My Furry New Houseguest

Last week, I received an invitation to provide a foster home for a little girl named Abby. A little girl dog, that is. I picked her up this past Friday, after grossly underestimating the traffic involved in the Manassas Battlefield reenactment events - shew! 

I met Abby and we quickly bonded with each other and I knew this dog was pretty special. I posted her photo with a brief description on my Facebook wall, and am currently working on her petfinder.com profile. I was thinking of ways that I could make a local match for her and I thought - duh! I blog for the Centreville Patch!  

Where to begin. First of all, I don't know a thing about Abby's history. Some dogs arrive at a shelter with a full story, some have a blank slate of a past. I can't even begin to guess. Abby is such a sweet affectionate girl - maybe because she was neglected and just wants to be loved? Maybe because she was well cared for and was given tons of love and affection? I will never know. All I do know is that she ended up in a shelter and no one came looking for her and she needs a home.

For now, she is hanging out at my house and is probably the best houseguest a person could ask for. I am told by the rescue that she is a one-year-old Westie (West Highland Terrier) mix. What she is mixed with is a mystery. Could be Poodle, could be another terrier or could even be Schnauzer. I've looked at photos of all these hybrids and she could be any. Or none. 

What I do know is that she is a quiet girl. Not barky at all. She tolerates my two kids...maybe even better than I do. They have been hugging her, chasing her, waking her up from naps and she doesn't seem to mind. I should also mention that I have allergies, but Abby does not affect me at all, although obviously, everyone is different. 

Abby is a very calm dog and would be a good match for just about anyone:  couples, singles, families with kids or seniors. She has very good manners , with the exception of a few jumps here and there (maybe Jack Russell Terrier?)  She is healthy and up to date on her shots. She does need a spay surgery before she can go to her new home. She also needs a day at the spa, although her natural wheat highlights are pretty fabulous.  

Abby blends right in. She loves to hang out near her human hosts and show off her "sit" and "stay" skills.  She loves to be rewarded with treats - liver, please. When she needs to potty, she has a special little whine to let you know. She loves going for her walks.  We don't have a fenced yard to offer her. I think she would really enjoy one, but with a few nice walks per day - she's pretty happy. She is housebroken - yay! And we weren't sure how she felt about kennel crates, but I set one up for her and she went right in and had herself a nice nap. Until the kids woke her up.  

As far as her leash manners: they are definitely passable, but she could use a little help not to pull. She weighs thirteen pounds, so you are not in any danger of being yanked down the street or anything. She seems to get along well with other dogs. Also?  She likes to chase butterflies. Today we worked on the "wait" command which involves her not barging past me the moment I open the front door. She got it on the first try. Smart girl!  

Even my husband, who is not really a "small dog" person thinks she's not too bad.  Last night, the family sat down to dinner with not a peep from Miss Abby. She has too much dignity to beg. Not even for Carne Asada. 

So here's where I get right down to it. If you or someone you know would be a good match for Abby, please use the contact info found on her petfinder* page and we can get the ball rolling. The first thing would be to complete an application. I know she's cute, but if you are a renter and not allowed to have pets, that would be a definite deal breaker. We have to look out for Abby and find her the best possible home in the NoVa area. Please share her story and ask those people to share and so on and so forth. If you have any questions, ask away! You can email me at felshy@yahoo.com.

*I will follow up with her Petfinder link as soon as humanly possible. To say that animal rescues are overwhelmed right now would be an understatement.