Ouiser Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler Manassas, VA

?TO CONTACT THE FOSTER HOME, email julia.kellen.manning@gmail.com. DO NOT use the Petfinder form. Inquiries don't reach u

"Name's Ouiser, you say it 'wee-SER' and don't try to get on my good side, I no longer have one."- Ouiser, when asked to write her foster dog listing.

Since she isn't going to be very forthcoming, I guess I'll have to be! I'm her foster Ma and I *promise* she DOES have a good side- it's just hidden wayyyy down deep!!! Named after the famous Ouiser Bourdreaux (Steel Magnolia's, anyone??) I have never seen a dog to have such a human-like personality in all my days! But, like the character in the film, our Ouiser also has a softer, sweet side- just takes a while to see it!

Ouiser was surrendered with her sister to a rural GA shelter where it was quickly determined that 1) they were NOT fond of each other and 2) they were both positive for heartworms. In an older dog like Miss Ouiser (we believe she is 8-9 years) this can be a death sentence, but luckily for her sassy-self, ACDRA stepped in and saved them both! Ouiser didn't make many friends on transport, and took a long while to trust us once she got here. Lots of decompression time on a comfy bed, cheese, and little to no pressure to interact with us helped her eventually let her guard down, and now she is our number one cuddle bug! She loves to just come up and rest her head in your leg, or sometimes will go for a full on snug and squeeze her entire self onto your lap (which is not easy to do, considering she is about 10 lbs overweight!). She adores me, but loves my boyfriend even more and insists on seeking him out for attention at every given opportunity for her pets and lovin's. She tolerates the other dogs in the house, and likes to bark at them in a very terrifying attempt to instigate play. Her old lady self will make an appearance when there's lots of fetching or commotion- she has a voice and she is NOT afraid to use it to lay down the law! Ouiser gets along well with cats- she's actually very similar to them in that she only wants pets when SHE says and has a big hankering for cat food (both wet and dry, she isn't picky!)

Ouiser needs a more relaxed home where she can continue to recover from heartworm treatment, as she does still need to stay mostly quiet and rested for another 6-8 weeks. A home with children or frequent visitors would not be well suited for her, and a home on a very busy street or neighborhood would be a little much, as well. She is a southern belle who just loves everything about country livin'! Ouiser doesn't go far from her person, so a fence is not required as long as there isn't a road nearby. Ouiser is up to date on all other vaccines and preventions, but will need to be spayed, and will be adopted out on a spay contract. This will have to be done after her veterinarian clears her for surgery post heartworm treatment.

Ouiser is being fostered in Maysville, KY, and it would be best for an adopter to be prepared to drive to meet her, or to meet me (foster Ma!) as transporting with strangers is highly stressful for her. If there are any questions, please email julia.kellen.manning@gmail.com, otherwise go to www.acdra.org to fill out an adoption application!

Complete an Application:

https://www.acdra.org/adoption-application