Adopted
| Breed | Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler |
| Color | |
| Age | Senior |
| Gender | Female |
| Size | Medium |
| Coat Length | - |
| Adoption Fee | - |
Characteristics
Health
House-trained
Good in a home with
Update 2/8/2010 Elsa, a heeler/mix who is somewhere between 7-10 years old (see below), is getting spunkier by the day! She is starting to show her playful side with toys & with the resident dogs in her foster home. She is also quite lively on walks, though good about sticking pretty close to her foster mom. She has proven herself to be lion-hearted indeed! Now she’s just waiting for a forever home.
Elsa had a very close call…….Elsa was observed out on a highway in southern Maine in October on a regular basis, but she eluded capture for well over 2 weeks. She was finally too injured and starving to run any longer and just lay beside the road and gave up. When she was taken to a local shelter, it was clear that Elsa hadn’t been cared for in a very long time. Her teeth and skin were not good, & she had a very difficult time walking due to the injuries sustained while loose. All of these problems, along with her age, suggested that her fate was not to be a happy one. And yet, she was so sweet……
None of her problems were tremendously serious, so the decision was made that Elsa deserved a second chance. After all, it looks like her past life may not have been so great. Doesn’t a sweet dog deserve to be loved & cared for in her later years?
Now Elsa has the whitest teeth she’s had in a long time (so what if there are fewer of them?) Her skin is healing nicely & she is recovering from ACL surgery. More importantly, in her foster home, she is demonstrating that, far from being ready to check out, Elsa is quite interested in being part of a family, along with whatever adventures that might bring. She enjoys all life has to offer and feels that her Senior status is a tad premature!
The animal shelter called Elsa a heeler mix. Her foster mom thinks she is also part beagle. Quiet for the most part, she does have a unique way of expressing herself when she is left alone. She performs a mournful bark/bay for about a minute after her people leave to let them know she will miss them. The vet estimated (by her teeth) her age at 10 years, but due to bad nutrition and poor care she could be as young as 7 or 8.
She is medium-sized, weighing about 45#. Her ACL surgery occurred before Christmas, & she should be well-recovered by early February. At present, she still limps some, is working up her muscle tone & her foster mom is limiting her walks to even ground. She loves the snow, & to go for walks (as long as they’re not too strenuous) & car rides. She is friendly, good-natured & affectionate. She totally ignores cats, & is fine with her foster mom’s dogs, apart from an occasional bark if they don’t respect her space. She would probably not do well with rambunctious dogs or children. She would be fine as an only dog too, as long as she gets to spend plenty of time with her people. With the help of her weekly pill to control her female hormones, she is totally housebroken.
It seems that Elsa has had some guardian angels looking out for her. Now she just needs one more, to give her a loving forever home. Could you be that angel?
