About Frankie

Frankie is about 2 years old (we think). She came to us from a local shelter this summer with very little background info. She was kept outside mostly, not fed consistently, and generally neglected. She has had at least one litter and was rescued with her puppies that she was trying to protect from being hit by ongoing traffic. When she first came to us, she was very shy and skittish. She was sensitive to quick movements, very quiet, and would submissive pee when my husband would come near her. She did not show any aggression to us during this transition period. In fact, she has never shown aggression to the 3 of us, husband, myself, and my 6 year old. The submissive urination went away as she learned us and our house and she hasnt done it for months. As time has gone on, she has learned to trust and love us fiercely. It is apparent that she is bonded very strongly to me and sees me as the alpha. She is pretty obedient with me, and is taking to training well. She is very food motivated but I would say she's mostly affection motivated. A 'good girl' and an ear scratch goes a long way with her. She knows and adheres to commands for sit, stay, down, crate, bed, place, potty, leave it, and waits to be released with an 'ok' at door thresholds and before eating. She is about 80% obedient with these, but getting better all the time. She has a bedtime of 9pm and then becomes a very sleepy girl. At the end of the night, she goes into her crate in our bathroom and peacefully sleeps all night long without a peep. She is learning to play with a tug toy and loves doing that with our son. She rides well in the car. She is not afraid of thunder, rain, or fireworks - she just snoozes through it. She lets us dremmel her nails and check her paws, teeth, and ears without protest. This is very hard to write because we love her so much and she loves us so much. We've given her the first real home she's ever known. I knew she was a cattle dog mix (+ spaniel, we have DNA results) when we adopted her but I was not prepared for this breed. I have never owned such a high drive working dog. Frankie has significant stranger danger. She is protective of the 3 of us and is very weary of newcomers. This manifests in nips when strangers do quick movements or raise their voices, especially when theyre around my son - we assume she is protecting him and keeping visitors 'in line' which is very cattle dog of her. The nips have happened twice but has not drawn blood. She will bark and growl at visitors and some people outside only IF they get too close. She walks nicely with a prong collar, does not lunge or bark at people or dogs when walking most of the time (except 1 dog in our neighborhood she's decided she doesn't like or she likes way too much, we arent sure). We walk her twice a day for 20 minutes each. This seems to be OK for her now but I know when she's totally back to healthy, she would love even more exercise. She will demand bark when she gets bored during the day - she is very smart - but we ignore her and give her a puzzle or tug toy and she stops. My anxiety has increased significantly with having Frankie because of the stranger danger. This is compounded with the fact that we live in a townhouse with no yard. We are not used to this type of dog and do not feel equipped to give her the life she deserves. I feel strongly that if she was in the right environment, preferably with land and a lot more exercise, she would be thriving and much calmer. She would do best with a home without very small children. She absolutely LOVES children actually and I am comfortable with her around my son, but I would not want to put her in a situation with a smaller child or baby that was not taught how to be around dogs. I am unsure how she would react to other dogs. I assume she would not enjoy a home with cats as she has a moderate prey drive and likes to sniff out moles in the back of our fence. BONUS: she will kill flies and spiders in your house like its her job and its funny to watch. She needs someone who will be firm but loving with her. When she trusts you, she will do anything to please you and will snuggle with you all day long and give you the best smooches. She is our sugary baby and if it were just us, with a big yard or farm, she would be in heaven and be the perfect content girl. But this isn't the case for my family right now and its made us very sad. We just want what's best for her. She is spayed and microchipped. She is heartworm positive but we have started the treatment for her and will care for her until she tests negative, we are hoping by February next year 2023. Otherwise she is very healthy and has caught up on all vaccines. We are asking $100 rehoming fee to ensure that the family/person is serious. This will come with her collars, leash, place cot, crate cushion, remainder of her HW preventative medicine, toys, muzzle, and her medical records. We also ask that you send us a some pictures as she settles in.

Forsyth County
Cumming, Georgia