Heeere's Queenie!

Last night we drove through a torrential downpour to a rest stop outside Newark, Delaware, where we picked up Foster Dog #24: a little brindle mystery mutt named Queenie.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to pull Queenie in large part because I thought she might be Crookytail's sister. Now that I've gotten to see her in person and compare them side by side, it's clear that there's a strong family resemblance (from the back, it's outright uncanny), but not quite that strong. I'm now guessing that the connection is uncle-niece rather than brother-sister.

Queenie is much smaller, bolder, more energetic, and more adventurous than Crooky (or, for that matter, most other foster dogs we've had) was this early on. We know she's probably got some Akita and pittie in the mix, because that's Crookytail's mix, but I would guess that there's something smaller, shorter-coated, and more active in her heritage as well. So far, Jack Russell Terrier is the leading guess on my Facebook page, and I suspect that has a good chance of being correct.

Whatever the breed mix, she is an active, inquisitive, hilarious little girl with a BIG personality. She snuggles with great enthusiasm and she trots on leash with great enthusiasm -- this dog does not do anything halfway. She would be a great fit for a home that was looking for a confident, playful, highly affectionate dog with a sunny disposition.

Queenie is so far not a big barker (I haven't heard her bark once), doesn't seem terribly interested in pigeons or cats on the street (but this could change over time, and often does), and is great with Dog Mob out of her crate but is currently a little growly when they approach while she's in her crate (this behavior is fading quickly as she gets used to them, though, so I anticipate it will cease to be an issue in a week or less). She is super food motivated -- no surprise, given how underweight she is right now -- but takes treats very gently. I think she'll be a snap to train.

As usual, we're starting Foster Dog Boot Camp with (1) leash walking; (2) potty training; and (3) a basic Sit, all of which are progressing nicely after a whole < 24 hours of work. I got a good enough fake Sit-Stay out of Queenie to take a posed, dropped-leash photo in the middle of the city on her very first daytime walk, and had absolutely no worries that she would bolt (but still, don't try this at home):

So that's Day One. As ever, we'll see how things develop as she relaxes and lets more of her personality show.