**MONICA Australian Kelpie & Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler Mix Los Lunas , NM

**IMPORTANT!! Please scroll down and read the entire bio before contacting us with questions.

**Please visit our main website www.almosthomenm.org for the application or you can email us to request the application adopt@almosthomenm.org

**We now offer boarding $30 per dog per day in Los Lunas, NM- each dog has an indoor/outdoor run using dog doors and they get 2-3 playtimes out on the main property https://almosthomenm.org/boarding

**For more photos and videos please visit our Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Almost-Home-New-Mexico/203840136304815

Hello wonderful people let me tell you a little about myself. I was picked up as a stray by a local shelter when I was just a baby along with my mom and siblings. One of my siblings was adopted quickly. However, after several weeks me, my mom (Phoebe), and brother (Ross) ran out of time. We were put on the list as the shelter can not hold onto us forever. Luckily a staff member reached out to the rescues and begged for someone to take us in since were still babies. Everyone was full though so there were facing certain death the following day. Almost Home thought and thought about us - she could not get us out of her mind and the next day she reached out to the shelter to see if were still there. Luckily for us we were!!! The rescue lady showed up and Ross and I peed and pooed on her we were so scared- you see we would see people but they never actually had time to hold s and spend time with us so we were terrified. Well, she didn't give up she took us back to her house and promised us she would love us. She would sit in our run for hours talking to us and throwing treats to us but i was very skeptical and ran and ran from her. The only way she could get us back in the house was to leave the door open and corral us in. Then she would continue sitting in our little room with us!! Ross finally gave in and started letting her touch him but not me- humans are dangerous and mean and very scary so I kept my distance. Well now I realize that was quite silly of me and now I love the rescue lady and her grandkids who also sat with us for hours every time they came to visit. Kids are cute! I love my foster mom but she insists I need to find a home where I can be loved and spoiled so here we are. She thinks someone out there will show me how awesome people can be and how awesome it would be to have my own family with someone to love and spoil me. So far every time people have come to visit me though I hide and bark from the side of the house. I think I'm fine here I love the rescue lady but she insists there is a family out there that will give me more love and attention than even she does. One day maybe someone will give me a chance I jus hope they understand that though I love the rescue lady and will gladly play fetch and give her kisses and play with her hair it took us months to get to this point. I hope they understand that and love me anyway even knowing I will be scared of them for a long time. Rescue lady said we will do a foster to adopt trial first though to give me a better chance since she wants me to get the love an individual can provide. Please scroll down for the boring information about me the rescue lady said people might want to know.



Please be aware birthday and breeds listed are our best guesses based on looks - we seldom know this information unless they come in with registration papers.

Approximate DOB 08/11/2022

Size - maybe 45 lbs - her mom is about 45

History- This little girl was picked up by animal control with her mom (Phoebe) and brother (Ross) running at large. At that time the puppies were about 8 weeks old and just following mom as she looked for food. They then spent about 3 months in the shelter with no interest. The shelter was packed with no open kennels and they were asking for help and sent out some photos of dogs who had been there the longest as they would be the ones put on the euthanasia list if one had to be made. We let them know we would take them and picked them up the next morning. Sadly the shelter is very small with few staff members and a bunch of dogs- which means that puppies don't really get the socialization they need at a shelter so they were pretty much feral when we got them. The day we picked them up they expressed their anal glands and were just running from us. Poor little Monica would run from us every chance she got and they hid under and behind their mom. They have now been with us over a year and have come a long way. But will need patient homes with a focus on love helping them continue their journeys of being happy loved family members. Monica is still very fearful of strangers and will bark like a guard dog until someone tries to get close then she runs. She does go to her foster mom and the foster mom's grandkids for love and attention and will give kisses and play with toys with them but nobody else really.

Temperament- Monica is a super loving playful girl with the people she loves. However, she is terrified of change and new people. She is just one of those dogs that would love a life of just living in a house with a dog door and someone to love and play with her when she wants to. She is more like a cat really- she doesn't like leaving the house at all, doesn't like strangers, just wants to run and play with the other dogs and the people she loves. She does love all other dogs and puppies and welcomes new dogs with open paws but people she kind of draws the line at.

Energy Level- Pretty high energy pup. She should have another dog to play and run with and there would be a discount if er and Ross could stay together.

Dogs/Cats- Monica absolutely loves playing chase with the other dogs. Puppies seem drawn to them so always end up in their room with them to play. They are somewhat scared of the cats for who knows why but they are scared of them and will try and back into a corner or hide behind me if the cats come into where we are sitting.

Housetrained- She and Ross are both house trained, they do know how to use a dog door. Currently they hang out in the laundry room with a small baby gate and are let in and out throughout the day when they want to however I have had them out in the boarding kennel and they go in and out through the dog doors with no problem.

Monica is absolutely adorable and is super super smart. She loves kids and trusts them more than adults. She is very food motivated and really, really, really wants to trust people but still keeps her distance with everyone but her foster. She loves pets and kisses from the people she trusts and loves but will bark at most strangers. I think she would absolutely blossom in her own home. She will make a wonderful addition to any family wanting a special pup to help come out of her shell- this pretty little girl will definitely blossom once she learns to trust her new family. She is house trained and doing great, knows here (as come), responds to a whistle if further away to come, and sits on command.. She is a lot more fearful than Ross though with change and new people so I am thinking that she would need a home with a smaller enclosed yard area with a dog door into the house initially so she can come in and out on her own out of the elements and someone who is extremely patient with time on their hands and the knowledge to continue working with her on building her trust. When they came in it took me a good 3-4 months just to get her to trust me enough to pet her without having to corner her. I spent many hours just laying in their run looking at my phone and not making contact with them except for giving them pieces of chicken to get them to come near me and more months just to get them to accept me moving around and coming to me when I called them and allowing me to play with and pet them and give them kisses. She is the more fearful of the two but when people walk by you can't tell she's a fearful dog and can be quite intimidating. But yea she will need a very special person/family that understands how long a feral dog takes to form new bonds. **Please keep in mind Monica and Ross were feral and will take time to gain their trust. They will not go up to strangers so when someone comes to meet them they will run and peek and bark. They would do best with someone who will give them time to acclimate and let them learn to trust them. Right now they are just bonded with their foster and the grandkids so that's what the photos show their sweet loving playful side once they trust and love you.

Adoption fee is waived with a foster to adopt agreement as we want to give Monica the best chance possible to get a happily ever after. She is spay, has age appropriate vaccinations (4 for puppies), deworming, microchip, rabies, collar and leash, training information, and all the support you need.

Send us an e-mail to adopt@almosthomenm.org requesting an application to adopt this sweetie!!

Animals are seen by appointment after we have an application.

If you would like to donate to our cause you can donate several ways-
Check/money order to Almost home NM - PO Box 772- Peralta, NM 87042
Paypal to email address adopt@almosthomenm.org
Venmo to almosthomenm last 4 of the phone number 3384
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2932935556595712787...
CashApp https://cash.app/$adoptahnm

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We are constantly adding new stories and photos and it is only $5 a month and goes to a great cause as all the money goes straight to food, toys, treats, and vetting.