Abilene
Lab Mix | Female | 1.5 Years Old | 52 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Crate trained! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ✔️ Could live in an apartment! ✔️ Walks well on leash!
Abilene found her forever home on July 19, 2022!
Updates
Abilene is a very low maintenance dog - she was found in the woods along with several other dogs, so she is understandably nervous around new people, situations, and environments. She spends most of her day in one room by choice, napping in various spots while I work from home. I have found that she will only go potty off-leash or on a tie out - she has never gone to the bathroom during a walk. She tends to eat on her own schedule, so I'll put a bowl of food out for her in her crate in the morning, and then she will eat when she feels like it (usually late morning). She gets walked with our other dog 3-4 times a day, mostly for exercise as she doesn't like to potty on leash.
Abilene has been friendly towards the neighbors that she's met. If you ignore her and give her space, she warms up to you quicker. She loves being pet on her head. She has not met any kids at this time.
Abilene is fairly low energy. She has shown some playfulness with our resident dog in the yard, but overall she is content to just lay around the house. She has one stuffed toy that she'll carry around, but I have not successfully been able to engage her in play with any of the other squeaky toys we have. She also isn't particularly food motivated. She's getting used to walking on leash; most of the time she doesn't pull, but if she finds an interesting scent, sees a squirrel, or is scared, she will pull. She does not react to other dogs on leash, even when they are barking at her.
Abilene hasn't met too many dogs on our walks around the neighborhood, but the few she has met she didn't show a lot of interest in. She coexists with our resident dog (they basically ignore each other most of the time), and she lived with several dogs in her foster home in Texas. She has not had any exposure to cats at this time.
We have left Abilene crated and uncrated when gone for short periods of time, and she has done well both in and out of the crate. She hasn't shown any destructive tendencies, and I would feel comfortable leaving her out while I'm gone.
Abilene was positive for Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease, in July but is not showing any clinical signs. A positive result for Anaplasmosis just indicates antibodies to this bacteria, not necessarily active infection. Per our rescue protocol, she is currently being given a round of antibiotics.
Abilene is pretty easy to care for, but she will need a patient person to coax her out of her shell and build her confidence. She is very sweet and there is a playful personality hiding in there. She just needs time to adjust to her new life in Wisconsin.
