Ophelia (Philly)

Striking Philly is on the hunt for a very special home. Philly, along with a number of other koolies, were surrendered to Pawfect Pals from a cattle farm where they were not needed anymore. Philly is the last of the bunch to start her search for a home and has some specific requirements, so please read profile in full.

Philly is a 9 month old red merle koolie who is typical of the breed. She is active and very intelligent but timid with new people and situations. She takes a while to warm up to new humans but once she's comfortable, her happy and loving personality shines through with lots of happy bouncing and cuddles. With those she is comfortable (human and dog), Philly is a velcro dog who has little concept of personal space. Philly's training has progressed well, and she is toilet trained with good recall at home, but as with all young dogs, she will need a home where her training is continued. This will be easy as she is clever and loves LOVES food.

Philly is good with male dogs and is currently in foster care with two fur brothers who she adores, and is often caught snuggling up to them. She gains confidence in being around another well-rounded dog. She needs careful introductions with female dogs. She is untested with cats and will bark at cows and horses.

Philly has severe hip dysplasia in both sides, with the right hip socket being poorly formed and the left being significantly affected as well. When she arrived in foster care at 6 months of age, her rear-end muscle tone was terrible, causing significant pain to her hips as there was not enough connective tissue to support her poor hip structure. Following professional physiotherapy, joint supplements, good diet and gentle exercise, Philly has improved out of sight. To see her move, you would not think anything was wrong. Her new home will need to continue this management for the rest of her life to avoid pain and the requirement of surgery.

Being quite a timid dog initially, Philly absolutely needs a QUIET ADULT ONLY home with another dog for company. A rural location would be ideal for her as the hustle and bustle of the city and inner suburbs is too much. She is not suited to a home with children or one with young children that visit/stay regularly. Her new person/people will need to be very patient with her initially, so she learns they are safe and can form that bond. This didn't take long in her foster home as her foster carers took things slow and didn't force Philly to interact.

If you believe you can give this beauty the home she needs for the rest of her days, please submit an application below!