Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler, Cattle Dog [Mix]

A more ardent and devoted dog would be hard to find. Mistletoe is abjectly loving and completely lovable. Her searching brown eyes seeks contact and communication just before she drops her head and burrows it into your lap - and once she has buried, nuzzled and merged as much of her little self into yours as possible, she peers up with an expression that can only be described as adoration.

Mistletoe is a sturdy and compact dog - her weight exceeds the impression of size she gives upon meeting her. Her coat is a soft brown that ranges from short and smooth on her legs and sides to a wooly, fleecy affair on her back. She is amazingly flexible for a dog who resembles a stout torpedo, and in her determined efforts at cuddling, she can only be described as Gumby in the range of positions she can achieve as she arranges her body's shape to conform to the human lap. Her gentle nature and loving outlook are the basis of her temperament, which is gentle, attentive and responsive. She will bond utterly with her adopter, and her joy and attachment will never become casual or off-hand.

Mistletoe is well-mannered and housebroken. She is eager to please and compliant, and her love affair with humans does not mean she is nervous or highstrung. It is most likely the result of her dramatic rescue from the median strip on Interstate 81 which caused both Mistletoe and her rescuer an intense span of high-stakes anxiety before she was safely ensconced and on her way to foster care.

Because of her compliant and cooperative nature, Mistletoe has not received much formal training - she has been a wonderfully easy keeper and a joy to her rescuing care-giver. She will need some gentle leash work and reassurance to go on walks, as her current management style relies on Mistletoe's good manners indoors, and Mistletoe relies on the safety and security of a fenced yard when she is turned outdoors. Otherwise she is very ready to give her heart to an adoptive human.