Our 6 year old shepherd mix needs a new home

Santa Barbara CA

Description

We’ve had our dog Willow since she was a puppy and she is now 6. We were told she was a German shepherd but she is on the smaller size weighing about 50lbs and her coat is shorter so she is definitely mixed with something. She came into a house with two children who were 1 & 5 at the time. My husband and I were very on top of teaching our kids to respect her, not jump on her, not pull her tail, if she walks away from us that means she wants body space, etc.. She’s only had good experiences with kids and loves them very much. She also loves the grown ups in her family. For the first 3 years of her life, someone was always home with her and she used to get out for hikes and adventures regularly. About three years ago our lifestyle changed dramatically and I had to go back to work full time. She went from being home with someone all day to being home alone for 11-12 hrs a day, 5 days a week. We’ve tried our best to continue to take her our regularly since then but we feel that she would be better off with a family or person that was more available to her. She is a young athletic dog & has a lot of adventuring left in her. We love her very much and want her to go to a person or family who would be a good fit. Someone who has experience with shepherds or other large-ish dogs would be best. She is incredibly smart & confidant in herself. She needs an owner who can show her that she isn’t the leader. She isn’t fixed yet but she’s never had puppies and my husband and I would be interested in getting her fixed before she went to her new home. Quirks for full transparency - She isn’t always the biggest fan of other dogs. While hiking or exercise she usually minds her own business. We don’t normally take her to dog parks because she only does well with other dogs who have calm energy. & usually at the dog park everyone is hyper! If she doesn’t get out for a walk or two regularly she can get constipated. She would do well with a person who hikes a lot or is already exercising pretty regularly. She is very friendly to the people she knows but takes a bit of warming up when she first meets someone. It’s the shepherd in her! Fun facts She has is an awesome trail dog! She can trail run and hike like nobodies business (in cooler weather) She has experience road running distances up to 13 miles but I’m sure she can do more. We are asking for a $150 rehoming fee. If you are interested in her, message me and I would love to chat.