Tess
Adopted
Tess has been adopted!
Adopted: Tess has found her forever home. We wish her the very best life possible.
Three CBCR volunteers met Tess and another Border Collie on a cold, rainy day in December of 2019. Their owner had died without anyone knowing, and the two dogs were left on their own. We don’t know how long they had to fend for themselves, but they were severely underweight and malnourished when they were found. She was very skittish and appeared to be a flight risk. While she stretched toward you and took treats, you could not easily touch her.
Tess tested heartworm positive during her first veterinary visit. Tess is now a healthy weight, has been spayed and, is free of heartworms! While undergoing treatment for heartworms, she needed to be exercise restricted. She is no longer exercise restricted, and she loves to run.
She sits nicely to let you put her leash on and walks well on a leash. When walking up the driveway, she scans to see if people or dogs are on the street. If she sees or hears a person or a dog, even if they are 250 feet away, she will bolt back to the house. On the other hand, she enjoys walking in the woods where she finds lots of things to sniff and sometimes even something stinky to roll in. She, therefore, needs a home in a rural area with a secure, physical fence.
She is still very fearful. It took over six months before she would seek out her foster parents for petting. She is also sound reactive. During rainstorms, a compression jacket, medication, and a safe spot help alleviate her shaking, but she still paces. The sounds of gunshots and fireworks will cause her to run. She also reacts to normal household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, blenders, salad spinners, and even a chopping knife. Her foster parents are working to reduce her sound reactivity. The hairdryer used to bother her. She now comes running when she hears it because she knows the sound means she will get treats.
She doesn’t play with toys. The only thing she likes to pick up and play with is a fabric Frisbee. Oh yeah, she sometimes also will pick up dirty socks!
She gets along great with the other dog in the household. However, when he runs near her, she treats him like livestock and nips his ankles. We believe she has a lot of herding instinct, and it will be fun to get her tested once she is no longer afraid of strangers.
She is very interested in stalking the cat at her foster home. It is a good thing the cat is dog savvy.
Tess is currently taking a canine conditioning class. She is a quick learner and enjoys her training sessions. In addition to developing her muscles, the class mentally challenges her and should help her become more confident. Tess needs daily training to help her become less fearful. She has come a long way in the nine months she has been with CBCR. She still needs help to blossom into the carefree dog she deserves to be.
–Go to CBCR Foster Dogs page––Go to Rescue Policies page–