PLEASE NOTE THAT UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE UNABLE TO FLY OUR ANIMALS EITHER WITHIN WA OR INTERSTATE

NAME: Betsy

BEFORE SAFE ESPERANCE: Came to us from the pound..

BREED: English Pointer x Mixed Breed

General breed traits: English Pointer - Originally bred to 'point' birds and small game this breed is energetic, fun-loving and intelligent. Not for novice owners as they have a mind of their own requiring daily vigorous exercise, training and mental stimulation. A bored Pointer can be destructive. A loyal and true friend, they are wonderful family dogs who thrive with family and must live indoors with them but due to size, not small children. They are watchdogs and hunters and therefore have a high prey drive.

ASSETS: Easygoing (with people), laidback, and very sweet. She's an absolute darling and is friendly and calm around adults and children that she meets.

FAVOURITE THINGS: Betsy loves to get out and about in the car for trips to the beach, then come home and curl up with her human and watch tv. She also likes to hang out in the garden with the other dogs in her foster home and her carer.

HEALTH: When Betsy came to us she had a painful back foot and x-rays showed that she had had an arthrodesis procedure. The plate and pins were causing pain so she went to surgery for plate and pin removal. She has improved immensely but cannot be over-exercised as the foot gets tired and sore - if her exercise is managed she is happy and pain free. Being a high energy girl she needs one walk per day for about 3kms - she is not let off lead to run - but we would highly recommend low impact exercise, such as swimming which she loves. Betsy also needs mental stimulation to tire her active brain - search games and puzzle toys will challenge her - and not forgetting loads of love and you will have a 100% happy girl.

OTHER ANIMALS: She gets on well with other friendly dogs after slow, gentle introduction, but unfortunately she is reactive to dogs she doesn't know so will need to be kept on a lead at all times, Her carer is training her on walks to modify her behaviour and she is improving, but will require ongoing consistent training to continue to curb her reactivity. She is currently sharing her foster home with 3 resident dogs - two of them small - she adores the resident big boy! In Betsy's previous life she was a yard dog and was allowed to fence run without correction when dogs walked past, which exacerbated her reactivity. She is definitely not suited to a home with cats or small animals.

GENERAL INFO: Betsy is a bit of a goofball but extremely sweet and loving. She rarely barks, is housetrained and knows most commands. She will need gentle exercise only. Betsy would do well with an owner who works from home and can give her the companionship that she yearns for.

ODD TRAITS: She sits on a chair like a human - we think she thinks she is human!

HOME ESSENTIALS:
*Stability: A home where someone is there for most of the day on a permanent basis or can take her with them when they go out. She needs a calm, strong, experienced owner who is not afraid of her strong reactions to other dogs and is prepared to continue to work towards curbing her default responses. She would love constant companionship, as she's extremely loyal and does miss her human if left for too long.
*Time: Betsy will need daily exercise, strictly on her lead, once a day to keep her happy and healthy.
*Space: Betsy needs a well fenced, secure yard, without access to views of foot traffic, with some grass and interesting things for her to sniff.
*Love: Betsy needs to be allowed to be inside or out as she chooses, to sleep inside at night and to be included as part of the family. She would go well with dog-savvy, gentle children over 7 years old and would love a very chilled, male doggy friend, after gentle introduction.

If Betsy sounds like the perfect girl for you, please send an enquiry and we'll be in touch soon.