Zel Staffordshire Bull Terrier Mix Winchester, TN

Zel is a happy, playful, fun-loving girl who loves people! We rescued Zel from a small outdoor dog pound in January 2011 when it was very cold. We do not know anything about her background or why she was in the pound. She was a little thin but healthy, and now weighs about 55 pounds. She is spayed, is heartworm negative and current on shots. 

 

Zel loves to go places and experience new things. She walks well on a leash and reasonably obeys commands of sit and come while on lead. Zel is good at recognizing people she’s met a time or two. This volunteer was walking Zel in the woods one day when her husband rode up on a mountain bike. At first, Zel was cautious and seemed willing to defend her handler, but soon recognized the man and ran to greet him warmly. Then he took her leash and she paced ahead of him on his mountain bike, keeping up perfectly with him stride for stride.

 

Off-leash, Zel can be very boisterous and energetic and would probably knock down small children or older folks or be too rough with them. She simply doesn’t realize her own strength and is just trying to play in her own bulldozer kind of way. She has a strong prey drive and would be a danger to cats and other small animals. She really wants to learn and please people, and just needs some training. She has responded very positively to the little bit of training we’ve given her so far.

 

Since being rescued from that dog pound, Zel has lived outside in a fenced yard. Her foster mom has four other dogs, and one of them, a submissive male, is Zel's best buddy, but Zel does not get along with the other dogs in the family, as she is quite dominant and plays hard. Zel does entertain herself well with toys and bones, and doesn't mind being alone some of the time. Zel would love to find a home with a fenced back yard where she could run and play. She would be great with active adults or in a family with bigger kids who would take her for walks and just let her hang out with them. With a firm and consistent owner who has time to spend with her and teach her manners and commands, Zel would be a loving, rewarding and loyal companion.