Midwest Aussie Rescue

Adopted 08/18/10!

Meet pretty Belle (ARPH #12142), a 4 year old blue merle female, weighing about 40 lbs.

Belle has come a long way. When she first came into her foster home, she was scared of everything and everyone. She is more social now, but is still cautious when meeting someone new. She has gotten used to “house sounds” and isn’t startled by sudden noises or movements anymore. Her need to be given time and space with new people and places as she has shown protection tendencies to her safe places (crate and favorite room in foster home) must be ongoing.

Belle should not go to a home with small children, but she is good with teenagers. She gets along well with larger and smaller dogs and has not shown alpha dog signs. She is good with cats also. She likes her toys and will play fetch with her foster family. She does not show an interest in playing with other dogs and does try to get her human foster family’s attention away from the other dogs in the house, but not in an aggressive manner. Consequently, she would be best in a home without other dogs.

Belle walks well on a leash and has very good recall with her foster family. She is housebroken and crate trained. She is respectful of gates. She is a lower energy dog. Her favorite place to be in her foster home is lying on the couch with the teenage daughter and watching TV with her toy in her mouth.

Belle is spayed, up to date on all shots and is heartworm negative. She is located in central Indiana. Contact Georganne at annaverv@yahoo.com if you might be interested in adopting Belle. (listed 08/05/10)

Say hello to Jasper (ARPH #12141). Jasper is an 18 month old black-tri male with a nubbin that just keeps on going.  He is a happy playful boy who wants to know if you like to play or maybe pet him or hey what ever you would like would be just fine.  He has introduced nicely to guests in our home and does well with strangers.  He is doing well with his foster siblings but is showing some alpha tendencies so a placement with another alpha dog would not be the best choice.

Jasper is self-motivated when it comes to toys and is happy to just toss one around and catch it all by him self, toys are so much fun you know.  We have been working with him on playing toys with people also and he is starting to get how fun that can be.  He is not protective of toys but I’m not sure anyone ever played toys with him before.  Jasper started out being a little leery of taking treats from us when he first came into foster care but quickly figured out that it was a good thing and now understands that you even get the treat quicker when you are sitting. Because Jasper is a little leery of people getting right in his face and hugs we are looking for a home with kids that are teens and up.  He is getting daily hugs and getting better but younger kids tend to want to give lots of hugs. Jasper needs a nice mixture of some training and a lot of love and he will be your forever friend.

Jasper is up to date on shots, neutered, house and crate trained.  He is micro chipped and on heart worm prevention.  Jasper is located in Porter.  If you would like to adopt Jasper please contact Wynne Ton at w.ton@comcast.net. If you are not yet an approved adopter please fill out our application at www.aussierescue.org. You can see more pictures of Jasper at http://www.azgeospatial.com/arphtrijasper/index.html. (listed 06/30/10; updated 08/25/10)

I am pleased to introduce Nash (ARPH #12123)! Nash is a 7 year old, blue merle male with beautiful brown eyes. He weighs around 55 lbs, has big feet, a handsome face, and a docked tail. He has been recently groomed so he is looking pretty sharp! Nash has made some great strides in building his confidence while with his foster family and is ready to find his forever home!

Nash grew up with a larger group of Aussie males and from what we can tell; he was the lowest in the pecking order. Nash needs a pack leader and

without guidance he tends to become very nervous. Three words to describe this handsome boy are sweet, shy, and VELCRO. If you are looking for a dog who wants nothing more than to be close to you, this is Nash. He loves human companionship especially of the belly rubbing/head patting persuasion. If you aren’t paying attention, he will often nudge you for some loving.

When Nash came to us, he tested positive for heartworms. Since then he has gone through treatment and is feeling much better! It’s like he is going through a second puppyhood. He now has spurts of energy and loves to play, though he doesn’t have to do it all the time…most of the time he is happy just lying on the floor pulling stuffing out of his toys, chewing on a treat or watching TV when there is a funny sound (he is a head tilter). His other favorite activity is sneaking into the back room to steal the cats’ food and playing catch. He can jump so high in the air you will be amazed. For an older guy, he has some major agility skills! And the best part of Nash is his sheer excitement when you come home after a day at work. He gets so excited he can hardly contain himself: grunts, sneezes, jumps in the air, wiggles his nubby as fast as possible and loves to show you his Aussie smile…it is hilarious.

Nash does well with dogs and cats, though he is currently the only dog but lives with two feline brothers. He can become frustrated with more energetic dogs but he is always ready to meet a new friend. We have had no major issues with introducing Nash to new people or larger groups. He does seem to prefer women but is fine with men, just more timid. He hasn’t spent any time around children but he most likely would interact the same way he does with everything else which is curious and sweet.

Overall, Nash would make a great addition to any house that is looking for a loving and devoted companion. Nash adores car rides and is housetrained, leash trained and crate trained, though he definitely does not like the crate. He has good recall and does fine off leash once he knows who is boss. He is neutered, current on vaccinations, microchipped, on heartworm preventative and ready to find his forever home.  He is being fostered in Indianapolis.

If you are an approved adopter and are interested in adding Nash to your family please contact Missy at missycramer@gmail.com  If you are not yet an approved adopter please fill out our adoption application at www.aussierescue.org. (listed 06/29/10)

My name is Roo (ARPH #12139). Roo is a 4 year old red-tri male Aussie.

Thanks to his previous family, Roo is wonderfully well-trained and obedient. He knows come, sit, down, stay and shake paw. He is crate trained, housebroken and loves to play fetch.

Roo is very intelligent and is a great watchdog. His foster mom says she feels very safe at home with Roo on watch! Roo is the typical “Velcro dog” and, though he does need to be walked and exercised everyday, he is content to lie at your feet or cuddle with you on the couch as well.

Now that he's used to his foster home, he seeks out his foster parents for head rubs and hugs. This dog loves to travel. Whether it's a day trip or errands around town, he's ready to go!

Roo is currently working on not barking at strangers and other dogs while he's being walked and while he's at home in the yard. He probably would do best in a country home with no small children and not much company coming and going. With lots of patience and positive reinforcement he is showing improvement. He is just now beginning to adjust to all of the new sights and sounds in and around his foster home, where he has been for about 3 weeks. A prospective adoptive family
will want to be patient for awhile to give him time to adjust. He's a sweetheart and well worth the time!

Just an aside: Roo has a birth defect in one eye which makes it look partly closed. He doesn't let that slow him down and he's still a very good looking boy! Roo is located in Carthage. Contact Georganne at annaverv@yahoo.com with questions or if you might be interested in adopting Roo. (listed 02/14/10; updated 05/02/10)

Special Needs Dog

Spirit (ARPH #11765) is now about 9 months old now and has been looking for the right home for some time.  He is special needs because he was born deaf. He has grown into a very handsome boy who weighs about 55 pounds.  Don’t let his size fool you though; he is still a puppy with that wonderful puppy energy.  He’s eager to play with the other dogs in his foster home and loves people too; he’s very friendly with everyone he meets.  

We have learned a couple of new things about Spirit’s likes and dislikes as he’s grown.  The first is that he needs a home without kitties as he is a little too curious about them and will become fixated on them.  He will chase them if they run, we don't think he'd hurt them but he will drive you crazy with his persistence in chasing. 

We have also learned that he needs to go to a home with other dogs as he seems to have some separation anxiety that only comes out when he's completely alone, other dogs seem to be enough company for him to not display these behaviors as his foster mom has never seen this with him. 

Finally, Spirit needs a family willing to put in some training time as he does need to learn some manners such as not pulling on the leash and not jumping up.  The great thing is that he is completely housetrained and knows that the outside is the place to go potty. 

We do require that anyone who adopts a deaf dog have a fenced yard for their safety.  He really is a great dog; his foster mom has recently started to notice some changes in his behaviors possibly indicating that he's maturing a little bit.  He has started to spend more time relaxing with her and just generally being in the same room as her whereas before he used to be pretty much on the go the whole time playing.  He still loves playing with other dogs as you can see from his video. 

If you are interested in more information about deaf dogs please visit the following websites:

http://www.deafdogs.org/ 
http://www.lethalwhites.com/doublemerle.html 
http://www.ashgi.org/articles/gen_info.htm

Spirit is neutered, current on vaccinations and on heartworm preventative.  He is located in New Salisbury.  If you are interested in adding Spirit to your family and are an approved adopter please contact Missy at missycramer@gmail.com.  If you are not yet an approved adopter please fill out our adoption application at www.aussierescue.org. (listed 11/18/09, updated 05/10/10)

This is Dusty (ARPH #11003). Dusty is a 6 year old blue merle female, about 40 lbs., spayed, up to date on shots, on heartworm preventative, and housebroken.

We have learned a lot about Dusty in the past few months while fostering her. We do know that she is a special girl who will require the patience of her new owners while adjusting to a new home.When she arrived, she was so different, very, very cautious. She has come to love us and enjoys affection and belly scratches, but only if it is her idea ... a typical female!

Dusty can be silly and charming, and to know her and how far she has come is to love her.  She loves to chase anything moving, therefore a fence is mandatory. She likes games like tug of war, but I do not recommend them because it reinforces her hidden or not-so-hidden alpha tendencies. We call her the "enforcer" because she is the first to bark and bother her Aussie foster brothers when she feels like things are getting crazy, and that they need to settle down.

Dusty loves to run and run, and will follow the lawn mower for hours if she can.  Dusty loves to have her belly scratched, play ball (not so good at dropping it and again if she could play tug of war with a ball she certainly would), loves dinner time, really loves special treats, and loves cuddles with you on the couch (again only if it is her idea). She is extremely happy when we come home and jumps straight up in the air to let us know. As far as other dogs, she avoids confrontations with the other dogs but she will not back down if challenged and she is not really interested in playing with them, but likes to hang around with them. She will avoid people she doesn't know and trust, and doesn't bother strangers as long as they don't bother her.

Dusty should not really be placed in a home with children; she just doesn't like to be surprised with unannounced touching or the unpredictability of children's sudden movements. A quiet home would be the best environment for her. 

Dusty is being fostered in Walkerton. If you might be interested in adopting Dusty, or in learning more about her, please contact Georganne at annaverv@yahoo.com. (listed 08/23/09; updated 04/20/10)

Privately Referred Dogs

Rain is a 7-year-old, spayed female, blue merle Aussie. She is registered through AKC and ASCA. She has lots of obedience and agility training, and could easily complete her Novice Rally title with just a little review. Rain's nickname is Velcro Dog. Once she decides she likes you - you have to peel her off of you. She is a bit suspicious of strangers but as she has gotten older she warms up to people much more quickly. She is excellent for handling and grooming.

Rain is not great with other dogs. She has 2 younger male dogs that she enjoys playing with. (an Aussie and a Border Collie) These two boy dogs always let her have her way and they let her boss them around. So, it is amazing how tolerant she is with these two boys. She could not be placed with dogs that don't want to be pushed around or with a "bitchy" female. I would also not recommend a home with small dogs or children. She has always been fine with cats although on occasion she thinks it is fun to chase them. She will fetch and tug when she is in the mood but she loves training, especially when there is a possibility of earning food.

A perfect home for her would be a adult single female or couple - without children, that have experience with Aussies that do not require their dog to be tolerant of all people and dogs she will meet. If you are looking for a dog that is all about you, you, you - Rain might be the dog for you. Contact Stephany O'Dell at 574-780-3302 or email stephodellfcr@hotmail.com. ARPH rep Georganne is listing this dog as a private referral. (listed 08/22/10)

Special needs girl

Introducing Baby Girl. Baby Girl is a gorgeous blue merle girl who is approximately 15 months old. She is full of life and energy and can be very mischievous and silly. She gets along great with all her foster brothers and sisters and would do best with another canine sibling as she has learned to cue off of other dogs. She gets really excited when she gets human attention and raises her head around licking in the air, so very cute and loving.

Baby Girl is blind in her left eye and has some vision in her right eye but we are not sure just how much. She is mostly deaf; she appears to hear loud sounds but has difficulty in determining where the sound is coming from. Baby Girl has a skin condition which is not contagious; it appears to be allergy related. Recently we've been giving probiotics a try, but it is too soon to tell if this will help alleviate this issue. With a little bit of training and some loving Baby Girl will make a wonderful and happy companion.

Because of her special needs we will require that her adopters have a fence. Due to a generous donation, Baby Girl is also about to start learning recall with a vibration collar and also knows to come in after dark when she sees a flashlight waved. Baby Girl is spayed, microchipped, up to date on shots, crate and house trained. She is located in southern Indiana. If you are interested in adopting Baby Girl please contact Wynne at w.ton@comcast.net. If you have not filled out one of our applications to adopt you can find it www.aussierescue.org. (listed 06/26/10)