Shepherd mix in need of home

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Sasha the shepherd mix would really like to find a home in 2009. 11/26/11 update: Sasha has been adopted!

Perhaps you are looking for a dog to adopt after the holidays. Sasha is a unique dog waiting for that perfect person, and maybe you are the one. Just look at how cute she is, a classic mutt full of personality.

2008 was not the best year for this dog. She lived in at least three homes and has spent months with 4 Luv of Dog Rescue in Fargo. She has been given up on again and again, but she has done nothing wrong.

Sasha is a smart dog and a fast learner. I’ve had the chance to take her to beginning obedience classes. Over the last seven weeks, Sasha has done very well at her training class, and I am very proud of her. All the other dogs in her class have families that train, exercise and play with them every day while Sasha spends her time at a boarding kennel to be adopted. That means going out for a training session is a big event! Still, she is able to focus and learn even though all she really wants to do is hog the attention and play.

She is learning several commands. A great part about adopting an adult dog is they often have a head start on training. Sasha already knows sit, down, stay, come and heel. She is slowly working on staying for longer periods of time and was just introduced to the stand command. She is very attentive on heeling, even around a group of other dogs. She is eager to learn and wants to please the people she’s around. She often looks up at me with her tail wagging as if to say, “Yep, I’m doin’ it right. Got it.”

Sasha loves people. She will try to jump and give kisses, but as long as someone reminds her to keep all four paws on the ground, she does. Her biggest problem is people forget to enforce rules so she gets away with a lot. She has us trained! Sasha hasn’t always gotten along perfectly with other dogs, but she has had no problems when I’ve had her out. What she needs most is leadership and someone to remind her what behaviors are acceptable. A little girl asked to pet Sasha on Saturday, and Sasha sat very still when told and soaked up the attention.

She loves to run and play but also settles down. Because Sasha has so much pent-up energy and a jumping habit, she appears to be a handful. In reality, she just needs the right person to take her for a walk every day. She heels very nicely with a prong collar, and even sits whenever I stop. After an hour of training, this “energetic dog” is mentally tired and curls up in the back seat of my car while I drive her back to the kennel she currently lives at. She doesn’t make a sound. It’s almost like the dog I pick up and the dog I drop off are two different dogs. Sasha also gets tired after a run or a session of playing ball.