Ellie – Norfolk

ELLIE THE ADORABLE FLUFFBALL

This lovely fluffball, Ellie, is in trouble through no fault of her own. Her family have had a tragic upheaval and she is currently living with another family member. Her carer is only used to little dogs and finds Ellie daunting. She worries about being able to hold Ellie if she lunges suddenly (she doesn't) and she is frightened by her harmless barking at visitors. She believes that this indicates possible aggression that might be beyond her control.

This is not a good situation. The more her new keeper worries, the more Ellie believes that she needs to alert her . She does not reach the point, on the guarding continuum, where this could be called 'guarding' as such. Our assessor described Ellie as 'confused and anxious'. I would add to this 'bereaved' as well, as she is dealing with a change of home and the loss of her owner. Everyone is trying to look after her, to the best of their abilities, but they cannot cope . This is not what Ellie needs.

This girl would be a dream for any experienced GSD owner, with even minimal leadership skills. Her original owner confirmed that she was never a problem at her original home, but she is showing signs of stress and is becoming excitable now. Our assessor was able to deal with this easily and confirms that she is easy to handle and is a well socialized dog. Outside she walks on a loose lead and her recall and off lead behaviour is excellent, except when she is distracted. She will chase deer. (What GSD off lead would not? I have known a police dog on duty to be distracted and then killed on a main road).

At home, Ellie has lived with both dogs and cats. She loves to play, even with a cat and so a home with another playful dog (and cat) would be preferable for her. Ellie is not underweight but she can be picky about her food, and she has another quirk. She will not toilet in the house (thankfully) or the garden (inconveniently) This could well change easily, if she were to live with another dog to set her an example.

Ellie and her family are worried and stressed and Ellie needs to be rehomed. Anyone adopting her would be extremely lucky. Who wins the prize of this beautiful fluffball?