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Cali the Corgi/Cattle Dog Needs a Home

May 31st, 2015

unnamed-2 Eric and I have a beautiful dog, who has been in our lives for 5 years.  We first saw “Carol” at the SF SPCA having recently lost our dog of 15.5 years.  Carol immediately charmed us with her exuberance and interaction.  She also showed us how smart she was by going to the little hole in the glass to search for a treat (she had evidently received treats through this hole before).  And she was beautiful – a cross between a cattle dog and a corgi, long legs, alert eyes and ears, bushy tail and a spotted red and white coat.  We fell in love with her and 2 days later, she came home and we named her Cali.  It was estimated she was about 9 months old.Cali had obviously spent a lot of that time in shelters.  Her pads were pink and soft.  We had to show her how to go up and down stairs.  We taught her how to play with toys.  But she learned quickly.  Her pads hardened up as she hiked the trails above Oakland.  She made friends with the neighbor dogs – there is even a video of her playing tether ball with her friend Poppy.  She had a yard to play in, a “puppy empowerment portal” (doggie door) to get there, trails to hike nearby and clean streets to walk on leash.
unnamedBut due to a tremendous amount of transition in our lives, we cannot give her the time and attention she needs anymore. We had a friend who had just lost his dog and he graciously took Cali in temporarily, and he fell in love with her.  But he lives in a not so clean section of Oakland.  Now, when Cali walks, she is fixated on finding scraps of food on the route.  Nearby parks are littered with chicken bones, so rather than playing, she spends her time hunting bones.  His house has a studio downstairs where people often come to play music.  Her protective nature gets the better of her and she has to spend a lot of time upstairs, cut off from the action downstairs.She deserves to be in an area where she can run and play and not be distracted by junk on the sidewalk or in the park grass.  She needs to be active and stimulated.  She is too smart and energetic to be kept cooped up.  It is also not fair to us as we struggle amongst each other as to the best way to correct her.Cali’s good traits:
She is beautiful.  Folks always say she looks like a fox.
She is loyal.  She loves the people she knows and follows us all around.
She is good on trails and doesn’t run off.
She is good with other dogs at the beach, on trails, and at doggy day care when she goes.
She is SMART!  One can actually see the wheels turn in her head.  She learns tricks in about 30 minutes.  She had an opportunity to try out an agility course and mastered 3 activities in an hour!  The trainer was impressed.
She is active.  She loves hiking, the beach, playing ball, and playing tetherball.
She LOVES being chased with a toy in her mouth, by dogs or by people.
She is protective of her peeps and her territory (the house, yard and car).
She is incredibly exuberant when you come home and loves to lick you.

No dog is perfect and Cali is no exception.

Her protective nature can get the best of her.  Once she becomes used to a place (3-6 months), she believes it is her job to protect it from visitors and other dogs.  Once she becomes used to someone – usually because they work with her by feeding her and walking her – they are welcomed into the pack.  A home with constant coming and going of people for rehearsal is not for her.
She gets along well with other dogs on neutral territory and on their turf.  She doesn’t like them inside her home, although she has friends she doesn’t mind hanging with in her yard.
She chases cats.  We had a cat who never stood up to Cali, so she could use a good cat swatting.
She is SUPER SMART!  She learns things quickly.  With that smartness comes a bit of wllfulness and mischievousness – but that happens when she is bored.  When she is bored, she plays games to alleviate that boredom – such as learning how to open trash cans and spilling the contents on the kitchen floor.  Or opening the tall cabinet and removing key food items: loaves of bread, a bag of flour, a box of rice.  Sometimes she eats these, other times, she just moves them to other areas so that you know she was there.  A plastic bag of cords left on the table? They got a new home in the yard so that we could see them!

unnamed-1Cali needs a real job.  She needs space to be active.  She needs to be mentally challenged.  She wants nothing more than to please and can be such a very loving dog.  She needs an assertive pack, as she is most at ease when there is structure.   We are looking for the right person or persons and the right environment for her.
If you are interested or know someone who is a good fit, please contact us at suzanne@happyhound.com or call 510-547-6347.