Happy Tails

Information from Emma’s current people:
Emma (ADOPTED!) is an extremely sweet, gentle and incredibly loyal girl. She is around 4 years old, and weighs 40 lbs. She is very timid around people, and currently the only people she truly trusts and loves is her core family.  We have only had Emma for two months.  With our family, she is extremely loving, happy, obedient - willing to do anything we ask of her. With my children, Emma is the gentlest dog I have ever met. My two year old daughter can put her hand in Emma’s mouth, roll on her, or do anything a two year old will do, and Emma just snuggles in or moves away from her, never showing an ounce of aggression.

Emma is a low energy dog. Her favorite pastime is lounging on the couch. Outside she will occasionally do some exploring, but mostly she likes to follow you to wherever you’ll be, and make a bed in a shady spot to lounge some more. She likes sniffing around the garden or being near you while you work outside. She would be a wonderful companion for anyone.

Emma is house trained, and at night she wants to sleep at the foot of your bed, for company and to protect you. She is easy in a car, just finds a comfy place to sit and settles in. If the window is open she enjoys taking in the scents passing by. She likes to go for walks, and mostly goes with her people, off-leash. Once she bonds with you, she will follow you anywhere off-leash and will come immediately when called. Her on-leash experience is limited. Emma does not pull on-leash, but will zig-zag, and will need more on-leash practice.

Other dogs are of interest for a few seconds, followed by disinterest. She seems to be great with other animals. When she walks by chickens and goats she gives a sniff, but leaves them alone. She is tempted to go after cats, however if her person tells he not to chase or to leave the cats alone, she will listen and come right back. She would need more supervision and management around cats, to learn not to chase them.

She is very cautious and wary around people she doesn’t know, especially men. In general, she is scared, not yet recovered from whatever happened in her past. If afraid for herself, Emma will avoid people, staying several feet away.  It will take time and patience, and only good experiences with people, before she will begin to feel more trusting and confident with people she doesn’t know very well.

Food has been inconsistent in her life, so it causes some anxiety. She likes to eat and drink alone and outside. We put her food out and she waits for me to shut the door before she eats. If I open the door, she pauses. We tried many different places and scenarios and outside by herself ended up being how she is most comfortable.

She loves our family and more than anything, she so wants to please and protect us. She may try to nip others, to stop them from what she perceives as threatening or dangerous actions towards her people. This can create issues when we have people over, and they move quickly towards us, or our girls, especially.

From HITTGV:  Emma’s current family loves her, but does not have the time to work with her.  Because of their work and lifestyle, and Emma’s desire to protect her people, they are not able to keep her.  Emma very much wants to please her people and do the right thing.  Emma is trying to find her place in her family, and wants to do what her person wants, but she needs to be taught what that is. Currently, she is doing what she believes her job should be - to keep her family safe from the dangers of scary people. She thinks that protecting her little girls from a potentially harmful person she is her job/responsibility.  She doesn’t know or understand that Grandpa chasing them was only play.  Emma stopped wanting to chase a cat, when her current person told to not to.  If someone is willing to teach her what they want, she will be the best, and most loyal companion you could want.  She needs a calm, quiet, loving home, with someone who has the time, experience, and patience to help her overcome her fears, socialize her, and to teach her how to enjoy new experiences.

If you are interested in meeting, possibly adopting or fostering Emma, please begin by completing our online adoption form at:  http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. If you have any questions, please contact Savannah at (707) 495-5447, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Herd It Through The Grapevine at (707) 583-9583, or email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Hank (ADOPTED!) is a very loving, sensitive, sweet soul with so much potential. Typical of cattle dogs, Hank longs for his own person to love and devote himself to. He weighs around 45 lbs. and we estimate he is 2-3 years old. Hank was a waif, who was found wandering as a stray. He is completely wonderful with other dogs of all personalities - very respectful and takes his cues from them. He adores playing with other dogs. As a young, moderate energy dog, Hank loves to run, play and explore. He will need regular daily exercise. When first meeting people, he is polite, but needs time to decide if he can trust you before he opens up to you. He can definitely “feel the love,” and tends to trust gentle, soft spoken people very quickly. Hank's core personality is a soft marshmallow. Once you have his trust, his floodgates open to show you how much love he has in his heart and how grateful he is. For his people, he is attentive, listens well, and wants to to please.

Most of the time Hank has a very quiet, low key nature. He is good company without constantly being on top of you, except when he checks in, to show you much he loves you by putting his front paws on your lap so he can enthusiastically give you kisses. He is extremely sensitive to his living situation and the people around him. Hank truly needs a calm, balanced home situation, and consistency. He is not for a busy household. If he is comfortable at home, he will meet new people in a relaxed, happy manner. If he is uneasy in a situation, he will also feel stressed about what new people might do. Hank is extremely intelligent, and a quick learner, who wants to do the right thing. He is big on food and treats, and should be easy to train. He knows Sit and Down, but could use some additional basic obedience training, and a good recall. Hank is housebroken and knows how to use a dog door. We are working on crate training him.  At home, he wants to follow his person from room to room, waiting for you to let him know that it is time to do something. He adores car rides and the idea of going to a new place with his person. In a car, he rides very quietly in the backseat, watching the world go by, or in the passenger seat facing you. We have only seen him around a cat once, and he very calmly looked at it without any desire to do anything more. If a cat ran, he may want to chase. However, when Hank saw chickens being shoo'd into their pen6-8 feet from him, he did nothing more than calmly stand and observe them. When another dog began chasing a large flock of wild turkeys, Hank did NOT join in. We believe he would be very good with livestock and other animals.

For the most part, Hank has very good house manners. However, he is a pro at napping on the sofa, and at bedtime, wants to curl up on the bed beside your feet. When happily greeting people he knows and trusts, his first impulse is to jump up with his front paws on your chest to give kisses. While mostly quiet, Hank will alarm bark when he hears something outside. This happens especially after dark, when unexpected sounds may scare him most. He would be a good watch dog to let you know when someone is approaching the house. Hank should not be left outside unattended, and would do best on quiet country property.

Hank walks fairly well on leash. He is fine going places and seeing people on walks and in stores. In the month that he has been in his foster home, Hank is much more relaxed, happy, and more eager to get out to explore new places and meet new people. A month ago, when on walks, he was calm but cautious walking in town and seeing new people. We have seen over time, that when every new person he has met has been a good experience, that he is no longer worried about new people. Now, he is relaxed and wags happily when meeting new people. When he makes the transition to new adopters, he may be initially insecure about the change. His people need to go slow, and allow him to decide and approach new things when he is ready.

On walks (but, NOT in the car), Hank barks his annoyance at fast moving things with wheels going past. As he has recently become calmer and more relaxed, he has sometimes not barked when wheeled things rolled past at a distance. However, if they are close-by as they go past, he will still bark.

Hank is only now learning about treats and toys, and he is loving them. However, he loves them so much that he does sometimes guard toys (especially plush, squeaky ones) and the treats he has been given. His current fosters are starting to work with him on this behavior, and making progress. He is very smart, and wants to please his person. He is good at body language to communicate to his foster mom, when he is not comfortable about a situation or something we might do. Because of this current tendency to worry and guard his prizes, plus the fact that when he wants to love you, he will put his front paws on your lap and push his way to your face to give kisses, sometimes nibbling your chin, Hank would not be appropriate in a home with young children.

Hank has a soft, adoring and playful soul, and will make someone a wonderful companion. It is clear that whoever had him before he was stray, didn’t do right by him. To overcome his past negative experiences, he will need loving reassurance from calm, easy going, confident leaders. Hank should be introduced to new things at his pace, and not pushed into new situations too soon. His person must pay attention to his attempts to communicate when he is not comfortable with something. In just a month at his foster home, we can see that his outlook is much more positive and trusting. His person(s) should be experienced with herding dogs and be willing to continue his training, and work on his resource guarding behavior.

If you are interested in meeting Hank, please begin our pre-approval process by completing our online adoption form, by clicking on the Adopt bar near the top of this page. Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at (707) 583-9583 with specific questions.

Nova (ADOPTED!) is a 28 lb., female Australian Cattle Dog - Australian Shepherd mix. At 5 months old, she is still very much a pup, who is playful and energetic and adorable. She loves meeting new people when on walks.

Typical of cattle dogs, she will quickly bond with and adore her people. She is smart as a whip, figures things out quickly, and knows several obedience commands.

We make feeding time a training session for Nova. She will sit or lie down and wait while the food is being prepared and served. If she moves from her spot, food preparation comes to a stop.  When the food is placed she must ‘wait’ in her spot until the ‘okay’ is given.

Nova has shown some resource protection and has bit at us when we get too close to her while she’s eating her special treats. However, there are many more times that she has chewed her special treats while we pet her even on her head. At this point the resource guarding is unpredictable.
 
Nova is house-trained, and rides very nicely in a car in her crate and sleeps through the night in her crate in the home. She also spends quiet times in her exercise pen, napping or keeping herself bust with a marrow bone.

Nova can be a wild child, who needs mental work to challenge her busy brain, as well as active physical exercise, both of which will help tire her out. True to her breed, in the absence of leadership and guidance, Nova will take the lead and make her own decisions.

As a result, she developed a few behavioral issues that will require some management and effort by new adopters. Our home was too active, with rambunctious children and visitors coming and going and Nova have been experiencing sensory overload. She often got overstimulated and barked and nipped.

The good news is that Nova is a very smart, young dog, who wants to bond with her people, wants to please, and to have a purpose.

For the reasons above, Nova needs someone who understands and respects the mental strength of this breed, knows how to meet the needs of a cattle dog pup, and how to motivate and work with her.

She is partially vaccinated (will need boosters), not yet spayed or microchipped. She is currently located in Aptos. If you are interested in meeting her, please go to the "Adopt" bar at the top of this page to complete our online adoption form. For questions about this pup, please email Shannon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Quinn (ADOPTED!) is a gorgeous one year old, 40-45 lb., Australian Kelpie mix. As a herding breed, Kelpies are known for their extremely bright intelligence, loyalty, and energy.  True to her breed, Quinn is incredibly smart, and very willing to please, but no one has shown her what to do. She is a happy girl, who loves being with people and playing ball. She would make a wonderful, loving companion for an active person. Keeping busy is one of her favorite things! 

She is currently in a kennel situation, and is not happy being kenneled all the time. Quinn meets all dogs well, both male and female. As a herder, once she begins playing and interacting with another dog, she can be pushy and try to control the action. She wants to be the leader of the pack during playtime. Quinn can be more pushy with other females. As a result, the trainer who tested her with other dogs, recommends that, if in a multi-dog household, she would be best with male dogs. 

Quinn is a confident girl, and she adapts well to new situations. Although she can be bossy with other dogs, Quinn is very compliant with people. She responds quickly if a human corrects unwanted behavior, and will immediately follow their lead. Currently, she is being fostered in a home with two children (girls), ages 5 and 11 years old, and is very good with them. She has ridden in a car in a crate and is great riding in her crate or on the seat next to you in a car.

Our girl knows some basic commands, but is still learning, and seems eager to learn new things. She walks nicely on leash and appears to be housebroken. Quinn is a work in progress. The evaluating trainer recommends that Quinn and her new people take obedience training classes to help her reach her full potential. With some additional training, and being taught what is correct and appropriate and what isn’t, she will be an absolute gem!  

We would love to see her get a great home where she can be appreciated and loved! She would blossom in an active home, with a person or family that will be actively involved in working with her, and giving her the mental and physical stimulation she craves. When motivated to join her people, Quinn has been known to scale a chain link fence. If left home alone, she should not be left outside, and a high wooden fence is recommended.

Quinn is spayed and current on all shots. She is heartworm negative and on preventative. She is currently being fostered in Santa Rosa, CA.

If you have any questions, please contact Eileen Endres at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call us Herd It Through The Grapevine at (707) 583-9583.