SchoonerMcConnell


	Age & Sex: 6 yr. old Female


UTD: Yes


	Weight: 60 lbs.


Other Dogs: Somewhat, improving


	Color: Fawn


Cats: Yes


	Ears: Natural


Children under 5: Unknown


	Tail: Docked


Children over 5: Unknown


	Spayed: Yes


Microchipped: No


	Owner Surrender


Location: Higganum, CT

Adoption Donation $250

8/14/06 - What more can I say about Ms. Schooner? She is still wonderful....we have no complaints. Schooner did go out on her first boat ride this summer.....she had so much fun! She was not very happy at first about her big orange life jacket that we made her wear...but she quickly got used to it. She even went for a swim !! She was so cute.....once she realized she could float, she would only swim with her front legs, while her back legs floated limply behind her. They looked like frog legs :) Ms. Schoo continues to be a joy, we really have had it pretty easy with her. She is an integral part of our family now, and we are not sure how we got along without her!

5/14/06 - Ms. Schooner is such a good girl. She is so happy that the weather is getting warmer so she and Casey can blast around in the yard together. Schooner showed us recently that she is a master at FRISBEE catching !! This is the first boxer that I met that was so good at it. It's so amusing to watch her.....she barks at the frisbee in the air right before she catches it. As if to say...."You better get down here!". Then she happily returns it to us (well, to my husband really, as Schoo says he is a MUCH better frisbee thrower!) and waits for it to be thrown again. I think she would play all day if we would let her! Schooner and Casey are doing well together. We still have our occasional "challeging" days, but they are few and far between. Schooner has "won" at the dominance war. After months of trying, Casey finally backed down (very reluctantly) and let Schoo take the dominant dog spot in the house. There are some days when Casey wants to change this.....but it doesn't work. Schooner will give her that "look", or let out an audible growl, and things go back to normal. It is difficult to believe that Schoo has been with us under 6 months...it feels like so much longer than that. We will have to see how Schooner does without her parents....we are going on vacation for a week, and this will be the first time we have left her. At least we take comfort knowing that she will be with her "Auntie Dana" and not a stranger. We will let everyone know how that plays out.

2/8/06 - Schooner continues to be a wonderful girl. She and Casey are still adjusting to one another, but they really have come a LONG way since Schoo was placed with us. Now they are able to run around the yard together (and the weather has definitely been cooperating!) without incident. They sleep beside one another (usually not touching, but still this is progress!), and have free roam of the house while we are at work. We are so happy with Schooner and love her to pieces. We look forward to many happy years together with her.

1/15/06 - It's official!! Schooner has been adopted!! My husband and I are so happy to be BAR adoptive parents!! Schooner continues to do well in our home, and she is so happy that she will be able to stay forever. We have decided to make 1/6/06 her birthday, since she did not come with that information. That means she is 7....such a little old lady she is! She and Casey are still learning new things about each other ever day, and will continue to do so, but I think they are adjusting wonderfully to each other considering the short time we have had Schooner in our home. Schooner still loves going for car rides, and jumps around whenever we say the words "wanna go for a ride"? She pretty much comes everywhere that we go...(and she would not want it any other way)! Schooner also loves to eat, although you would never know by looking at her! She is so tall and lanky...she reminds me of a deer. I have been trying to fill her out since she got here....at last weigh-in she was just hovering around 60 pounds....we are going to continue to work on that, as I think she would look good with about 5 more pounds of meat on her :) (She seems to have a good metabolism though, as no matter how much I feed her, she seems to stay the same weight....oh well). I have to say, we have had a wonderful experience working with BAR, and we found everyone to be so helpful and supportive. Thank you to everyone that played a part in giving Schooner her forever home. We promise to love her with all our hearts and take care of her forever! THANK YOU BAR !!

1/6/06 - Schooner has now been in our home for over a month. It really seems like she has been here longer, as she is such an integral part of the family now. We love her so much. This may be our last update as a foster home for Schooner. Great news! We have decided to adopt our little Schooner. We became so attached to her in the month that she has been here, and we saw so many improvements in her interactions with Casey that we decided to give her the forever home that she truly deserves. Although we still have our challenging days (usually only when there is a toy involved), we are willing to work through these and work with Schooner to improve her interactions with Casey. We are confident that they will soon be the very best of friends. Yesterday we were riding in the car and Schooner and Casey were in the backseat together. We were riding for about 10 minutes when we noticed that Schooner was licking Casey in the head. We didn't interrupt, and decided to watch them to see what happened. Low and behold, before long, Schooner was resting her head on Casey's back, sleeping! And Casey did not seem to mind at all. We wished that we could have taken a picture of them, as this was the first time that they acted as if they were sisters! With any luck, Schooner will be a permanent part of our family very soon. We will keep everyone updated!!

12/29/05 - After almost a month with cute, sweet Schooner, we have found that we have become very attached to her (and she to us!). You could not ask for a sweeter dog....she is so lovable and such a well-behaved girl. Schooner spent her first Christmas with us, and she had a very good time. She needed a little help opening her present, but once they were open and she discovered her new toy, she was very content. Schooner has not qualms about throwing her toys up for herself and catching them mid-air. It is rather amusing to watch her. It has quickly become very obvious to us that Schooner would not mind being the only dog in the home, she may even prefer it. This way, she can soak up all the attention and love that she deserves. But...we were also happy to discover that Schooner loves kitties. It took our cats a little while to emerge from the basement after our last foster left (as he was not a big fan of kitties)...but once they realized that Schooner was a good girl, they came up to meet her. Now they cuddle together with Schooner and rub up against her long legs. We have been able to let Schooner out into the backyard, which she LOVES. Since the weather has been warmed than normal, she has been able to romp around with Casey. I am still so impressed at the way that she stays close by and her wonderful listening skills (even when playing!). I have never had to ask Schooner to do something more than once, as she always listens on the first command. She does not counter surf, which is wonderful. In addition, she has NEVER ripped, destroyed or torn up anything in the house. She is such a good girl. I could not have asked for more if I had trained her myself! Keep checking for more updates on Ms. Schoo.

12/21/05 - We find that we are still learning new things about Schooner, even though she has been in our home for a while. She is still very sweet and loving, and she thrives on attention. She is definitely getting more and more comfortable with her surroundings and with our other boxer, Casey. This past weekend, our male foster was adopted, so Schooner is working on figuring out her place in the home now that he is gone. She and Casey are getting along much better....I think she is finally beginning to realize that Casey is not a threat to her. They have even been licking each others faces when they think I am not looking!! Casey has been trying to get Schooner to play with her, and on several occasions, they have played tug-o-war with no problems. Schooner is still a little timid and feels threatened around dogs, especially ones that she does not know. We thought that she did not get along with other dogs at all, but we are learning that she is just very slow to warm up to them, as I think she is scared that she may get hurt. Schooner is very good about letting us know when she has to go outside to go to the bathroom.....her tummy was a little upset the other day, and she stood by the door until we let her out so she could relieve herself. I think she is feeling better, and she is back to feeling herself now. Schooner is SO well behaved! She is very attentive and comes whenever we call her. She has shown us that she was very well trained, and listens to all her commands. We even took her out in the yard the other day, and as always, she stayed close by us. We are enjoying Schooner's company, and are looking forward to her spending the Christmas holiday with us. More updates to come.

12/12/05 - Schooner had her vet appointment this past weekend....she was such a good girl, she hardly even blinked when the vet drew her blood. Good news though....she is heartworm negative and all up-to-date with her immunizations. The vet even commented on what a sweet girl she was, very friendly. Schooner appears to be getting a little more comfortable around our other dogs. She and my own boxer are still trying to figure out just who is going to be the dominant female in the house....we have been very careful about toys and playing too rough, these things seem to make Schooner a little uneasy still. I have to say, we have seen some progress though. We put Schooners crate in the living room so when she feels like she needs a break (and a little security), she goes into her crate and curls up for a little "time out". She appears to be very comfortable in her crate, and even goes in without being told. Schooner is beginning to play a little now...since she was an only dog before, she is not quite sure how to play with the other dogs. Regardless, she is very happy playing with her own toys, flipping them around and throwing them into the air. She is pretty easily amused. Cuddling is one of Schooners favorite activities. She is very quick to snuggle on the couch whenever we sit down. She loves to be pet all over and does the boxer wiggle when you talk to her and tell her she is a good girl. One of the really good qualities about Schooner is the fact that she stays nearby. We have taken her outside in the yard, and she does not go more than 10 feet from us. She obeys commands very well and knows how to come when asked. She is definitely not the type of dog that would run off in an open yard. I believe that Schooner would make the perfect companion for anyone! Please consider giving her a forever family, as she truly deserves it.

12/8/05 - After being here for 5 days, Schooner "shadow" is starting to settle in at our house. She seems to have gotten used to our routine now, and she is getting to know our other boxers a little better. Schooner had her first bath tonight....she did not seem to mind the water. She held very still and looked at me with her big, brown eyes, and when she was finished, she was all wiggles. I think she felt much better after she was clean, because she was hopping around the house with her boxer smile on. Schooner will be going to the vets on Saturday for her heartworm and fecal checks. She is all up-to-date with her shots, so it should be a quick visit. We will have to see how she does at the vets office :) Overall, Schooner has a mellow personality. She likes to cuddle on the couch and sleeps curled up in a little boxer ball. She is very gentle with people and also with our kittys. She is still following me around the house....I think she may have been close to her female owner in the past. Stay tuned for more developments as the days pass.

12/5/05 - Schooner has now been in our home for 3 days. Three very eventful days, I have to say. We have learned a lot about cute little Schooner as the days have gone by. First, she LOVES attention. She wags her little boxer nub and does the boxer lean whenever someone gives her some lovin'. I have been referring to her as "Schooner Shadow" because she follows me from room to room and does not let me get too far from sight. I am not sure if this is because she is so new to us, and maybe nervous that we will leave her, or if this is the way she will be forever. She is very sweet and has a good temperament. Schooner is a wonderful listener!! She responds to every command that I give her, even when she is preoccupied with other things. She is very attentive and has good manners. No counter surfing (even when food is at nose level!), so chewing, no barking (except when someone is at the door), and no accidents in the house. We have been able to leave her in her crate (she is crate trained) while we are at work, and she does very well. She even goes in willingly when we leave. We have quickly found that Schooner is not a huge fan of other doggies. When we first introduced her to our other boxers, she was ok. She growled a little and went on her way. Now she is much more vocal about expressing her wish to be an only dog. There have been some scuffles in the house that we have had to break up. I think this is a result of her being scared....her owners said that she was mistreated in her first home by one of their dogs, so I think she is just scared that it could happen again. We are hoping that she gets more comfortable in our home once she realizes that no one here wants to hurt her :) Schooner also loves taking car rides. She gets really excited and starts to jump around when I take out her collar. She likes to ride in the front sear so she can be near me. She is such a cutie!!

12/3/05 - Schooner arrived safe and sound to our home today. So far she is doing very well with us. She seems a little sad and confused, but I am sure once she begins to feel at home I think she will be one happy girl. Schooner has already met our foster boxer and our own boxer...introductions went well. There was a little growling, and a few minor "disagreements", but this passed quickly, and they have all been getting to know one another. Schooner takes a little while to warm up to dogs, but once she has given them a good sniff and a warning, she seems to be fine with them. Schooner's crate was send along with her, and she likes it just fine. Already she has climbed in a couple times to take a little nap. Her owner also sent along her blankie, so I think it makes her feel a little better knowing that her owners scent is still there to reassure her. Our first impression of Schooner is that she is a very sweet, loving dog. She was also taught her manners, as she listens immediately to any commands that she is given. So far we have found that she knows how to sit, come, get down....all of which are good ones to know!! Much more to come on little Schooner as more time goes by and we get to know her better.