Kali (ADOPTED!) is a very quiet, sweet natured girl. We believe she is a border collie/McNab. With those ears and her slim, wiry, 40 lb. build, she could have a bit of Basenji in her. She is possibly 3 or 4 years old. She is great with and loves all people, but mostly wants her own people to bond closely with. Within a few hours at her new foster home, she was following her foster mom everywhere, watching for cues on what she should do. She has been trying to win over her foster dad, who usually doesn’t interact with her much. Whenever he enters the room, she goes straight to him for attention and affection. She is a very earnest girl, who wants to please her people, and to be your closest partner and companion.
Kali is extremely alert and observant. She is always watching and aware of what is going on. She is, of course, intensely intelligent. Kali can run like the wind and would be a phenomenal working dog. She needs some daily exercise, running or working alongside her people; but if you are doing chores inside or desk work, Kali is also fine curling up nearby and hanging out inside with her person for several hours at a time. She often asks to go outside, just to check out the scents of animals who have passed through the area.
Our girl would do best on property where she is free to explore and run. She learns household routines and what is expected after one or two times. Once she knows where home is, Kali will stay close to home, and always return once she has done her rounds on the property.
It is obvious that she is not used to being on a leash. As soon as one is clipped on her, she acts as if something bad is going to happen to her. She gets low and begins pulling for all she is worth, constantly changing sides and wrapping the leash around your legs. We believe that her original people did not take her off their property very often, as she lacks confidence in new situations, frantically pulling on leash to sniff and check out where she is.
Off leash, she is fine, and will follow your cues and happily come when called. If you look for her in the house and call her, she will come, but act as if she is about to be punished. She will slink or skitter by you quickly, with her head held low, and then sit at your feet and look up at you with a worried expression. Kali also tries to avoid you if she believes you may try to grab her collar. If you do hold her collar, she will struggle to get away and then surrender, belly up. Even when terrified during a bath (to wash off turkey poop she rolled in), she has never once growled or tried to snap at her foster people.
Kali is NOT mouthy, and has NOT shown any desire to nip at feet or hands. She is completely housebroken. If she needs to go out, she will get your attention and then go to sit at the door to ask to be let out. She does NOT know how to use a dog door. Our girl will try to join her people on the sofa if she can. In the morning, she will place her nose at the side of your bed, patiently waiting to be the first one to greet you when you open your eyes.
Kali enjoys meeting other animals, and is big on the greeting sniffs. If a passing dog growls at her, she ignores it or will walk away to avoid trouble. Ironically, the reason Kali needed rescue was because she tried to chase another dog (we believe it was a larger confident female) away from her home property and got into a fight. We have not seen this behavior from her. Kali has been excellent with the two dogs in her foster home. She has been better with them, than they have been with her. Her foster brother is a dominant male cattle dog and the other is a female cattle dog, who each night lies in the doorway of the bedroom to prevent Kali from entering. Kali is respectful of both dogs and does not challenge either of them. She doesn’t seem interested in playing with other dogs, but is fine hanging out around them. We have not seen any aggressive behavior at all from her in any situation. We were told that she may enjoy having a crate or private space where she can retreat to sometimes. She would be best as an only dog, or with a strong male dog, or easy going female. Because of her past history, although we haven’t witnessed it, she should not be with a strong or dominant female.
In summary, Kali is an incredibly sweet girl, who just wants her own people to partner with. You could find no better companion. We are seeking a quiet, calm situation, where she can have daily physical exercise, and her thinking brain can have some purpose or enrichment. If not on large property, working alongside her people, Kali should be slowly exposed to new experiences in the outside world to build her confidence and learn how to handle herself in new situations. She would do best in a rural setting.
If you are interested in meeting Kali, please begin our pre-adoption approval process by completing our online adoption form, at http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have further questions.
