Sophie

Sophie is one of the most loyal, loving and funny dogs I have fostered. Sophie came to us after being picked up as a stray with a belly full of puppies and was quite thin. She is still quite young and, considering this, has done a terrific job raising all of her 9 pups.

Sophie currently lives with 6 other dogs and doesn't have a problem with any of them. She is toilet trained and although she knows how to open doors, she has learnt that this is not okay and has not done so since her first month here. She has also learnt that when inside she is to be calm and gentle, winning the hearts of my family members and guests. She knows how to sit on command, hold, drop, down, come, and has learnt the importance of patience and that it is okay to be alone. She loves to please and will do anything for a hug.
Sophie has also learnt to control any unwanted instincts around my sheep, and was comfortably living with an orphan lamb for a couple of months.

Sophie has become a very strong girl, but behaves quite well on leash and off. She was very much in her own world when she first came, and was completely unreliable off leash, but since being in care she has learnt how much fun it is being a part of a pack and family, and is now off-leash following along for almost the entire time during our daily hikes. Her recall without distractions is flawless, and with distractions it is improving daily.

The most important thing for Sophie is to go to an experienced and active owner who likes to go on adventures and has the time to help Sophie adjust to her new life. Sophie loves hikes and can go for almost 2 hours while wearing a backpack. She also enjoys running next to the bike and is *almost* hoping in the dam for a swim with the other dogs. So close!

Sophie loves other dogs who also like to rough house a lot, and sleep a little. She can come on to them a little strong/dominant when first meeting but settles and accepts them quickly. A home with another dog would be great for this energetic and playful girl.

Sophie is very playful towards kids, however can at times come on too strong and get overexcited, which may lead to unintended injury. If Sophie were to go to home with children, kids 10+ who have experience with dogs would be best.
She loves to snuggle up to my nieces and nephew who are all under 4yrs, but their play must be supervised to ensure Sophie doesn't get too excited.
Again she is quite strong and tends to jump up on people who have not set boundaries. Helping her to break this habit will be extremely important - she has shown a great improvement in this area, so long as the person she has jumped on doesn't then praise her. We have worked tirelessly on her impulse control, teaching her to 'take' and 'drop' toys on command. She likes exercising her jaw through the use of tug toys and has learnt to fetch.

I love this girl with all my heart, and you will too! If you would like to learn more about our beautiful girl, we would love to hear from you!

Sophie is located in Ballarat.