Piper 9

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Entered: 01/16/2022

Status: Available

Age: 4

Color: Liver/White Pyrnees Mix

Weight: 60 lbs.

Gender: Altered Female

Location: Girard, PA

Health: UTD, HW-, completed treatment for Lyme+, Anaplasmosis+, and HW+, removal of benign mammary lumps completed, skin allergies under control with anti-flea vigilance, benefiting from a skin/coat supplement, small bump in one ear of no concern at this time

Temperament: Good with adults, unknown with children, good with male and non-dominant female dogs, good with cats

Piper 9's Story . . .

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Update 01/19/2023: “Being outside is the thing that Piper LOVES.”

Great news on Piper’s health. She is now heartworm negative, has been spayed, and had benign mammary lumps removed. At this time, her allergies are under control, and she is not on any medications for them. However, she needs to be kept on flea preventative because even minor flea activity will set off her allergies and her skin and ears will flare up. Her foster mom gives Piper a skin and coat supplement just to keep them healthy. While at the vet, a small bump in one of her ears was discovered. The vet believes it is a wax gland and should not be a concern at this time.

Piper has been a polite, low-key houseguest. She picks a spot to call hers and hangs out. She will get up on furniture but does enjoy a big dog bed or even a not-so-big donut cuddler. She has no interest in toys but enjoys bones and Benebones.

Piper can be choosey about her doggy friends. She gets along with males and non-dominant females. This good girl does not bother cats.

Being outside is the thing that Piper LOVES. She would benefit from a fenced yard, and she considers her “territory” to be quite large. She will bark at activity she can see or hear, even if it is a block down the street. She does like the sound of her bark; even a neighbor has said she has watched Piper standing, staring off at nothing, and barking!

On walks, Piper will acknowledge other dogs but does not lunge at them. Her foster mom doesn’t stop and just keeps walking.

Piper will be a loyal companion that will keep her people apprised of all the happenings around their home. She’s looking for her forever family to call her own.

Update 07/30/2022: “She is now cleared to get spayed which will happen in the coming weeks"

Piper completed her heartworm treatment last week and tested negative. Yay, Piper! She is now cleared to get spayed which will happen in the coming weeks.

Allergies have flared up for Piper. It’s likely the prednisone she was taking with her heartworm treatment concealed their intensity, and Piper will visit the vet soon to assess the situation.

Barking is how Piper communicates, so her forever home should be a place where barking isn’t a problem for neighbors. While in her foster home, Piper has decided that cats are fine companions.

It’s hoped that in the next month Piper will be healed from spay surgery and her allergies will be under control!

Original: “She acts more like a working/herding dog, is very low key.”

Caught as a stray by animal control, Piper was brought to a New York shelter but was never reclaimed. The shelter did not have the means to treat the combination of medical issues that she displayed so they reached out to MAESSR for help.

This poor girl clearly was either on her own for a while or was neglected in her prior home or both since she has a myriad of health issues. Some of these were easier to treat than others. She has some hair loss on her back end due to flea dermatitis. Flea baths at the shelter were the start of her treatment for this itchiness and now she is receiving preventatives for fleas and ticks. Positive for both Lyme and Anaplasmosis infections, Piper was quickly placed on a course of antibiotics to rid her of these tick-borne illnesses. Her heartworm infection will be treated by the traditional “fast kill” method since she cannot be spayed while she is heartworm positive. Through all of this, Piper was a good patient at the vet’s office.

There are multiple dogs at her foster home and Piper is good with them all, never picking a fight. She acts more like a working/herding dog, is very low key. She stands 22” at the shoulder and is tall, but not heavy. She assumes the role of the “fun police” in the pack. If anyone is playing, she barks at them. She thinks if they are having too much fun, it has to stop! Piper is very protective of her yard too.

A very good house guest, Piper is polite and very low key. If permitted, she will try to get up on furniture, but if the couch is already occupied, she will stay down. Piper loves affection and has been known to jump right in her person’s lap! At night she sleeps contentedly in a spot that she likes.

Housetrained and crate trained, Piper is let out regularly with the rest of the pack. When her foster parents are out of the house, she is crated. It is necessary to latch the crate or she will get out. She has gotten into the trash but counter tops in her foster home are kept clear to prevent potential counter-surfing. Piper’s foster mom thinks she would probably surf if given the opportunity since she is tall enough. She only chews on appropriate items like bones—her favorite.

Smart Piper knows her name and she will “sit” and respond appropriately to the command ”go lie down” when told. She is pretty good on leash and even if she smells something, she won’t drag her person. When meeting other dogs and people while on a walk, Piper is pretty friendly and is not reactive. On car rides she will fuss a little bit initially but will settle down. She is able to jump into the car on her own.

Piper was okay with home grooming. She was a little fidgety when her feet were being handled but she didn’t get nasty about it. Not wild about having her ears cleaned, she tolerates it shaking her head when done.

Piper would love a home where she can go in and out at her leisure since she likes being outside. Other dogs, cats, and older kids (who won’t hang on her) are a definite possibility. The main criteria would be having a family that would lavish her with love. She has lots of love to share!