Ivy

My story

This is a courtesy post for a family looking to rehome their dog Ivy. She is about 4-5 years old. Here is her bio, from her family: Ivy was initially adopted as a shelter stray in rural New Mexico in her late puppyhood. At that time, she had plenty of open land, quiet, and stability. This all quickly changed as we started moving to increasingly urban areas. With more noise, lass land and more foster animals in and out Ivy has shown increased anxiety. She does not like fireworks or gunshots but with this unfortunate noise exposure, she is growing less and less sensitive to thunderstorms. She has been seen and treated by veterinary behaviorists for her stress and we’ve been told that she is a dog that does not handle change well. She needs a lot of companionship with her person or people and to get more exercise which is part of her breed, of course. We both work 10-12 hours daily and have another move which once again will involve massive restoration work in the near future. We know we’re not the right parents for her and Ivy deserves happiness. Ivy is a great dog. Despite her anxiety, she has never bitten anyone in any setting. She has lived with a cat and a small dog successfully but we’re hoping that she can be an only dog as she seems to really want the one-on-one attention. Personally, I think it should be “all about Ivy” time, if you know what I mean?! She is entirely housebroken and travels well in the car in a seatbelt attached to her travel harness. She loves to go for leashed walks on a near daily basis. She tends to pull just in the very beginning out of excitement but then will walk by your side for the rest of the time. We use a Martingale collar. When she does pull, she is strong. Ivy knows sit reliably, will come when called, doesn’t run off, and will down sometimes, not always. She is crate trained. Of course, she would go to her new home with all of her belongings for her comfort and familiarity. Ivy is fully vetted with annual exams with bloodwork (all normal), current on her vaccines and preventatives- heartworm and flea and tick. No known hip dysplasia or Pannus. She is microchipped and this is monitored by Home Again. She is also very good in the clinical setting, which can’t be said for all GSheps! Ivy is gentle and sweet with children. These are all new children she meets as we don’t have them in the home, but the neighborhood kids will come out of nowhere to pet her! At home when someone comes to the door or near the house, Ivy has mean bark that would make a would-be intruder think twice but she will definitely let your guests in. In fact, she’ll likely hide behind your legs until she gets to know them. Then she’ll probably nose poke them hello! Ivy is food-motivated and loves her dehydrated chicken strips although really any treat would do, I’m sure. A frozen, black stuffed Kong will keep her occupied for some time and in between she loves to chew on Nylabones. Her diet has been Hill’s Science Diet for years. We get the Active Mobility to protect her joints because she’s large and in consideration of her breed when it’s available, and when it’s not just the adult version. Ivy is a sweet and loving dog who deserves only the best. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. BTW, if the most perfect adopter is not super close by, we will find a way to get Ivy there safely. Ivy is currently being fostered by her original owners while they look for a new home for her. If you are interested in meeting her, please send a message here, or email adopt@ahsem.org and we will connect you.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Ivy, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.