I had a post about quilts from Cheryl in Dallas scheduled for today but I’ll schedule that in for next week instead as it’s so important to get the word out on this sweet dog that came to the vet office where I work.
I was working at the vet on Saturday and this sweet girl came in. She’s beautiful. She has no health problems, but her family wanted her to be euthanized. UGH. I am totally on board with dogs being euthanized when they are aged or they are vicious and have attacked but dogs like this…I just get sick.
The dog has been regularly seen at our office. She’s regularly seen by our groomer. We all have had great interactions with her.
The problem, she doesn’t care for kids under eight years old. She can growl at them and did nip. The owners said she doesn’t seem to like dogs that come to visit either. She seemed fine in the vet office as other dogs came in so I wonder if she just feels territorial with visiting dogs.
Some of this people don’t realize is breed specific. Australian Shepherds are bred to herd. If the sheep that they are herding don’t listen, the dogs are supposed to do what they can, including nipping, to get the sheep where they are supposed to go. It’s generally known that children don’t herd well…thus the action. This is better or worse for each individual dog. Apparently, this dog has a higher herd instinct.
Long story short…she was minutes from being euthanized and we all said no. We’d link up with one of the rescues and see if we could find a home for her.
This sweetie has a name…Kara. She is an Australian Shepherd mix but looks very Australian Shepherd but has no ice blue eyes that most have. She is totally up to date with her shots. She is five years old and is a spayed female.
She would need a home with no small children and one willing to work with her as she is a little bit nervous around loud noises.
At her previous home, she didn’t get much exercise and my belief is that she would do much better with regular exposure to noises and with getting out and exercising.
In the short time I was with her taking these pictures and loving on her, I was very pleased with how friendly and outgoing she was. If I didn’t have 10 small grandkids, I would totally consider adopting her.
I think Kara would do best with a family who:
-is patient with her
-will regularly exercise her
-is an average to quiet home
-no young children around regularly
-not a lot of visiting dogs in the home
-breed experience or willingness to learn
-doesn’t want a puppy and puppy antics
She is being offered through SNAP of Chickasaw County Iowa. Typically their adoption fee for a dog like Kara is only $75. If you are interested in adopting Kara or meeting her, please call Sandy at 515-210-6815.
It’s so hard for me to believe that this girl was truly minutes from being euthanized. As of Saturday, Kara was being housed at the vet office but my hope is they will find a foster for her soon. If not, I guess I’ll see if she can get along with my pups here and I’ll foster her. My heart just broke over Kara’s story. I’m so glad we were at the right place at the right time to save this sweet girl.
If you know of anyone who is looking for a dog and meets the criteria listed, please share this post with them. Together we can help Kara find a home.
How can someone do that to a dog! So glad she was saved and she gets lots of loving in a new hom
My son has a miniature Australian Sheep dog. So cute! He needs exercised daily. As he’s aged he no longer has patience with the younger kids that occasionally visit, preferring to stay on his bed and be ignored. And the kids have learned to respect that and leave him alone. When my son travels I get to dog sit and he is a great companion.
I have a cat that the owner brought to the vet with her other cat and she wanted both euthanized- the other was mean according to the vet but Wilbur was just being bullied. They saved him and I took him home after I met him – he was hiding in his cage. He is very sweet- not a lap cat but no trouble.
Such a beautiful dog! I hope he is adopted soon and loved as he should be.
I so hope Kara finds a loving home. We have had quite a few Shelties, also a herd dog breed, so they just do what their instincts tell them. One of ours was named Cara, too. Each Sheltie we owned had a different personality. I said they were good guard dogs letting us know someone was around barking while hiding behind the couch. Most were one family dogs, but there was one who loved everybody. All but one were rescues. We liked the 3 to 5 year olds, already house trained but still young. Somebody will get a beautiful great dog!
My daughter and family has Aussies. They are wonderful dogs but high energy. Their dogs love to play frisbee. Their first dog wasn’t a kid lover so we made sure the grandkids gave her space when she would go under the table. That changed when they kept one of her puppies and she loved the littles- sitting with my daughter while she nursed. They love being with people. As with all dogs, you just need to understand the dog and their breed. They do tend to shed- the amount is related to their coloring! The tri-color sheds in clumps 2x/year! I’d take your dog in a heartbeat if we weren’t so far away!
Hope you find a good home for him.
It’s so sad that people buy dogs but don’t understand anything about the breed they’re getting. Thank goodness Kara was saved. I hope she finds her forever home soon, she deserves some loving.
She’s a lovely looking dog. I hope someone can help her. In Australia we call this breed a Border Collie.
My daughter and her family got a rescue dog in February. The dog is part red healer, as with Kara, he’s a herding dog. He is high energy ( but no where near the high energy of my son’s German Shorthair!). And his herding instinct is on the high side, he nips the little ones….. It amazes me how the breed traits are instinctive.
I hope you find the perfect home for Kara.
What a Beauty and such a sad story… What if the tables were turned and our pets said “Get rid of that people thing!” A pet is for life and sadly they aren’t all treasured that way. My grandpup is 13 and suffering from Heart failure. Our hearts are breaking. My daughter is a mess because this is her child as she suffers from infertility. I’m praying Kara gets an Awesome home. If my rescue wasn’t so abused I would take her but she has a get along problem with others at times. So sad for the dog but great timing also.
What a beautiful dog and how sad that some people see pets as disposable. My mother had a couple of Border Collies (one at a time) and they were the best dogs. They are very smart. I hope that she finds a home soon. She deserves to be treated so much better.