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Hearthfire Animal Rescue Team (HART)

West Richland, WA

My story

Sweetpea's intent blue-eyed stare is kinda unfortunate. Her looks are striking, of course - a guaranteed conversation-starter - but somehow that gaze makes her look tough, maybe a little scary, definitely a touch magical. In fact, she's a sweetheart - calm, gentle and loving, energetic enough to keep up with you on a strenuous hike, but laid-back enough to hang out and quietly keep you company while you work.HISTORYIn June 2022, a private rescuer took Sweetpea in after she was attacked by a pack of dogs. She had been running with this pack of abandoned, semi-feral dogs in the Toppenish area for a while. Her ear was badly torn up, so the rescuer treated it and took her to the vet, although they couldn't afford surgery to repair the damage. After she healed, however, her rescuer couldn't rehome her, so Sweetpea became one of a large number of dogs living on chains on her rescuer's property. She was released to HART in late August 2023 when she started showing symptoms of extreme stress, and since then she has thrived.Her stated breed mix is based on our best guess, judging by her appearance. Her size, blue eyes, pricked ears, coloring and freckled feet strongly indicate Heeler. The vet who examined her last year identified Cur, and after looking at pictures (and taking into account her prey drive) we think that's a possibility.SOCIALIZATIONSweetpea can be a little tentative with new people, but she warms up fast. She is confident and friendly with humans of all shapes and sizes.She shares her foster home with five other dogs and gets on well with all of them. She's submissive and VERY playful. She would be an excellent candidate for dog parks once she's trained!She has high prey drive with smaller prey animals. She has killed several chickens at her foster home, and she'll chase goats and geese. For this reason she cannot be placed in a rural environment; she needs a home where she has no access to small prey animals.Her encounters with cats have been brief, and if necessary we'll test her with a confident, dog-savvy cat before she's adopted. She seemed calm and interested, but because of her prey drive toward other small animals we'd prefer to place her in a cat-free home.TEMPERAMENT & BEHAVIORThis girl LOVES a good run, and would be an excellent companion for a jogger or hiker. She does need daily exercise, which should include a fairly long walk and mental stimulation. However, she's not antsy; if there's nothing going on, she's content to kick back and do nothing.She's very affectionate, but not needy. When she's hanging out at home with you, she'll check in every now and then and ask for some loving, but then she takes herself off and settles. Sweetpea hasn't lived in the kind of environment where toys for dogs are a thing, so she doesn't really get the concept. But she loves a good chew - give her a meaty bone or a bully stick, and she'll keep herself busy for hours! She also enjoys playing with other dogs - mainly tag, or follow-me-as-I-follow-my-nose.She does have a few bad habits. If she's bored and in the mood for adventure, she'll try to squeeze through or dig under a fence, so any fence around her yard needs to be solid, at least 5 ft high, and should ideally have a concrete footing. She may occasionally dig IN the yard, although usually only in holes other dogs have started. Generally, however, she's easy to live with. She's very quiet; apart from the welcome home song she sings to her foster mom, the only time she speaks is the rare bark when playing. She is not destructive - she chews only bones. She also travels well. TRAININGSweetpea is reliably house trained. She is comfortable in her crate - will stay crated without complaining for several hours, if necessary, and will quite often put herself in her crate for a nap. However, because she isn't destructive and doesn't have accidents she can safely be given the run of the house.As for obedience commands, she doesn't know much. She walks very well on a loose leash, but her recall is unreliable and she doesn't know any other commands. However she is very quick to understand what her people want of her, and will usually comply.She is clearly very intelligent and we'd expect her to respond well to training, even to an advanced level. However, she is also independent-minded, and although she loves connecting with her human caregivers, she hasn't ever learned how satisfying it is to please her special person. She is looking for an adopter who is committed to training as a way to build their bond. HEALTH STATUSSweetpea appears to be in good health. She has been vaccinated, microchipped and treated for parasites. ADOPTIONFor more pictures of Sweetpea, see her Facebook profile at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.621147176833042&type=3To apply to adopt Sweetpea, please email HearthfireART@gmail.com and request an adoption application form.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Sweetpea, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.

adoption group

Hearthfire Animal Rescue Team (HART)

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