Colorado, 5yrs spayed WGSD female--dog-aggressive (adopted)

[Freestep]

A friend of mine in Eagle, Colorado is at the end of his rope with this female, I know he has spent a ton of time trying to rehab this dog, and has had some success, but this girl needs a home in a neighborhood without other dogs close by.

Spayed Female White German Shepherd needs new home

Avy is a 5 year-old, beautiful, 75lbs, spayed, white GSD that is in need of a loving, patient new home with an environment that she can succeed in. A little history on Avy...

She was abandoned on the side of the road in Newcastle at about 6 months of age, and after 1-2 weeks in the wild was captured and put up for adoption through a Roaring Fork Valley dog rescue group. She was very anxious and fearful of strangers, but did well with other dogs, so my wife and I adopted her in hopes that we, along with our other dog, could rehabilitate her. The first year+ that we had her, she did extremely well. She warmed up to my wife and I, responded well to crate training and obedience training, and was well behaved with other dogs off of the leash. She's intelligent, loyal, obedient, and eager to please, but at the same, she's her own dog. She quickly became best friends with our other dog. She had some separation anxiety issues and was still fearful of strangers and children, but there were positive experiences along the way that gave us hope that she would continue to progress. We lived in a quiet rural area where she had little exposure to the things that piqued her anxiety the most.She needed a lot of exercise, and she loved going for hikes and to the dog park. When she was approximately 2 years old, we moved down valley to a more urban neighborhood in Eagle, and shortly after we noticed a change in her demeanor.

We haven't been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the change, but within a few months, she began reacting to other dogs aggressively. She has jumped the fence, attacked, and bit other dogs, in a few instances requiring stitches. She is not aggressive towards dogs that she is familiar with, but is highly aggressive towards strange dogs regardless of whether they are dominant or submissive, leashed or unleashed. Given the high amount of traffic in the area around our home, it is very difficult for us to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening, regardless of how careful we are. A few of the incidents have simply been accidents that we could not have prevented, unless she was muzzled and tied up at all times, and that simply won't work for her. My wife became pregnant, and in anticipation of our son being born, I worked extensively with her in one-on-one and group settings with other dogs. She did extremely well in the group settings, but we were never able to replicate that success in our neighborhood. She quickly accepted our son as a part of the family after he was born, and had done extremely well with him. She had even become more tolerant of other children, especially after lots of exposure, but she still gets spooked by strangers, adults and kids, though she has never reacted aggressively towards a human.We had another period of success with her after my son was born, but in the last 6 months or so, things have gone downhill again.

I have invested a lot of time and effort into helping Avy fit in around here, and it's been frustrating that it hasn't worked. We haven't been able to get her the exercise and the attention that she needs since our son was born, and as a result, I feel like we've seen some regression in her behavior. I've come to the conclusion that a lot of her behavior has been a product of anxiety and fear caused by the environment that we now live in. As much as it pains me to part with her, we've run out of time with her and need to remove her from her current environment. I can't take any chances with her reacting aggressively to other dogs with my son around, and him getting caught in the middle.

Ideally we would like to find a home in a more rural setting without kids, where she can live free from the anxiety that has plagued her here so that she can succeed. She needs an owner that will commit to working with her, getting her the exercise that she needs, while providing her with positive reinforcement and an environment free from stress and anxiety. We are asking for a $100 adoption fee, and will require anyone that is interested to complete an adoption application. Please respond via e-mail if you are interested in Avy.

• Location: Eagle
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2493338426

[gsdraven]

What state is she in? I want to update your title with that information.

[Freestep]

UPDATE--Avy is adopted!

"I found a home for Avy. Coincidentally, it was with the woman that had originally adopted Avy's sister, Misty. Misty had to be put down last year due to a brain tumor, and she was looking for another dog. It sounds like they have/had a bunch of the same quirks, and the lady was ecstatic to adopt her. I don't think we could have possibly asked for a better outcome for her. "

[Ingrid]

Thank you for the update; This sounds like an excellent outcome for everyone involved!