides upstairs when the 5 ft petsitter comes ot let her out. She also exhibited behavior during the temperament test that made me uncomfortable, going up to the evaluator after 45 minutes with a dead on straight body and hard stare. Combined with other behaviors exhibited in my quiet house, I'm uncomfortable adopting her out to a family. The evaluator speculates that she is a product of both breeding and lack of socialization, so that when her world fell apart, she had nothing to fall back on. I sat with her at the vet's office and she went out the same way she came into my house, so frightened and unhappy, it just about broke my heart. I fervently hope that she is finally at peace, and that she knew that she was loved. Sometimes rescue sucks.

Update 11/30/08: Ellie is very unreliable when it comes to meeting people. She is very unsure of herself and, when scared, can growl and snap if she feels threatened. With her foster mom, she expresses her worries mostly with whining but also with an occasional growl. Ellie does not do well at the vet and has to be muzzled for an exam.

On the plus side, she loves to cuddle close in bed and run around the yard like a nut! The foster home gets glimpses of a girl just wanting to be happy.

Ellie is scheduled for a temperament assessment givne by a behaviorist in the beginning of December.

Update 10.27.08: Ellie Bells is a very nice girl who is quite upset by change and unsure of people she doesn't know. She will require some time in rescue to more fully understand her fears and to teach her to better adapt to changes. Ellie has come to trust her foster mom and, after more than a week of being unsure of foster brother Huey, has decided he's too pathetic to be concerned with. She now tries to play with him. Ellie is crate trained and has also had formal obedience training. She's fine in the house when she learns the routine, but takes days to adjust to new people and does not like strangers. She barks to make sure everyone goes away. In the house, she'll whine when she's unsure. She's also a talker...she wrooo-wroos at her foster mom when she's happy or excited.

Ellie is housetrained and walks well on leash. She can be low energy and is happy to settle down and be in the room with her people. Because she doesn't like change, she would not do well in a busy household, but instead would flourish in a home where there is a defined routine and things are relatively quiet. She's a guarder--of her house, her people, her things. We're working to make sure this doesn't become an issue. Despite her worries, Ellie Bells is an easy dane to live with, and will make a good dane for the right home. She is not for first time dane owners and will require gentle redirecting.

Original 10/16/08: Ellie just came into rescue and needs to be evaluated. Ellie was extremely frightened her first few days in her new foster home and it took her days to warm up to her foster mom. She spent days watching the windows for her family, and whined the whole time. She's starting to warm up but continues to be very skittish around the other foster dane. She walks very well on leash and loves her toys. She is crate trained. a full writeup will be available soon.