NOTE: This dog will not be placed with any other pets or with children

Mandy is a red brindle beauty and it only takes a moment to get totally drawn in by those pretty brown saucer shaped eyes. She is, however, a rather complex dog who is going to need a very special person/people. Mandy was turned into rescue by her owners for extreme reactivity. She mostly lashed out at the husband in the household. When she was taken into foster it was immediately apparent that Mandy was in pain and xrays revealed that sometime in the recent past Mandy had suffered a broken hip. The break had healed but not well. There was evidence of arthritis already which was heartbreaking the hear for a 4.5 year old dog. Although her reactivity was finally explained, the damage done to her mental state was still very much in the forefront.

In foster care, Mandy has come so far from the skittish dog she once was. She absolutely loves people and is very affectionate. She adores toys of all kinds and loves to play either by herself or with her humans. She is a very headstrong dog though and will need a confident owner to keep her in line and earn her respect. She has no issues with her fosters doing hip and spinal massage as she has learned to trust them. She is very friendly to strangers but due to the hip injury we will not place her in a home with other dogs or with children. The chance of a possible inappropriate nudge to her hip could cause a negative reaction. She is in foster with other dogs and has a few dogs she loves to play with but she does need to be supervised. She is not dog aggressive by any means and can be around other dogs. Besides her hip issue, she is also very possessive of her toys and of her humans. As an only dog she will be able to flourish and let her guard down. Elevated stress to humans or animals over long periods of time is very destructive to the body.

A few other things to note: Mandy is terrified of riding in the car. If you are looking for a dog for traveling, Mandy is not a good choice. She also has a fear of doorways. In foster care, she implicitly trusts her foster Mom and will follow her anywhere. Her foster Dad she does not. When she first came to foster, no one could be near a doorway otherwise she would not pass through. She also was grabby with treats but now takes them very sweetly. She has learned all basic commands and really wants to please. She walks very nicely on a lead. Mandy also has a fear of feet, as in swinging or kicking motions. We feel she may have been kicked in the past and this is self defense. Although she does not bite, she will grab your shoe and scream. Whomever adopts her will need to understand this about her and be able to deal with it. It really breaks your heart to think someone may have hurt her in the past. Lastly, Mandy is a very vocal Cardigan. She chirps and talks to you and when she feels ignored she will bark. She is crate trained but will sometimes bark if she knows you are still in the house after being crated. Please consider this if you have neighbors who may object to noise.

An ideal home for Mandy would also be one that has access to and embraces canine acupunture and chiropractic. She does not have mobility issues but with the prior injury her new owners need to be aware of her jumping and doing stairs as to not add to her chances of having issues down the road. A home without extensive stairs is recommended. She self exercises with her toys and does not need to be walked. Yard play and toys are more than enough. Mandy also will not be placed in a home without a solid fence (no electric or radio collars). Please do not ask. As stated above, Mandy will also not be placed in a home with children or other pets. She has a high prey drive, does not like cats, and would most likely not be tolerant of small caged pets or birds.

Mandy is truly a delightful dog and as an only pet would be the light of your life. At this time, only homes within a three hour radius of Elmira, NY or Binghamton, NY will be considered. In the event that support is needed, Mandy's foster home wants to be able to be a part of the solution. She truly has had a rough start in life and deserves a champion. Do you have what it takes to be that person? Mandy is spayed, up to date on vaccines, crate trained, house trained and lead trained.

Contact: Please send applications to Karen Smith at alphacardi@frontier.com