Arwynn Border Collie Mix Winnipeg, MB

Sex: Female
Approximate Age: 2 years old
Size: Large
Activity Level: Moderate

Arwynn is just a sweet, scared girl looking for a quiet home and a patient owner. She has started to trust the staff here at Animal Services but the world is a scary place. We hope soon she’ll untuck that tail and grow the confidence she needs to have a happy life.

I am up to date on vaccinations and have been heartworm tested!

UPDATE by Doggie Date Volunteer:
"We spent 5 days with Arwynn and we were completely smitten! As she got more comfortable in our home a beautiful goofy personality started to shine through - she’s nowhere near as timid as her initial photos and description would suggest. Her first evening in our home she was definitely anxious and paced from window to window, monitoring in all directions. Eventually, she settled down and decided that the couch is her favourite place! We didn’t have her sleep with us on our second floor (though she invited herself and would curl up as tiny as possible at the foot of the bed instantly!) and once she determined that, she was very happy to sleep downstairs on the couch. We don’t have a kennel but think she might appreciate her own cozy space if the bed is luxurious!
Once she got comfortable with us, her playful side came out in full force. She LOVES chasing a ball - will entertain herself for twenty minutes and once the initial excitement is burned off she’s really great at bringing the ball back to you. This athletic girl loves leaping in the snow, tossing around a Kong before chewing her puzzle and also enjoys playing tug-of-war with toys. She gets close to adult hands on occasion but never nips and would respond kindly to a gentle warning of “ow”. She already knows “sit” and “shake”, and possibly other commands as well! She patiently lets you wipe off her paws when she comes in from muddy walks.
Her energy levels are quite high at this stage, still a lot of puppy playfulness, and mid-afternoon she would start to seek a lot more attention and tug-of-war. I walked her three hours daily to keep her energy manageable - I suspect after a few more weeks of integration she would settle into a comfortable household pace. When she was at her most timid on arrival she wouldn’t react to other dogs when walking, but as her confidence built, there was some leash reactivity (pulling and lunging, some light growls) at a number of dogs. Redirecting with treats and lots of physical comforting helped manage the reactivity and I think there’s huge potential for her there. She currently pulls hard on leash until she gets in her pace- a child might struggle until her leash manners are sorted out but again, we saw lots of potential for improvement on leash manners and she was perfectly manageable.
Arwynn is great in the car - she gets into a medium SUV with no problem and never bothers the front seat. Both windows cracked she was happily sniffing out both sides - a block from our home once she managed to open the full window and was leaning out, so use child locks!
Some evenings if she snacked later she would come gently wake us up to get an early bathroom break around 3-4am. She goes back to bed pretty easily and is a sleepy girl in the morning while coffee is being made and waits until the humans are up before she starts visiting. Again, I think those patterns will really settle as she gets comfortable in her new home.
Really, Arwynn is a gorgeous girl who got so many compliments on our walks. We wish we could make a permanent commitment to her at this time (she doesn’t shed at all! My allergies weren’t bothered!!!). She’s a big lovable, curious girl with a goofy and playful personality that still loves to rest on the couch closest to you. We fell in love and hope another family falls in love with her soon!