Adopt a German Shepherd Dog

Ava has been in her new foster home for a little over a month now and, despite being a feral dog, we have seen some big improvements!  Ava has started to trust her foster mom who spends the majority of the day at home, which has really helped Ava.  Her foster mom has been hand feeding Ava all her meals and treats to help her feel more comfortable around humans.  Ava will now approach her foster mom for food, with her being 5 to 8 feet away. Before Ava was too afraid to even move and you would need to sit right next to her!

It is extremely obvious that Ava loves other dogs as she is always trying to kiss her foster brother and sister.  We saw her wag her tail for the first time when her foster brother and sister were walking over to her to say hi!  It is obvious that she is trying to engage in play now because she has started to hop and do play bows from the comfort of her bed while watching them play.  Sometimes when her foster siblings run out of the room, Ava will follow them and peek her head around the corner to see where they’re going!

Ava’s ideal home will need to be someone who is retired or who spends a great deal of time at home as she has not warmed up to her other foster parent who works a typical 9 to 5 job.  When anyone new comes over, she does resort to her ‘old self’ and will try to hide and shake.

She will let new people pet her and will sometimes take a treat from their hand, but the key is not looking at her!  Her ideal home will also need to be one that has other playful dogs as Ava is extremely comfortable with her canine fosters.  It is too early to tell if she’s cat aggressive or has any prey drive, but she has paid no attention to her foster cat and my guess would be that she would do just fine with cats in the home.

Despite how fearful Ava can be she has shown no fear aggression, which her vet even commented on.  She will now let her foster mom pet her all over and even look at her teeth.  When she was spayed, she was comfortable enough with me looking at her incision and not trying to run!

We are still working on her going to the bathroom outside.  Right now she has an enclosed space where she uses the pee pads.  Her enclosed area is helping her to get used to everyday sounds such as the dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, toilet flushing, and cabinets closing for example. She is now comfortable enough with me picking her up without fighting it to take her outside.  Once outside however, Ava is still shutting down and will not move from her ‘spot’.  But I’ve been carrying her out there just so she can get used to the sounds, smells and feel the grass under her paws so she can start to gain the confidence she needs to be comfortable outside.  We are still working on her getting comfortable with a leash. Due to Ava being a feral dog, she is a flight risk and will require a home with a fenced in backyard.

Ava is so sweet and you can tell she is trying her hardest to come out of her shell!  She has started to get excited when I come to her gate in the morning with her foster siblings, wagging her tail and wiggling around!  It’s almost as if she’s saying, ‘There you are! I’ve missed you all!’.  She will let you sit by her and pet her for hours.  If you think you and your family have the time and patience that Ava needs to help her learn how to be a dog again, please apply! This little girl is worth it!

Please review our adoption process, www.shenandoahrescue.org/adoption-process if interested Donations can be made at shenandoahrescue.org/donate or on PayPal to [email protected]