Tennessee is friendly, agile and talented with a dark stripe down her back. The first to hop over the garden walls and get up into a lawn chair, she is quite an athlete. When she jumps off the top step, she is more likely to stick the landing and look back at you with a big smile compared to her clumsy sisters. Tennessee is not a shy girl, but she does hang back and watch before jumping into the action. She is happy to be held, kissed and is in a foster home with Texas where they get lots of affection from the teenagers and the large resident dog. Quick to steal snacks from other dog bowls, she sometimes guards her own bowl from her brother so they eat on opposite sides of the baby gate in order to have nice, relaxed meal times. She is doing really well at puppy play groups and especially likes exploring the tunnels and climbing up onto the platforms to find treats. She is happy to explore new situations and make friends with dogs and people of all ages. This social butterfly is hoping to meet her family this week!
Tenessee and her 5 siblings are growing up in a WCAL foster home. We sent out a doggy DNA test for one pup from this litter and just received the results. The top 5 breeds are German Shepherd (21%), American Pit Bull Terrier (15%), American Staffordshire Terrier (15%), Siberian Husky (14%) and Australian Cattle Dog (10%) with a lot of other breeds in smaller amounts. The DNA test also says that Carolina (our test pup) is predicted to be between 37-66 pounds when full grown. They were born to the dog of a homeless family in Lake County and we are ecstatic to have this opportunity to help them each find their way into an amazing home. Each pup from this litter is a loving, silly, entertaining baby dog and they're learning lots of important life skills each day.
Tennessee sleeps through the night, eats four meals a day and potty training is coming right along thanks to a lot of time and attention from her foster family. Puppies this age cannot be left home alone for more than a few hours at a time. They nap in an open crate attached to a metal exercise pen (where they can't get into trouble while unattended).
We ask that all WCAL puppy adopters commit to attending a 4 week-long reward-based training class with their new puppy (we'll help you find a qualified, dog-friendly trainer near you). This is the best way we know how to help you bond with your new pup, give you access to current training techniques and ensure that your new dog becomes a happy, well-rounded member of society. We believe in being proactive and know from experience that the best time to train a dog of any age is NOW! It's important that the dogs we rescue get the very best start to reduce their chances of being surrendered to a shelter or banished to a backyard as an unruly, untrained adolescent who is no longer cute and small. If you don't have time to attend training classes with a puppy, please consider choosing an adult dog or waiting to adopt until your schedule is more flexible.