Finley Shetland Sheepdog / Sheltie Spruce Grove, AB

Please do not submit an inquiry through Petfinder. If you feel Finley might be a good match, please go to the CRN website at www.collierescuenetwork.com, fully read our adoption process, and then submit an adoption application. Only once an application is received, we will call to chat more about Finley. Thanks!

Meet Finley, an approximate 5 year old Sheltie who is searching for a very special place to call home. Finley came from a mill and was then turned loose to defend for himself out in the wild (which he was ill-equipped to do; he had no life skills whatsoever!). He was caught by animal control who called us to see if we might work with this, very scared, boy.

When Finley arrived in foster care he was afraid of, well, almost everything. Noises in the house - coffee maker, vacuum, dishwasher, TV, closing cabinets doors, all the things we take for granted as background noise. It's been a long, slow process for him to become accustomed to things and will continue to be a work in progress in his new home.

Finley needs another young playful dog in his new home. He loves to play and run with the other dogs. He is at his happiest and most comfortable when interacting with dogs. Reading their cues around "scary things" helps him understand what is okay and what might not be. He will only be adopted to a home with at least one other dog in his new family.

He is housetrained. Now. But he had accidents fairly often when he first arrived, in part due to his reluctance to come out of his kennel with people were around to ask to go out. His new family need to know that there will very likely be a transition period where he reverts back to having accidents until he is comfortable again. Lots of patience and understanding will be needed.

Finley needs a very secure, fully fenced yard. When he gets spooked outside, he can go into full blown panic mode and will try to get out any way possible. Ensuring he is safely kept confined is of paramount importance. Important to know is that Finley is not ready or able to do leashed walks yet. He may never be ready. He hates the leash and goes into a complete panic meltdown when you try to leash him. Can it be worked on, sure it can! And should be, eventually, once he settles in and knows he's safe there. But know he may never be willingly leashed and walks my never happen for him. Which is okay, he's happy running and playing in his yard.

Yard time in general is quirky for Finley. After he's done with yard time, he likes to come back inside on his own terms. He needs to circle the entire yard multiple times before feeling it's safe to enter the house. His foster mom will most times leave the door propped open for him to come in when he feels he's ready. Once he gets to the door, that outside-inside transition makes him nervous and he will need to check out the doorway a few times before deciding it's okay to come in.

Finley came to rescue with no socialization with humans (or at least none that were kind to him). He can not live in a home with children or a home that is busy or one that is very social and has guests in and out often. He needs a quiet home who understands Finely has many (many!) quirks but he is slowly learning and growing. This will take a lot of time. He was very emotionally scarred by his experience prior to rescue and trust must be earned slowly with Finley.

He is just starting (after nine months in care) to approach his foster family for some affection and pets. He doesn't display the typical excited dog tail wags when he sees his people. But he's learning that he is allowed on the couch and seems to enjoy the occasional snuggle there. Some days he'll stay for a long time, some days he hops back down after a few minutes.

A plastic kennel is a MUST for Finley. It is his safe space and he chooses to spend time in there when he is just relaxing, when he's nervous, when he sleeps, when he wants to watch goings on in the home.....it's his area where he knows he is safe and he will need a kennel in his new home.

Finley is currently on an anti-anxiety medication costs about $50/month that will need to be continued for many, many months in his new home.

Anyone interested in adopting Finley needs to understand that he will take a very, very long time to see changes in him. Someone who understand he needs a lot of patience and time. He may take a year to truly settle and know he is home. If you expect quick changes, or you are looking for a typical bouncy, fun-loving Sheltie, Finley is not your boy.

Please do not submit an inquiry through Petfinder. If you feel Finley might be a good match, please go to the CRN website at www.collierescuenetwork.com, fully read our adoption process, and then submit an adoption application. Only once an application is received, we will call to chat more about Finley. Thanks!