Bindi (ADOPTED!)
is a 2.5 year old, 45 lb., true blue cattle dog with classic breed traits. She is intelligent, happy, loyal, affectionate, and fun, with a kind heart and strong spirit. She bonds to her people, and gets an A+ for loyalty. Her intelligence is vast, and she has a strong desire to please which makes her a wonderful companion. Bindi is the kind of dog who would love to go on adventures with her family, and she would make any adventure more enjoyable with her fun and happy personality. Bindi loves to play with and hang out with other dogs, and would do best in a home with at least one other playful dog. She does need to build confidence with strangers, especially with men, who she is initially most nervous with. Ongoing socialization would be very beneficial for our girl.
Bindi has all the traits of an excellent working/herding dog. Her instincts for herding run deep. She is not a dog for everyone, and would do best with an experienced cattle dog owner who can be two steps ahead of her. Bindi is a high energy dog, and an incredibly intelligent girl who will think for herself if consistent direction is not provided.
Bindi is a high energy dog. If she is able to get the mental and physical activity she needs each day, she settles very nicely when it’s time to relax. She enjoys playing fetch, and going for hikes and walks. Bindi likes water - walking in the creek and playing in the baby pool in summer. In the evening she loves to cuddle with her people or take a snooze on the couch. As a velcro dog, she will often follow her foster mom around the house. She is very comfortable relaxing almost anywhere in the house, sometimes in with her crate, on dog beds in various rooms. Bindi likes to be in sunlight through the windows to catch some rays. When the house is relaxed, she is too. Bindi also does well when left alone in the house, as long as there isn’t any food on the counters to surf. Bindi has never been destructive and does not dig.
Bindi is very playful with other dogs, and has excellent social communication skills with them. She has been exposed to at least 20 different dogs at her foster home - large, small, the very old, and the very young, and Bindi has done well with all of them, and in a pack environment.
However, Bindi was born as a boss, and needs to be reminded that she is not the boss. At her foster home, there are anywhere from 8-12 dogs at any given time. She enjoys herding the other dogs, and will often cut them off and redirect them. When everyone comes inside, she will go back outside, to make sure that everyone has come in. When her foster mom lets them all out, Bindi has a bad habit of rushing to the front of the pack to turn around and nip at whichever dog is in front. Her foster mom believes that at the outset of the potty break, Bindi is establishing that she will be managing everyone so they better behave. Holding her back as the last dog to go outside, or walking in front and calling her name to keep her going forward, before she turns around, solves this problem.
Bindi has been great with a variety of cat personalities at her foster home, including a kitten. She is curious but with good intentions and she is gentle.
Our girl is currently living in a home with a 5 and 9 year old, and young adult children.
Because Bindi’s foster mom has given clearly defined boundaries that Bindi can easily understand, she has been fine with the children and their friends in and out of the house. Once as her 5 year old daughter was on a swing, Bindi wanted very much to nip at her feet as they swung by. Her foster mom was two steps ahead of Bindi, and prevented any action. In a different home, if there is little to no structure, and rules are not well defined, the potential for Bindi to make up her own job and create problems would be a real issue.
Bindi would probably not do well with children on wheels (bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, etc.), which is common trigger for herding dogs. For this reason, she should NEVER be allowed off leash if exposed to children on wheels.
She is insecure with strangers and needs the time and an opportunity to check out a person, and feel sure that she will be safe before she accepts a new person. Once she knows you, and trusts you, usually after two meetings, she is your friend for life. The more socialization that Bindi is exposed to, the better off she will be.
When she meets new people, especially men, she holds her head low, with her hackles up, and circles them, checking them out. Her people need to allow her to do this, if they want her to accept a new person. Bindi’s people must watch and prevent strangers from suddenly approaching and immediately try to pet her.
Bindi loves stuffed toys, and will make snow unstuffing them, but will also stop if you tell her to. She also adores tennis balls, playing fetch, and catching frisbees, and she should always have a “jolly ball” or two in her life! Bindi is not possessive over anything. She is very good at sharing food, treats and toys. She eats together with the other dogs. She has never had any issues with humans or other dogs.
Our girl walks fairly well on leash. She also rides nicely in a car. As with most cattle dogs, Bindi is mostly quiet, but will talk or alert you of things. She will bark if a stranger approaches the door, or the car, and when she hears doorbells on the TV. When she is very excited is the only other times she may say talk or give out a high pitched cattle dog bark. When she knows she is going on a walk, she gets excited and starts talking, and she also talks sometimes when playing with other dogs.

Bindi is super sharp and a fast learner. She needs to have a structured home, with clearly defined rules. As most dogs, she thrives on learning new behaviors, and practicing her currents behaviors. This allows her to please her people, which matters most to her. When provided with the right direction, so that she understands the rules and boundaries, Bindi can also be the ideal well behaved dog. At her current foster home, Bindi has shown none of the unwanted behaviors, ever, that she exhibited in her prior home. Her foster mom, who is also a trainer, believes it is because those behaviors are not acceptable in her current home. Bindi is smart enough to know this, and she wants to please.
At her prior home, for the past year and a half, Bindi lived in a situation where there were constantly new construction workers coming and going for supplies located just past her house. The anxiousness about these strangers caused her to feel threatened in her home and she was accidentally positively reinforced to believe that she was doing a good job in protecting her home.
Bindi’s foster mom says that she is a trainers dream. However, if you are not interested in training, Bindi she would NOT be a good choice.
With her focus on and desire to please her person, plus her keen intelligence and strong herding instinct, Bindi would be a great working dog with livestock. If kept as a pet in a regular home, she would benefit greatly by living with another dog who has equal energy and desire to play. Currently, she is thriving in the situation at her multi dog foster home. She also previously lived with a 1-year old male hound/saint bernard mix.
Bindi needs adopters who understand that the best way to keep everyone safe, is to be vigilant in avoiding potential issues. Bindi’s new owner(s) would need to understand the responsibility associated with owning a dog who has a high instinct to herd, and nip
If you are interested in meeting Bindi, please begin by completing our adoption form at this link: http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. Please 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.