Ivy-Beabull (English Bulldog/beagle mix)

STATE:  Central New York 

AGE:  3 years

DOB:  11/16/18

WEIGHT: 38 lbs.

SEX:  Female

NEUT/UTD: yes/yes

COAT COLOR:  Fawn and white

DOCKED TAIL: Corkscrew

CROPPED EARS:  No

CHILDREN under 4:  no (no history)

CHILDREN OVER 4:  Yes, (loves them!)

SEPARATION ANXIETY: No

OTHER DOGS:  Yes

CATS:  Yes

CRATE TRAINED:  Yes 

HOUSE TRAINED:  Mostly

OBEDIENCE TRAINED:  no

LEASH TRAINED:  Yes

ADOPTION FEE: $475

2/4/22-Rescue dogs need time and patience. Unlike puppies, adult rescues have lived years with limited experiences and no training.  Except for a few indoor potty accidents, when snow exceeded a foot and the temperature dipped into single digits, Ivy has successfully pottied outside.  Yahoo!  She has not yet learned to ask to go out so we need to be diligent in our outdoor potty excursions or accidents can happen.    We always snow blow a path through the yard for the dogs. Our boxer treats the trail like a racetrack running the “Snowball 500”.   Ivy, initially trotted but now, runs after him.  She seems to love running through the snow when the grandkids are outside with her. Plowing her way through like a bulldozer!  You can’t help but laugh watching her.   When she first came to our foster, her back legs were very weak from residing in a mill crate, but she has gradually increased her strength and, more so, her endurance.  Ivy is taken outside to potty 2 times before mom goes to work and at least 2 times after mom comes home and before bedtime.  Weekends are the same with an addition of a mid-day trip, or two, outside.   There is a generous area shoveled down for a potty area and she is very good about going there.   Hopefully, another leisurely ride in the car this weekend as Ivy goes to the vet to be spayed this coming week.   Ivy needs to be picked up to get into the canvas sling-covered backseat of our car.   The car, at this point, needs to be off as the sound of it running still makes her a bit nervous.  Once inside, it is still a bit unfamiliar to her.  Tethering or crating her in the car is recommended because she will pry herself between the front bucket seats and place her feet on the center console, gaining a better view out the front window. Not safe.  She is well on her journey and looking forward to her forever home.

1/29/22 Ivy, as you know, came from a puppy mill.  To her, living in a house is like living on a different planet with people who speak a foreign language.  So that you know about her experience so far:  our home with an open, unfenced back yard is on a quiet street with little traffic in a small town.  Outdoor outings are always on a leash.  She is staying with her English-speaking foster mom and a soon to be 6-year-old, mild mannered, therapy dog trained, male boxer.  At first, Ivy barked at EVERY household noise from a thump coming from outside to the running sound of the refrigerator.  But as she is learning that she is safe and “it’s okay”, the barking has GREATLY reduced to someone at the door, the neighbor’s dog barking, and occasional provoking sounds on the television. She even tolerates the vacuum cleaner!   She briefly barks when a visitor comes to the house, but she readily responds to foster mom’s firm but reassuring “Quiet!”.  The 27×42 inch metal crate, placed in the living room, is still her comfort zone.  While foster mom is home, the door is generally left open and Ivy is able to see and hear all that is happening in the kitchen, dining area, and living room. Our boxer is always in the same area, free to do his daily routine, which, when the 2 dogs aren’t playing, is sleep and watch out the window on his sofa perch.   Consistent with her breed, she’s pretty laid back and relatively low energy.  She would never be someone’s jogging or long hike companion.  She’s just not built for that.   When foster mom is at her full-time day job, Ivy is in the closed crate with her soft bed, a few safe toys, an apple slice stuffed “kong”, and her food and water dishes.  No signs of separation anxiety have been noted.   She is fed kibble twice a day. Fresh water is always available.  At night she sleeps in her closed crate with a blanket draped over the top and sides.  This seems to settle her quite well.   It goes without saying that she is not tall enough to counter surf.    She will, however, put her front paws on the sofa to take a toy away from our boxer or seek a welcomed affectionate pat from whom ever is sitting there. We have not allowed her on the furniture, and she doesn’t appear to have the ability to get on the sofa or chairs by herself given her short legs and barrel, bulldog-ish body.  Besides, we don’t encourage her to sit on the furniture as it may not be wanted in her forever home, plus we are concerned of injury should she jump down.  While it may sound strange to some, we rarely ever use the word “no” for our boxer.  We use a sharp, abrupt “hey!” if he starts to be naughty in any way.   If Ivy engages in an undesirable behavior, which is rare, she will promptly cease and desist following a firm, “Hey!”.  She seems to be a quick learner and will be a fantastic addition to her forever home.

1/22/22 Ivy is loving her new life’s journey, transitioning from the mill to our quiet foster home.  She has blossomed into a playful pup who enjoys the company of children and adults, though she is still nervous around new things and noisy environments. People are like that too sometimes!  She’s a collector of dog toys and spends a good portion of the morning pulling them out of the doggie toy box and relocating them to her crate. She will also take toys away from our boxer, who graciously allows her. She repeatedly takes the nylabone bone from our boxer’s mouth. Ivy may not be well received by a dog who is guarded with their food or toys, especially when they are in their possession.   Aside from that, the two play well together.  Despite her love of toys and food dish, she is very accepting of us retrieving them from her with no signs of guarding or aggression. When it comes to toys, she is an aggressive chewer, though she has not destroyed any, yet.  We monitor her and avoid leaving items in her crate that may pose a destruction and swallowing hazard. Ivy went to my son’s home to meet their cat.  It was the first time she has been to someone else’s home since fostering.  She was a little nervous, preferring the comfort of the corner of the room near where we were seated.  However, Ivy was very curious about the cat and gingerly ventured out to see him, cautiously and ever so slowly stretching her nose out to sniff.  Nose to nose, she showed no signs of aggression towards the cat. Then,with lightning fast, feet-scrambling speed retreated to the corner of the room when the cat hissed and swiped a paw at her. After that, Ivy was all about safe social distance of 6 feet or more until more time is taken to get to know one another. We feel obligated to report that no animals were harmed in this encounter!   First trip to our vet for check-up so they will schedule her spay was well-received by Ivy.  She weighed in at 38 healthy pounds and is scheduled to be spayed on February 8th. While at the vet clinic Ivy eagerly went up to a toddler with delightful curiosity. The staff remarked that she must really like children. After her spay in a couple of weeks Ivy will be ready to be matched to her new home & can start her further adventures! 

1/20/22-I took Ivy to my son and daughter-in-laws this evening to test her with their cat. It was the first time she was in their home. Ivy was very curious about the cat and she slowly walked up to him, reaching so gently to get a better look and sniff.  No sign of aggression from Ivy.  The cat, on the other hand, finally let out a hiss and a swift swipe of the paw towards Ivy who promptly retreated to the corner.  As would I !!   From there it was casual observation by Ivy with a  social distance of 6 feet or more.  So I would safely say she has a healthy respect for cats and is not aggressive towards them. 
 

1/13/22-Wow!  What a difference a week has made. Every day is better than the one previous. Ivy is becoming accustomed to the sound of her name and is starting to come when called.  She easily comes out of her crate when a leash is applied and we say, “Let’s go!” Still no potty accidents in the house. Awesome!  When we are home, she is shut out of the crate to urge her towards a comfort zone in the house.  Sounds on the radio, phone, or television will occasionally make her bark as they are not familiar to her.  When “Alexa” is talking, Ivy will stare at her and tip her head side to side.  She has some of the funniest antics!   Ivy walked the length of our street and back today on a loose leash. No pulling!  She responds well to “Let’s go”.  The one car that drove by had her spooked for just a few seconds, but she quickly settled with encouragement and moved on.   She lets me wipe her feet when she comes inside and even let me trim her nails without any fuss.   Wow!  You got to love that. She is getting along famously with our male boxer.  They frolic, play, and even share the toys.  She will gather them up and place them on her bed, but nicely accepts you taking one if need be.   This weekend, weather permitting, we are going to work on car rides, visit with the grandkids, and introduce walking in other parts of town as we prepare to make our first visit to the veterinarian. After she sees the vet we should be able to get her spay scheduled as soon as they can & then Ivy will be ready to go to her new home! 

1/9/22-Everything is new to our sweet, shy Ivy. After only three days, she still prefers to stay in the comfort of her crate, even with the door open. Given that this was her life for 3 years is no surprise. Ivy is working on trust and sleeps a good portion of the day through this major life transition. She is very shy and skittish at this point but is accepting of being pet and sits on my lap when I sit on the floor.  She seems to enjoy her new plush elephant toy and keeps it safely tucked in the crate with her. She quickly learned to navigate the porch stairs which is amazing for her short little legs. Once outside, she walks nicely on the leash, goes potty, and loves to follow our two granddaughters (4 & 6 years old). 
 
My boxer boy LOVES her but Ivy is still a bit fearful. She is getting better & is calm in his presence once she is out of the crate. They came nose to nose through the baby gate she was not reactive, but just stood there and sniffed him. Time will tell better if she will be good living with another dog. 
Right now Ivy is very timid and easily spooked so a quieter home would be best. She would not do well with a lot of activity at this point. She has a way to go but we are so proud of her progress so far. 

1/6/22-Ivy, a 3 year-old Beabull(English Bulldog/beagle mix) retired puppy mill momma, arrived in her new foster home this evening.  Soft and sweet with big puppy dog eyes!  She loves to follow you around her new foster home as she explores a whole new world. So many new things! Pretty tired after her long journey, she readily went into her crate for a long winters nap.  At first, she didn’t know what to do with the soft bed that was there, but once introduced with a guiding hand, she loved it!  She will be spayed on February 9th & should be ready to go home soon after. More to come as we settle in and learn more about each oth