AmyMcClain


	Age & Sex: 4 yr old Female


UTD: Yes


	Weight: 64 lbs.


Other Dogs: Yes


	Color: Fawn


Cats: Yes


	Ears: Natural


Children under 5: No


	Tail: Docked


Children over 5: Yes


	Spayed: Yes


Microchipped: Yes


	Shelter Surrender


Location: Bushkill, PA

Adoption Donation $250 + $20 Microchip Registration Fee

10/25/06 - Amy (who we now called FAWN because she looks like a deer) is the love of our life. She is tremendously good, and we love her with all our heart. It is heard to believe that we been with her for less than a year, because it seems that we have always been together. So far she has been healthy, although there is the possibility that she may develop cancer, as she had small tumors removed before we adopted her. We made FAWN a myspace page -- for pictures, please visit her own little place on the world wide web: http://myspace.com/fawniestone -- FAWN is a STAR!!!

2/17/06 - Today we saw Amy, our foster girl go off to her new home. She had a two hour training session with her new parents before leaving which immediately forged a bond between the three of them. As her new people put her in the car and drove away, excited and looking forward to the future with this sweet girl, I did not say goodbye to Amy nor she to me, we didn't so much as share a glance. Amy was already on her way, her mind already on her new leaders, my job was done and I had shared many hours with her since she came to us on December 2nd.
Our quiet house won't remain that way for long, this weekend we will welcome two more foster kids into the pack and hopefully help two more on their way to new lives and new adventures.
Such is the life of foster homes, we get to love, heal, nurture and lead the dogs in our care and each one enriches my life and leaves me a little more fulfilled............... Kim

1/31/06 - Amy continues to blend in here in her foster home, she isn't an ounce of trouble, just a pure pleasure to have around. If you're ever in need of one of those cuddles that only a Boxer can give, Amy is right there with all the love you could wish for, she is very gentle too. She loves her food and treats but never asks for food when her people are eating, she really has impeccable manners. This week Amy was very happy to meet a little girl and be petted by her, remaining calm while we chatted, which was no less than I would expect of this special girl. We will update Amy's page this week with new photos of her playing, so please check back soon if you feel that you could offer this girl the love that she has to share!

1/12/06 - We wanted to add a note about our Amy. Although we first thought that she would be better in a home with another dog to help her when left, during her training we have noticed that her anxious moments were not eased by the presence of other dogs, she has overcome most of her little issues and we are so impressed with her ability to be left now. She's also very happy snoozing, playing with her ball or teddy on her own, though she does love to snuggle up with her humans, she is super cuddly! Amy loves to walk and she will come back to me when recalled while running off the lead, though her new owner would need to establish leadership and a bond before this could happen We found that an extending lead was a good training tool for this purpose. Amy is a much more calm, relaxed and therefore happier girl these days. All she needs now is her very own home to get used to and life will be perfect for her!

1/11/06 - Amy's issues over being left alone continue to improve. We had a great week last week, where several times after a nice walk with the other dogs, she was left loose in the house for several hours and we returned to find she was happy to see us but calm and peaceful. We make a point of never saying goodbye to her so she doesn't anticipate being left and we return very quietly so the excitement is kept to a minimum and thereby her anxiety is kept to a minimum. She's a real sweetie and loves to play with balls. She will amuse herself in the yard with a tennis ball, throwing and catching it on her own. Lookout for new photos of Amy soon!

1/3/06 - Amy's progress over the weeks has been tremendous and we are very pleased with her. This weekend I removed her stitches from her operation and she lay completely still for me, allowing me to roll her over to complete the job even though one or two were a little uncomfortable for her. AMY came to us with a history of separation anxiety (in her notes from the shelter) from being left alone for long periods so we have been working on desensitizing her with this issue by leaving her for minute amounts of time initially, sometimes just to walk outside the house and back in. Gradually we have been able to leave her so far for up to two hours after she's had a nice walk so that she is relaxed and calm. She has been left with other dogs and we have come home to a quiet house with everyone snoozing happily. This is a great step forward for Amy. She gets along very well with all other dogs it seems and probably gets some comfort having them around when left. In this respect we feel that she would be well suited to a home with another dog for company and although we expect her to be able to be left for longer periods providing she has a walk first, she may be better suited to a home where people are not at work all day, every day. Amy's tolerance for being crated has improved greatly, she is no longer trembling, but when left crated she will drool and show signs of stress after a short time, this may improve with positive use of a crate but it seems that she will be a happier girl if allowed to be loose in the home when left. Amy is walking well on the lead and now that she knows us we let her off to run and play with our other dogs which she loves to do. She responds well to her name and comes to call most of the time and we will continue to work on recall training with her. Amy can get very excited if there is a lot of noise and stimulation, but quickly calms down when the situation does, so a home where there isn't high activity and noise all the time would probably suit her well. Everyone who meets this girl falls for her.

12/27/05 - Amy’s results are in…all but one lumps were fine..the one on the hind leg was mast cell, grade 1….doc took quite a bit of tissue around it so feels he got it all. As usual this site will have to be watched. There have been a lot of changes in veterinary opinions about mast cell tumors recently. At one time they believed that you had to be aggressive with treatment if one mast cell was found, but now they have softened that stance and feel that they are more isolated and if the area around the tumor is removed they have found very low recurrence or metastasis. That's very good news for Boxer owners and very good news for Amy! And now Amy is ready to go to her forever home.

12/13/05 - Amy continues to feel at home with us, she is a very well behaved girl and easy to have a a house guest. She has some issues about being crated and left alone but we are working on re training and so far she is doing well. As with many rescue dogs, we don't know much of Amy's history but she was very nervous when first put in a crate, yet after a week of slow introduction with treats and goodies for very short periods she is already calm and learning that nothing bad is going to happen. Amy met our 12 year old helper with the dogs, Stephanie this weekend as we took all the dogs sledding and playing out in the snow. Amy was great, interacting with her just as she would an adult, though when she met two small children (on the lead) she was very excited and would have overwhelmed them so she does need some time and training to get used to little ones. She was the same way when first meeting Jake and Lily our two foster puppies, she wanted to treat them like toys, but she quickly responded to training and was playing gently with them in just a few days, in fact she let them climb all over her and do as they pleased. Amy loves balls and toys, she will amuse herself playing or will join in a game though just like my two Boxers, she can get over excited and the ball needs to go away for a while. This girl is a huge cuddle bug and has learned how to snorkel under the comforter while you are sleeping ;)) Amy will be seeing the Vet on Tuesday 20th to have her lumps removed and we will update her page when we know more. One last thing, Amy appears to love men, she met Paul, who came to collect his new puppy Jake and positively adored him, it's the first time I have seen her put her front legs around anyone and gaze into their eyes! More soon on this great girl Amy.

12/6/05 - Introducing Amy, our new house guest who arrived with us after a long drive from a shelter in MA where she had been for the past 2 weeks. It seems that the shelter took very good care of this girl, she is in good physical shape and was handed over needing nothing more than help in finding the new home that she deserves, a big thank you to the people at the Pioneer valley humane society in Greenfield, MA. Amy traveled well in the car, in fact she seems to love riding in cars, she settles right down, whether in a crate or on the seat beside you. When I open the door of my truck she jumps right in and is ready to go. She mixed well with my big Boxer boy Ivor who is showing her his yard, his sofas and making her feel welcome as he has done with all our foster kids, he really helps them all settle in and feel welcome. After giving our old lady Tippy a look over, Amy was fine with her too. She had a gradual introduction to our "boss of the house" girl, Coco and so far all has been fine. Amy knows all the basic commands and will sit and give you her paw when asked. We will be lead walking her soon and giving her training if she should need it. She is polite over food and responds well to a biscuit reward. Amy loves to cuddle up on the sofa and have some one to one attention, but what Boxer doesn't! She has two small pea sized lumps on her back leg and rib cage which will be looked at by our Vet this week when she has a check up. Amy is still trying to find her place in our home and get used to the big changes in her life, at times she looks a little bewildered but in the weeks ahead we will make her feel loved and give her the foundation that she needs to meet the new life that awaits her thanks to BAR. Please check in regularly and follow Amy's progress.