OLIVE
10/04/2017
Female
Large : Larger than 45 lbs.
Pointer Mix- Sleek cream jacket with light brown dappling; brown ears and mask around face. 61lbs
HISTORY: Olive was brought in as a stray with her mom and sister while still a puppy.
Smart and Sassy!! Who doesn’t love and respect a girl who knows what she wants and is not afraid to ask for it? Olive is all of this and so much more!! This solid framed, sleek jacketed lady is pure joy to watch as she runs like the wind in one of our fenced in areas! Paying little attention to the toys scattered about hoping to be noticed, Olive is much more interested in being near her person and in particular getting much needed and yes, deserved belly rubs. Olive, while an active breed and a big, strong girl, is a loving companion dog and craves / prefers to be inside and comfortable and with her people in a safe, structured and nestled -in environment. She loves her walks and enjoying time outside sniffing around, but loves the creature comforts of snuggling and living inside with her humans.
A Word from Olive:
Me? You want to visit with me? Awesome! I think? …Well, as long as we go for a walk! I love the woods! There are so many smells there! Don’t forget some treats! Whoa…you don’t want me to go that way…okay, I can live with that! What’s that? Woof, woof! Oh, it’s okay, just a squirrel…”
…Okay, I am getting used to you, and you seem really nice. Can you scratch me here? Ooooh, and there? Aaaah! What? You want to take me home? Oh my…that sounds wonderful! Can we do cuddles on the couch? Okay, but let’s take this slowly!”
What Olive Needs in Her Home:
This lovely lady will be at her best in a home with structure and steady routine headed up by confident, loving humans with prior dog experience. She needs lots of human attention and cannot be an afterthought, bustled all around, crated or ignored. The setting would not work and Olive will regress, be unhappy and this may set up a situation for failure. She needs someone who will not let her run the house, and who will foster an environment where she will feel safe. She is very complicated, extremely smart, but delicate, and needs a consistent, predictable, steady but soft approach to her, particularly in settings she is unsure of or not accustomed. She may enjoy the company of another pointer or hound, but is best with no children or cats. Her journey to her forever home should be done carefully, and she should be given time to adjust before meeting other dogs in the household, or the neighborhood friends that will surely want to see her. She previously had a habit of resource guarding and would not let you touch anything belonging to her, but extensive training has curbed that tendency, and we have not seen that behavior here at the sanctuary for a long time.
Spring Update 2024: The cold weather is NOT my friend. I think as I have aged, I’ve become more sensitive to it so when springtime comes around, I could not be more pleased. When we last spoke, we talked about my operation to manage the myriad of lumps/bumps in my body but sadly, I now have some new ones. There’s a big one in one of my armpits that make it more challenging for me to maneuver around so I believe it will be removed soon. Outside of the growth, I continue to do well. My bestie human friend Angela is one of my regular visitors who creates new and exciting courses to stimulate my mind and body- think working an obstacle course or finding hidden treats. She also dresses me up seasonally for pics so I am sure to look my best! LOL. I’m a smart, savvy one who will prey on new staff/volunteers to the tune of making it hard for them to leave my pen area once they are inside- unless of course, I am by their side. No doubt, I am a staff and volunteer favorite and I am truly honored to be under their care. OLIVE
Winter Update 2024: The staff is convinced our pretty lady Olive is trying her best to dig to China! LOL. At first thought, one might think she’s trying to escape but no such silliness is on her agenda. She simply loves going through the digging motions and with the more recent abundance of rain and snow, the ground is wet and mushy and primed for easy digging! Just recently one of her favorite volunteers spent a lovely Sunday afternoon working with her in the arena area. Olive is a very smart, agile lady and one of her skill sets is walking up and then down the teeter totter! This is no small feat and it’s really an amazing sight to see. She’s on the active roster to go for car rides in the countryside 1x/ week and with her recently fitted light blue jacket, she’s ready to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. Healthwise, Olive is doing well and recently she’s had a good check up with the doctor.
Fall Update 2023: The fall season is one of Olive’s favorite times of the year as she gets to be dressed up in fall props…coats, hats, scarves, etc and honestly, she could not be more happy as our volunteer wardrober primes her for fall pictures. Olive is the ultimate poser and modeler and what a fun sight it is to see her getting all dolled up hoping her new family might spot her! Health wise Olive has a new growth by one of her eyes which we will have removed very soon. On a concerning note, the growths on her chest that were removed earlier this year have returned in earnest. Our vet has recommended that we leave them “as is” because likely, they will continue to re-grow as fast as we can have them removed. Olive is however her stubborn, silly self and for now, a few new bumps here and there will not slow her down as she embarks once again on her fall modeling campaign.
