Happy Tails

Thelma (ADOPTED!) is an 8-year-old 35-pound Cattle Dog mix, perhaps with Border collie. She is a very well-balanced sweet dog with wonderful manners. You really could not expect to meet a more polite, easy going girl than Thelma. At her core Thelma is good willed. She is slightly reserved but readily meets new people.  Once comfortable with someone she is engaging with a delightfully playful streak.  

Thelma’s person of 8 years passed away, and she does have some grief. She at times seems unsure of what is expected, and her worried little brow can tug at your heart. She was very shut down at the Animal Shelter and refused any interaction. But she is responding beautifully to new situations and experiences with increasing curiosity and courage.

Beyond anything, Thelma seems to have a joy in life that carries her through. When she first arrived at her foster home she quickly explored the entire house, and then decided the couch looked like the place to be. In the first few days she was submissive; she was wary of interaction and seemed to be fearful of  being touched or making eye contact. But in a very short time she has come to trust her situation and her fear has been replaced with a truly lovely joyful personality.

Thelma’s overriding quality is that she is “well-balanced.” She is house trained and accustomed to living inside. She can be left alone and does not display insecurity or separation anxiety. She does not appear to have ever been in a crate, but we are attempting to slowly introduce the crate as a safe place to be.

She is not pushy in any regard, rather she has a very strong ability to be patient. She has excellent manners in the house and is quiet; she is not a barker. She does “talk” on some occasions particularly when she knows preparations are in the works for a walk. She will give a big smile and a little “Arrrwww” to hurry the process along. Thelma also rides nicely in a car. Her one quirk is that she rides on the floor of the car, preferably in the back behind the driver’s seat. She curls up and stays in place until she senses you are at the destination.

Thelma meets new people and dogs nicely; she is slightly reserved but friendly. When meeting with new dogs Thelma is relaxed and is appropriate in her approach. She fully enjoys hanging out with friendly dogs and responds happily if another dog wants to play, chase being her favorite game. But when hiking on the trail she says a quick “hello” and then moves on. If she meets a dog that is not appropriate Thelma will remove herself from the situation. This girl wants nothing to do with aggression or hostility. We have not seen her eat in front of other dogs but there is no indication that she guards her food. She is not toy oriented. She has no idea what a ball is for, nor does she understand frisbees. She does like treats, but is not obsessed with them and will often refuse a treat from a stranger.

She is calm with children and tolerates being petted by them. But she does not appear to have been around children much and is much more responsive to adults. Her response to cats is varied.  In a few cat interactions, her response has been varied, but in the end, because Thelma does have prey drive and will chase if a cat moves, she would be best in a home without cats or other small animals.

Thelma absolutely adores being outside on trails in the woods. That is her element; she becomes all “dog” outside. She is NOT an apartment dog and should be where she can be outside in nature part of her day. Short walks on a sidewalk will not meet her needs. She walks nicely on a leash when out on a hike in the park or woods, but at times will pull slightly, mainly to stop and smell. But in an urban setting her leash skills are not so good - she will weave from side to side and pull. Also, Thelma does not know about cars, and is somewhat nervous and can freeze if they pass too close. She does not want to chase cars, but she does not know to get out of the way. For that reason Thelma should not be in a home where she has to be walked near traffic.

“Sit,” “lay down,” and “shake hands” are alien words to Thelma. She does not seem to have been formally trained. However, she pays close attention to her person and most of the time seems to understand what is being asked of her. As a very intelligent girl who wants to please, she watches closely for cues and responds amazingly on point. She is a fast learner and quickly learned to come on command.

Thelma does show some Cattle Dog breed tendency to be willful, particularly when asked to go on the leash when she is outside. But even then, her personality trait turns “willful” into “playful” and it becomes a game. She makes it clear that she knows she is being “naughty” and will even prance with sly glances over her shoulder staying just barely out of reach. This has become less of an issue since she has learned to come on command. She does have her preferences when out on a trail and will become stubborn when she sees a trail that interests her. She will give in and come with you if you just continue on. As a cattle dog, Thelma is a velcro dog, and staying with her person is her priority. She is not a dog who roams.

Thelma should be in a home where she can walk and run at least one hour every day. She loves being outside on hiking trails and would probably be a great camping companion.

If you are interested in meeting Thelma, please begin by completing our adoption form at the Adopt link in the blue bar above: http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. Download and print the form to be completed. If you have questions, 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.

Ollie (ADOPTED!) is a 1 yr. 8 month old, 33-34 lb cattle dog with classic breed traits. He is an incredibly smart, very loving, sweet, ”velcro” pup. He is also very athletic. Ollie has clearly had some trauma in his past life, and has anxiety in some situations. He has a lot of personality and definitely will communicate his feelings to you.

Ollie is a very active and high energy dog. He gets so much joy from being outside and he definitely needs his exercise outside in order to be relatively calm in the house. He’s more of a sprinter and prefers agility challenges (incredible with a frisbee!), but he enjoys his ~4 mile run every morning. His excitement is contagious.

Ollie has been living with us in an apartment (1BR/1BA) with no other animals.  About 4 months ago, we agreed to adopt him to get him out of the shelter environment. We wanted to give him an opportunity to settle after neuter surgery and to make progress on some behavior issues.

At home, Ollie follows us around the apartment. My partner and I both work from home, and when we are working, Ollie will curl up on his dog bed. We take breaks during the day to give him short walks and play mental stimulation games like hide and seek.  If Ollie doesn’t get his morning exercise, he’s extra sensitive to outside noises. When my partner and leave the home, and will be away for more than 20 minutes, we’ll put Ollie in his crate and give him a frozen peanut butter Kong, and he seems to do fine, as long as he has his Kong. 

He loves to learn, is eager to please, and is very food motivated! Ollie is happiest whenever he can be with his people and we take him everywhere we can. He loves adventures! He travels well in the car and walks well on leash (using a Gentle Leader Head Harness). He’s been down to the beaches along the Central Coast, up to the trails in Tahoe, and he’s made multiple trips to the Bay Area. Ollie loves meeting new people (outside of his home environment) and gets a little too excited sometimes so we’re working on calm introductions. However, early indications suggest that he may need work on greeting/meeting people nicely in the home. Due to COVID, we haven’t really had anyone else in our home.  When a male friend (wearing a mask) briefly came into our home, Ollie displayed some aggression toward him.

When we first brought Ollie home, he was scared of random things (changing the trash bag, plastic boxes, the refrigerator, moving phone chargers) in the house and would respond by snapping at us. We worked with a trainer to 1) identify when he’s scared/about to snap and 2) provide structure to deal with the scary situation. We haven’t had any issues with him since. Sometimes he can still feel anxious and curls himself into a little ball the corner of the room. We will try to comfort him by coming to him with treats, to pet him, or give him a food puzzle toy to play with. He has a variety of toys (balls, stuffed animals, rubber frisbees & rings) he enjoys, but tends to only play with them if we’re playing with him. However, if we set him loose with his food ball, he independently plays with it and has a blast.

Ollie would do best in a quiet area with some property. We live on a busy street in the downtown area in Sacramento. Ollie becomes very anxious and reactive when we encounter people on scooters/skateboards/hoverboards/rollerblades/etc (but not bikes). Constant exposure to these, as well as passing other dogs has been the hardest thing for us to manage. It can take a couple of blocks before Ollie’s nerves calm down and he can enjoy his walk or run.

Ollie has all the traits of an excellent working/herding dog. His instincts for herding have been mellowed but, when he’s excited or agitated, they come out. As is often the case, traits that are desirable for a working dog on country property, can be very undesirable behaviors in urban and suburban life.

We have been working with a trainer, who taught us to be his “pack leaders,” especially when walking, so Ollie doesn’t feel that the burden is on him to keep scary things away. Ollie needs structure and leaders to remind him that he is not the boss and there are clearly defined rules. Ollie has responded well to training. However, he needs an experienced cattle dog owner who can be two steps ahead of him, and ideally in a quiet/rural situation. Ollie is an intelligent boy, with a busy brain, and who will think for himself if consistent direction is not provided.

Ollie is reactive when seeing other dogs on walks. He will whine, jump, bark, and pull. The shelter told us he could only be in a single-dog household and we agree. We have been working on his dog reactivity on walks, and when we are in control of the situation, he’ll manage to successfully pass a dog 15 to 20 ft. away without reacting.

Ollie also has some resource guarding issues, mostly with food. He may growl and/or be snappy. We have been working with a trainer, and in these situations by “trading up” and giving him a more desirable/tasty item than the one he has. He tends not to guard toys, unless he’s on his bed with it and you try to take it away. He communicates his worry or displeasure through his body language. His his ears will go back, and you’ll see the whites of his eyes, and he’ll usually growl before he begins his snapping gestures.

As with most cattle dogs, Ollie needs patience, calm, unrelenting consistency, and a relationship based on mutual respect. Negative or punishment based (including prong collars or spray bottles) training will NOT work with Ollie, and will never win him over. Ollie needs a nurturing, quiet home environment with adopters who have the time to spend with him daily to physically and mentally exhaust him.

When provided the right direction and given boundaries, Ollie can grow into the ideal, well-behaved dog. We’ve loved working with him and have seen immense progress since we first picked him up from the shelter. He is a very sweet pup who likes to play and will reward you with evening and morning cuddles. Ollie will be your best companion if you’re willing to put in the time.  If you are not interested in continuing training, Ollie would NOT be a good choice for your home.

Ollie is located in the Sacramento, CA area. If you’re interested in learning more about Ollie/initiating an adoption application and/or meeting him, please contact Lauren Greenwood. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Phone: 916-802-5350.

Rocky (ADOPTED!) is a 4 year old, 45 lb., male Australian cattle dog. He is a classic cattle dog in just about every sense. He is a velcro dog who will bond closely with his people, and has his own unique personality traits that will make you laugh, touch your heart, and sometimes challenge your brain. We are seeking people who live in a quiet, non-urban setting, who are very familiar with this breed, and who can help our boy become more confident.

Once he is settled in a home, Rocky is just a love. He is sweet, tender boy who loves cuddles. He will sleep through the night on his dog bed in the bedroom. In the morning when he knows you are stirring, he likes to crawl into bed with you and put his face next to yours until you are ready to get up.

Rocky loves soft plush toys and tosses them up in the air for himself. He never chews anything in the house other than his dog toys. He is also very much a ball dog, who loves to play fetch. His favorite thing is a squeaky Kong tennis ball. To get your attention or to play with him, he will squeak it repeatedly. Rocky is also the social distancing police. If family members get too close for a hug or kiss, Rocky will run for his squeaky ball and squeak it incessantly until you stop and move apart.

Rocky is very motivated by food. One of his favorite things is his “snack time” when he gets some treats after returning from a walk. He also becomes super excited and gets the zoomies, dashing around with glee, when he smells barbecue on the grill. He goes wild for the smell (and samples please) of barbecued meat of any kind. Cooking any other food does not get the same reaction from him.

He is much more at ease when meeting women than men. His preferred person and strongest bond will be with a woman. At his foster home, Rocky is a mama’s boy through and through. He is fine with men once he knows them, and loves his foster Dad. However, if Rocky’s foster Mom is at home, and his foster Dad tries to take Rocky for a run with him, Rocky will whine and cry, and pull to return to the house. If his foster Mom is not home, Rocky is fine going out with his foster Dad. Once, when his foster Mom was away all day, Rocky laid by the front door the entire time waiting for her return.

He can be distrustful of strangers, especially men, and may take a few moments to warm up. If he is outside loose, he will bark at people who make him nervous and then run from them. On occasion, he has barked at male strangers who have reached down to pet him. When he is on leash and connected to his person, he is much more confident and comfortable meeting new people. If someone he knows wants to pet him, he has a silly move, and will quickly swing his butt around and sit on that person’s feet to be petted. If he thinks he might be able to get a belly rub, he will enthusiastically throw himself on the ground with a loud flop.

Taking long hikes with his people each day, similar to pack walks, has been a bonding experience for Rocky and his fosters. He routinely takes 10 mile hikes and it is his favorite activity. He would need to walk a minimum of three miles a day to stay calm and happy. He wears a harness on his walks or hikes, and is excellent on leash. When walking in silence for long periods, Rocky sometimes feels a little insecure and will fall behind. If you give him a little hug or cuddle to reassure him that all is fine, he will perk up again and trot on ahead. On hikes in open space, Rocky has had to walk past cows grazing or standing very nearby. He becomes very excited, wiggly, and bouncy at the smell and sight of cows. He’s a cattle dog, after all!

He is good when meeting other dogs on walks. Rocky enjoys meeting females, and is usually fine with males, but sometimes he can become tense with another male. Noisy small dogs annoy him, but he is otherwise fine with them. Rocky completely adores puppies! He will flop down on his side or on his back to lick and play with them. He is very soft and gentle with puppies and lets them sniff and climb on him. His fosters also saw his sweet, caring nature when he first arrived to be fostered. A day or two before Rocky arrived, masked intruders had invaded the property where the fosters lived, terrifying everyone. When Rocky arrived shortly thereafter, as a thin, malnourished, rescue with a broken jaw, he sensed that people were upset or sad, and tried to comfort them.

Currently, Rocky knows several commands: sit, stay, come, leave it. He is completely housebroken, and will let you know when he has to go out. He may stand in front of you and touch your leg with his nose, or come up to you and nudge you. Rocky is not crate trained and will cry if confined in a crate. He loves going for rides in the car. If you say “Want to go for a ride?” Rocky will run outside and wait by the car.

It almost goes without saying that Rocky is an incredibly smart dog. He is also a very sensitive soul, who will need reassurance and reinforcement from his people that he is a good dog and won’t be punished. Rocky is very polite in the house, and has moments when he is very happy and confident, but he is also conflicted. He gave in to the temptation of bread left near the edge of the counter. After jumping up to get it, he brought it to his foster Mom, with his head and tail down knowing he should not have taken it, and when she said “Rocky, no” he cowered under the table. She then tried to tell him he was ok, giving him a treat for bringing it to her, and to let him know he wouldn’t be punished.

Rocky is afraid of children, and especially groups of children. If he sees or hears them he will whimper and cry, and try to hide under something. When he is on leash and with his person, he will feel confident enough to meet an individual child. He is more confident if his person also touches his shoulder and/or talks to him in a reassuring way. Based on his reactions, his foster mom believes that Rocky may have been abused by children and men. We believe that in his previous life, people threw things at him. If you pick anything up from the ground, he will cower in fear. You must offer to let him smell everything you pick up to let him know it won’t be used to harm him.

Because he is a cattle dog, he is a thinking dog, who often has his own ideas and can be stubborn about what he wants. On hikes, he sometimes doesn’t want to take a path that his people want. Rocky will plant himself down and refuse to move in that direction, and will not be lured by treats. If you go the way he has decided against, he will try to herd you back. However, he can be tricked by throwing a ball or stick in that direction, which he will chase.  Also, the only time he may not be eager for a walk is if he get a new toy to play with. He will not want to go very far, because he is eager to return home to play with his new toy.

Rocky does have the desire to chase things that move quickly. This includes squirrels, birds, deer, cats and cars. For this reason, we don’t recommend Rocky in a home with cats. He seemed to be fine on a sidewalk in a suburban neighborhood, when cars passed at a moderate speed, not immediately alongside him. But, if a vehicle is moving fast, and/or very close (just a few feet away), Rocky will be tempted to try and chase it. For this reason, he should be on leash when on walks, and we do NOT recommend him for homes in urban or busy suburban areas, and he would NOT do well in a apartment.

If you If you are interested in meeting Rocky, please begin by completing our adoption form at the Adopt link in the blue bar above: http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. Download and print the form to be completed. If you have questions, 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.