Name: Aries
Gender: Female
Age: 2 years
Breed: embk.me/aries328
Weight: 45lbs
Disability: Deaf
Dogs: yes
Cats: yes
Kids: yes
Socialization/training: Aries has a longer story and history that is likely too long to type out but she originally came from a shelter in Junction, TX last summer. She arrived at that shelter as an unsocialized stray at around 10-11 months old. She was the pancake on the ground, never seen a tv or been on hardwood floors type of undersocialized. She was started on anti anxiety meds and her foster worked to expose her to a variety of environments to socialize her and she always took them in wonderful strides. She blossomed and turned into the biggest goof of a girl. Then she got adopted and was taken off her anxiety meds, the other dog in the adoptive home would resource guard just about anything from Aries and attack her, and so she developed some reactivities and those initial undersocialized insecurities started to come out. She would bark at people out on walks and her adopter claimed she couldn’t make any new dog friends. Because Aries was allowed to be attacked by the other dog in the home, it caused some uncertainty around new and unfamiliar dogs, especially males her size or bigger. That’s not to say she can’t make new friends, because she can and does often! It just takes her a few days to a week to feel totally comfortable that her new friend won't attack her. She would love to land in a home with another canine sibling who is calm, confident, and patient with her. It was decided, for Aries safety, that she was returned to our care to find a home where she can freely be herself and have friends who appreciate her. Aries is housebroken 100%, loves kiddos, loves to go bye-bye in the car, great for the vet staff, nail trims, baths, she knows sit, down, no, come, in, will use an agility hurdle and tunnel on command. She loves to make new friends, is gentle and explosively happy to greet children and lick their faces. In the grand scheme of things, all of Aries’ behavior “quirks” are miniscule and very easily managed. She has been to several restaurant patios and hangs out and settles well. She is currently housed with 3 cats and 3 other dogs with no qualms.
Crate trained: Aries struggles in this department. Not horribly, but she does have a smidge of FOMO to her that leaves her whining for ~5-10 minutes when first put away. This can be mitigated by crating her in the same room as you’re in. She is crated at night and during the work day for roughly 8-10 hours and does fine with not tearing up her belongings inside the crate, no breaking out, and no accidents. Her previous adopter did not crate her while away but this is not recommended at all for Aries currently, because while initially whiney in her crate, once she does settle you can tell she does find true peace within her crate because she can shut her brain off.
Leash trained: Aries walks nicely on a leash and always has for me, matter of fact. When I first had her, she walked with a Head Halti and now she walks with her regular leash and collar and does fine. If she walks with a group of dogs, she can tend to forget herself at times. Aries doesn’t go after wildlife on walks but does love to be aware and watch her surroundings if she sees another person or dog but that is all she does is simply watch. Aries is also being trained with an ecollar for offleash work, which is currently only utilized in hiking type settings. She does well and loves the extra freedom to adventure it gives her.
Activity Level: Aries is really good at reading the room honestly. If other dogs are laying around and chewing on a toy or snoozing on the couch, so is she. If her friends are all outside sun bathing, so is she. If they’re running around the yard acting like idiots, Aries is usually right there in the mix biting the backs of legs or barking in the faces of other dogs she’s playing with (thank you herding breed instincts for that). Aries wasn’t built for speed or endurance so while she loves nothing more than to be chased by her dog friends, she ends up always losing and it is quite comical to watch. Aries really thrives when she is mentally enriched with food puzzles, trick training, or structured “place” time within the home too. She is wonderful about entertaining herself inside with toys, she doesn’t go looking for trouble usually.
Fence: An ideal home for Aries, would be one that is fenced in. Let the facts be known, if she sees neighbors or things on the other side of the fence though, she’ll likely alarm bark to let you know they’re there as if you didn’t already know you had neighbors but she does redirect and stop if you make her (thank the German Shepherd in her for that). With that being said, if those kind of behaviors annoy you, maybe a privacy fenced home would better suit her. Or a more rural environment with less visual stimulation. She however, doesn’t attempt to escape any fencing regardless of height or make. Her previous adopter had zero yard and only leash walked her in her state's largest city, so you can imagine the constant stimulus of big, inter-city lifestyle isn’t ideal for her.
Behavior: Aries took a solid 4-6 weeks to settle back into life with her foster mom. After that adjustment period, it was nice to see that same dog from a year ago, start to come back out again and see that goofy we once knew. Aries is super affectionate and will explode with joy to see you. Aries needs a home with structure, consistency, patience, and a sense of humor. Deaf dog experience is not necessary for Aries. Aries is a really fun dog who loves to go anywhere and do anything. She is a sum of all the wonderful attributes of her breed mixes and sometimes to a fault if herding breeds and terrier types aren’t your speed. Aries has been through a lot in her short 2 years of life but she is ready to prove her resilience to the world.
Medical History: Aries currently lives in Ohio climate and experiences mild seasonal environmental allergies that are noticed by reddening and chewing her feet in the summer. Likely from the grass. This is managed with twice a day Benadryl during flare ups. She has a previous Calcaneal Ligament (similar to achilles in people) injury that has since healed and been cleared by our vet. She also does have mild hip dysplasia and currently only takes an over the counter joint supplement to help with her orthopedic issues. Aries is also on an anti anxiety medication that is inexpensive monthly.
Foster Location: Alger, OH
Adoption fee: $100
Adoption application: https://pinkheartrescue.org/
