Sylvie

The beautiful Sylvie now seeks her forever loving homeStaffy x Just a youngster at 1 year old and a med size girl Soft as butter and sweet as honey - this is the perfect way to describe our precious Sylvie who is now seeking her forever home. Sylvie arrived from the pound traumatised from spending three weeks in a shelter environment - she was very withdrawn and on the verge of shutting down completely. She was extremely skittish, trying to find safety by crouching as low to the ground as she could, and her wide eyes told us of her complete terror and distrust in this scary new place. Three weeks later, Sylvie has made a transformation which can only be described as remarkable - she is now friendly, relaxed and eager for pats from anyone and everyone. Although not even a year old, she is placid and settled and her calm nature makes her seem much older than she is.  Sylvie is a very versatile dog who would make a perfect addition to a wide variety of adoptive families. Sylvie is dearly loved by her foster family and whoever adopts this delightful young lady will enjoy many years of sweet and devoted companionship. She is seeking a kind and patient owner who will dedicate themselves to continuing to encourage Sylvie’s confidence and resilience in the human world. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM AND JUNK FOLDERS FOR YOUR APPLICATION ONCE YOU HAVE SENT YOUR ENQUIRY SOCIALISATIONSylvie has been fostered in a home with three large, boisterous dogs. Her first introduction to them occurred much quicker than is the usual practice in her foster home - as someone had left the side gate open and all three dogs rushed out to accost her before she’d even had a chance to catch her breath from her long journey from the pound. Despite her obvious terror, it is a testament to her placid nature that Sylvie took this onslaught of interest in her stride and did not growl, snap or panic and try to escape.  She quietly tolerated this initial greeting from her foster siblings and then warily but courageously joined them in the backyard where she began her rehabilitation. It took several days before Sylvie began to emerge from her shell, but with each passing day she has continued to gain confidence around people and other animals - and with patience and consistency, she will continue to develop into a happy, well balanced dog. During her time in foster care, Sylvie has met several new dogs both out on walks and inside her home, and although her not-quite-perfect doggy manners are a reminder that she is still an adolescent (she can be a bit blustery and disrespectful of other dogs’ personal space) she is not at all aggressive, with all other dogs seeming to understand that she is still learning, and so far, none have been offended by her behaviour.   Sylvie would benefit greatly from having an older, stable and tolerant male dog in her new home to continue her lessons in canine etiquette.  Sylvie may one day be confident enough to enjoy going to the dog park however this may be several months away as she needs time to really become comfortable with her new owner and her new environment. Sylvie has also been fostered with three resident cats who are confident around dogs (in other words they have resigned themselves to being test subjects for foster dogs). Sylvie has behaved beautifully around them for the most part, and only chases them when her naughty foster siblings lead the way, although she has shown no desire to hurt them if/when she catches up to them.  When spotted taking interest in a cat, a sharp “leave it” command is usually enough to have her turn around immediately and return to her foster carer. Sylvie would therefore be suitable for a home with confident cats, especially if the existing dog has nice cat manners and doesn’t encourage chasing behaviour.  Sylvie has been exposed to cows, sheep, horses and kangaroos in her foster home. Whilst she is interested in them as large, strange animals, and has even snuck into a paddock with horses and cows, she has shown no desire to chase them and was easily called away from them. Sylvie has been in foster care with four children aged above 10 years. She is very tolerant of children and it’s lovely to see her wander down the hallway, wagging her tail as she goes to greet each of them in turn when they wake up in the morning. However, she always returns immediately to the adults of the family and appears to feel more settled in their company. Sylvie is therefore not suited for a family who are seeking a dog primarily as a child’s pet, and would make a much better match for adults.   EXERCISE AND ENRICHMENTSylvie arrived into foster care quite plump and unfit. She has been walked for 1-2 hours each day whilst in care, mostly off lead in the back paddocks near her foster home. She has lost her excess weight and is now in a lean, fit condition which is very healthy for her , staffy frame. She loves her walks and stays close to her foster carer most of the time. In her first week or so, her fear of the world meant she was unable to walk more than about a metre from her carer, but now she runs off happily with the other dogs. Sylvie is a dog who quickly develops a very strong bond with her “pack” and as much as she now enjoys tearing around and smelling all the wonderful smells of the outside world, and even occasionally giving half-hearted chase to a kangaroo or fox, it is clear that her priority is always remaining within view and hearing of her pack. A quick call of her name and she will be running back to her carer at full pelt for a pat, and reassurance that she can head off again for another short adventure. She is quite easy to walk on lead, although she is still learning about personal space so care must be taken not to trip over her as she stays very close to her carer and can sometimes wander into their path without thinking. She appears fine walking around strange people although she shows the usual puppy interest in other dogs that pass by and can lunge forward to greet them. Distracting her with her name and changing direction has been a good way to redirect her whilst out walking and once she is past the dog she has no interest in trying to follow them or bark at them. Sylvie is so far completely disinterested in toys - when the other dogs are chasing balls or sticks, Sylvie loves to chase after them but seems totally at a loss as to what she is supposed to do when she reaches the object of the chase. However, in the past day or so, she grabbed a stray gardening glove on the front veranda and carried it for a moment before she and her cattle dog buddy had a very short tug of war with it. As she becomes more confident in her new home, it is likely that her puppy tendencies will begin to shine through and she may become more interested in toys and games. SLEEPING AND EATINGSylvie has slept inside in her foster mum’s bedroom since the day she arrived. Although unsettled and wandering the house for the first couple of nights, Sylvie quickly took over the prime position of the comfiest dog bed right next to her foster mum’s bed from her blue heeler foster brother who has now been relegated to the living room.  Sylvie now sleeps all night between 10pm and 6am without stirring and does not bark or try and jump onto the bed. She has recently found the confidence to jump onto the couch and snuggle up to her foster mum although she has to compete with the other dogs and is usually the first to be squeezed off and has to go back onto a dog bed on the floor. She is such a snuggly dog once she feels comfortable in her surroundings and she would love to spend many hours curled up in the lap of her new owner once she develops a trust and love for them.Sylvie eats once a day and has been fed on Prime roll and dry food. She has also had bones and a variety of cooked meats (bacon/chicken/sausage/roast meat) as treats in training. She needs to be fed separately to the other dogs in the house as she is submissive