Jessie Labrador Retriever & Pit Bull Terrier Mix Williamsport, PA

Jessie is a beautiful, unique gal in many ways. She was born at our shelter, which is pretty unique in and of itself. She was such a bundle of cuteness along with all of her brothers and sisters. She was quickly adopted, but was returned this spring around 6 months old. Her family felt that she was bonding hard with them and acting out when strangers came to the home.

Since her arrival back at the shelter, we have enrolled Jessie in what we call "Ann's Program," a program by Ann, one of our dedicated volunteers. In the program, pups are taught basic manners and socialization. Jessie has been making strides in this program, and in fact, is now letting a multitude of volunteers walk her, instead of just one or two.

We have found that Jessie is a bit of a fearful dog, not unlike how her mother was when we first met her. Whether it is nature or nuture, we do not know. We are addressing the symptoms as they come up, and we have found Jessie to be growing in confidence the more we work with her.

At her Behavior Evaluation, Kennel Manager Kabrina Schweikart noted, "Jessie handled the stimulation and correction tests well. Nothing seemed to bother her. For the food test, she seemed a little fearful when we went to handle her while eating, but she did not show any signs of aggression." She went on to say, "Jessie is very active and seems very eager to interact with the people in the room. But it seems as if she has not had a lot of human interaction. The smallest amount of attention made her very hyper. I think she could really use a good hiking partner, someone to help her burn off some of that extra energy."

In her previous home, Jessie lived with multiple small children and a cat. She tolerated them all very well and even played with the cat. She enjoys walks immensely (she still needs to learn a few more leash manners) and knows "sit, down, roll over" and "shake." She likes car rides and playing fetch with squeaky and chew toys.

Her ideal forever family is one where her care is shared between multiple family members. This will help prevent her from bonding with just one person. We have noticed that she does have the tendency to choose one person and guard that person from other people and dogs. Once introduced properly, she is able to accept the other person or dog, but still, the tendency remains and will need further training to help her learn the rules. We recommend that her new family work with a trainer for the best results.

Kabrina wraps up by saying, "Jessie has so much potential to be a really great dog, but she is going to need time, work and exercise." If sweet Jessie is tugging at your heartstrings, come on in for a meet and greet! She is ready and waiting in Kennel 84.