Age & Sex: 4 to 5 yr old Female	UTD: Yes
Weight:  51 lbs.	Other Dogs: OK
Color:  Fawn	Cats: Unknown
Ears: Natural	Children: Under 5: No    Over 5: ?
Tail: Docked	Professional Training Required: Ues
Spayed: Yes	Microchipped: No
Owner Surrender	Location: Kingwood, NJ
Adoption Donation $250

5/20/09 - Carly and I sat down in the yard this weekend and had a talk. She asked why she doesn't have a forever home and a forever mom and dad (not that there is anything wrong with us). Carly wanted to know if she was bad and if that was the reason why. Well I explained, NO, Carly you are not a bad dog--not by far. You come when your called, you sit when you are told to, and the other commands you are working on and do try hard. You have no accidents in the house, and are always trying to make us happy.  I told her what an extremely loving dog she is and her manners are good but they could use a little work. I told her she needs a special home with older or no children because she gets so excited sometimes. She needs people that will be patient with her and help her work through her flaws. Then she told me that she thinks she would be scared to meet more new people and go to a new home. We explained that the new home would be safe and there would be other people there to protect and love her like we do. She was happy and went off into the yard and took a little snooze in the shade under the trees.

3/23/09 - Wanted: Forever home for affectionate, energetic Boxer!  Carly’s foster dad here.  It’s now been a month since Carly has been in our home.  She’s made a lot of progress from the terrified, cowering dog we met in the parking lot of Spruce Run reservoir.  She’s definitely warmed up to us, and is far less fearful.  She’s extremely eager to please, and gives lots of Boxer wiggles.  She’s still uncertain of strangers, but has been getting better now that she knows she’s safe.  We’ve had a few setbacks with her challenging our resident BAR female Angel—but I suspect that’s because Carly is still slightly unsure of herself in the pack, and because Angel can be dominant.  We’re working on that with her, and they largely have ignored each other.  We did have a breakthrough this weekend with her and Danzig, who is our resident big boy.  I think Carly may have been a little afraid of Danzig because of his size (82 to Carly’s 52 pounds) but this Sunday something wonderful happened.  The two of them started playing and wrestling with each other, and she was sprinting around the house while Danzig and Damon gave chase.  I immediately ushered everyone outside for these shenanigans, and it resumed in full force.  Carly has also discovered the fun of toys.  Her favorites are balls.  Carly listens very well most of the time.  She comes when called, and sits easily on command.  She also seems to have even more energy than our resident 3, if that’s even possible!  She really enjoys running in the yard, and will try to get anyone to follow her.  She’s a work in progress, but watching Carly transform into a loveable dog is rewarding

3/10/09 - Carly has really opened up.  She is running around with toys in her mouth and playing with our other BAR dog Damon.  She has done well with both our male boxers but I would probably suggest a home for Carly without other dominant female boxers.  They just tolerate each other not enjoy each other, at least not yet.  
So since Carly's last update we had about 11 inches of snow and she loved it.  She was running and sticking her head in the snow and eating it.  The boys and her ran and ran and ran till they were pooped.  
This weekend we introduced her to more strangers and she was very unsure of them.  She did not cower this time but barked with a really deep bark and growled.  It took about 30-45 minutes and a half a bag of treats and then she was okay with them.  A secure home with confident owners is the right home for Carly.
 

3/4/09 - What a difference a week makes. Carly has become a new dog. She is not as skittish as when we first met her, and definitely feels more comfortable. She is interacting with all three of her housemates and continues to favor Damon. We still supervise when all 4 are free, as they have not all figured out the routine of being together. She is still unsure of any new people but tends to warm up quickly probably because she feels safe. We have done house cleaning and she does not seem to have any problems with the vacuum, mop, or broom. She went to the vet and did very well-no issues with going in just a little unsure of him as a stranger.

Something wonderful has happened,. Carly has learned what toys are. She loves the rope toys more than anything else. Crate training has gone well and she goes in more willingly.

As far as her personality she is a happy dog. Carly does need to learn some manners. She is a little pushy when she wants your attention. Hugs are her favorite along with belly rubs. Tell her NO and she does back off a little. Overall, for the first week being in an unfamiliar home with unfamiliar dogs, she has done quite well.

2/24/09 - So here we are on day three with Carly. She got a bath on Sunday and she loved it. The only thing she hated about the experience was getting in the tub. I really did not want to give her a bath so soon but when you would pet her your fingers would be black. We tried baby wipes but her coat is on the longer side and it only got the top layer.
She is still very shy from time to time and does not like to be in a room without someone. All noises are a new experience. She flinches with the ice machine and if you go to reach for her she cowers, but not as much as the first day. She tends to whine a lot and we are trying to break her of it by verbal correction. It seems to work most of the time.
She is eating, and we have started to switch her food which I think she enjoys more. Crate training has been hard. But last night she had a breakthrough, as our game with chicken is working. She went all the way in, took the chicken turned around and came back out. After some time doing that we closed the crate with her in it and said good night. The whining is still happening when we leave but she does calm down quickly. She spent about 5 hours in the crate today while we were at work and no messes which is great.
Carly has made a new friend here. His name is Damon, our first resident BAR dog, and they have went from not so sure about each other to almost best buds. We went for a walk together and then ran and played in the yard. Just when I thought she ran out of energy we went inside and it started all over again.
I do not think Carly has many social skills with other dogs but she picks things up quickly. She is still not interested in any toys probably because she doesn’t know what they are. Damon was trying to show her how to play with them so maybe in a couple of days or weeks she will get it.

2/22/09 - Carly has arrived!!!  We are so excited to be fostering her she is a sweet girl who needs attention and time.  She is very timid and is frighten if you approach to fast but does not growl or nip just cowers.  But good news we have some 3 fine teachers to show her the ropes of the dog world and that life is not that scary.  She has done well with meeting our three other boxers, but for right now just in short doses, the stress of leaving her home and new surrounds is enough.

So our first day went well she was very good on the car ride home and then gave her a little time to relax with just us so she could open up.  She came around fairly quickly.  Than we took a walk what a good girl she is on a lease she pulls from time to time but all and all good.  Next was meet and greet time she met all three of her new house mates but of course one at a time for a nice walk to get every ones energy out.  And after all that excitement of the day she got to run around in the yard with everyone and boy oh boy does she love to be outside she is a different animal very calm and happy.  After everyone was pooped out we came inside and wondered around and then took a little nap.  Dinner time was interesting, everyone was worried about what everyone else was doing and Carly did not seem to be all that interested in her food so to solve that problem she has the dinning room all to herself to eat in peace.  She still did not eat but it gave everyone a chance to calm down.  In the evening Carly went to a separate area of the house to relax and have some time with her new foster dad.  Then bed time!!!!  We set up her crate and I don’t think she has ever been crated so I sat with her and put pieces of chicken in there to make it fun and she would go in and take the chicken and come right back out but very careful to never go all the way in.  After an hour or so it was time for me to go to bed so Carly went in unwillingly but was fine when she did get in.  We put some music on for her and gave her a couple more pieces of chicken for being such a good girl in a place she has never been before and went up to bed.  I heard a couple of whines from her on the way to bed but she didn’t have a fit in the crate and no barking that we heard. 

This morning everyone went for a walk and then came back to eat and with a little wet food get her appetite going she ate everything.  At some point today she will be getting a bath and I let you know how that goes but I feel she trust us enough to get her clean. 

We look forward to Carly opening up and showing us her true boxer side but for now the kisses and the hugs are fine by us.