CERI

Ceri (ADOPTED!) is a super sweet, extremely devoted, cattle dog and border collie mix. She weighs 43 lbs. and is around 2 years old. She has a wonderfully loving and happy personality, when she feels safe. Ceri is a Velcro dog, who more than anything wants her very own person/people to be with and follow around. She just wants to be petted and loved back.

Our girl would make an exceptional companion. If she could, she would shower her foster mom with kisses all the time. She will roll over for a tummy rub and is very happy to get leashed up and go outside. Ceri will follow her foster mom around in the house and not let her out of her sight. She is content to lay down and hang-out nearby, when her foster mom is in the kitchen cooking or in the office working, or even in the barn feeding the horses.

Ceri is enthusiastic about toys and balls, and will play fetch with a ball or toy. She will play with toys on her bed, in the crate, or just about anywhere. When her foster mom is working in her office, Ceri is content to hang out and chew on her toys, or nap. It is best to always have a soft toy, stuffed Kong, or chew toy for her, as she chewed through 2 nearby leashes very quickly.

As a young herding mix, Ceri would do well with a lot of daily physical exercise and play time to help expend her youthful energy. Also, as a very smart girl, she will also need activities to keep her brain busy. While Ceri is happy to go out on leash, she is just learning how to walk on one. She zig-zags and may pull a bit. When on walks and she hears/sees the barking neighbor dogs across the street, Ceri is interested in a curious friendly way, but does not pull towards them.

We rescued her from a very overcrowded county shelter less than 2 hours before she was to be euthanized. She had been found as a stray with her puppy, who was quickly rescued from the shelter by another organization. We believe that Ceri had been an outside only, and probably a ranch dog.  She is not used to the everyday sights and sounds when out in public. When she recently went on a trip to PetSmart, she seemed astonished that there were so many people in the world. She just sat in amazement and watched everyone.

Ceri has great potential. She is a fast learner, eager to please and smart. When she first arrived, she was not house trained and didn’t know what doors were, but learned very quickly, partly from copying the other dogs. She now asks to go out by going to the door. She was also unfamiliar with a leash, and now associates it with fun walks. She has soft mouth and takes treats gently. Currently, she knows "sit" and we are working on "stay" but not quite there yet.

She will sleep in a crate when her fosters need to go out for a few hours. Initially, she may whine a bit, but will soon settle down. Ceri does not go into a crate on her own. She'll go in if you offer a treat and put food and water in the crate. Once inside, she is fine with it. Her foster mom has been allowing Ceri to sleep on the bed with her, and Ceri will sleeps quietly beside her all night. 

Ceri can jump quite high, and should be supervised whenever outside, and always be on a leash or long line, until she gets more training and her humans know that she will not be motivated by something to leap a fence. When she is happy to see someone and wants some attention she has a tendency to jump up on you. Her foster mom has been discouraging this.

Although, she has not shown obvious herding tendencies, she sometimes uses her mouth to communicate. Once or twice she has gently taken her foster mom’s wrist in her mouth to get her attention. Ceri is a very quiet dog, who only lets out a bark before she goes to hide, when hearing or seeing unknown people come to the house, and sometimes on walks if she thinks someone is approaching.

Although Ceri would be ok with another easy going, balanced dog, she would not be a playmate or a close companion for another dog. Her main focus is on being with her human(s). She would prefer to being an only dog for all the love and attention of her people. At her foster home, she co-exists peacefully with an older female who is the same size, but sometimes tries to keep the other female away from her foster mom. Her fosters also have a smaller, terrier mix, male who is a resource guarder and, before the fosters knew to keep him separate, has snapped at Ceri over ‘his’ people and food. Ceri did argue and snap back at him. For this reason, she would be happiest in a home as an only dog, not worry about competing with another dog over her people or around food.

Ceri is curious about cats and wants to watch and follow them. She may be ok with a dog-savvy cat, who does not run or show aggression. But, in general, a home without cats may be best, as she is often distracted by them. If they run, she will chase. She does listen well when her foster mom tells her “no” and uses a treat or toy to re-direct her away from the cat. After some work with her and the cat, Ceri is doing better. Currently, Ceri will sleep on the bed with the 5-year old cat who does not run or pay much attention to her. There is also a senior cat who ignores Ceri, and Ceri also ignores her.

We don’t believe that Ceri has been on many car rides before. She currently will not get in on her own. However, once in the car she likes to look out the window, but will restlessly pace back and forth. Occasionally she will lie down.

While Ceri is a happy, calm girl when feeling safe with her person/people, it is clear that she was very mistreated and neglected in her former life. As mentioned, she is very afraid of unknown people. She is terrified of brooms and mops. If you touch a broom or mop she will immediately run away and hide. Ceri is also very sensitive to and does not like loud noises or sudden movement. For these reasons, she would not do well in a busy household, or with children.

During her vet visit, she was quiet, but very unsure and worried. When the vet tech approached her, she began a low growl and tried to hide. She lets people know that she is not comfortable, but she has not tried to snap at anyone.

Ceri has a wonderfully sweet natural personality. We believe that over time she can become a self assured dog. We cannot stress strongly enough that this dog needs patience and time (6 to 12 months) in the right hands to truly blossom. She will need a calm home with patient, understanding people, who can use positive associations to help her gain confidence when out in the world and become more socialized.

This is NOT a dog for apartment/condo life, or a first time dog owner, or one who is not familiar with these breeds or with a dog who has been mentally and physically abused. If you may be interested in Ceri please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a message at (707) 583-9583.