Please read the entire bio before applying.  

The inquiries we are receiving are clear that the bio is not read to the end  and considering what we are seriously looking for in a home for Catie.  She is not just a cute, young, pretty female Cavalier.  She has training needs or she will rule the home, and not in a good way.  

Catie is a young spirited Blenheim girl who was released from a breeding farm due to health concerns at the age of 13 months. During her time in foster care the majority of her health concerns have resolved, and she recovered well from her spay and hernia repair surgery. The vet did not hear a heart murmur, but did find a grade 2 subluxated patella on her left back leg that does not affect her mobility or cause her discomfort.

At this point she is small and mighty at a healthy 9 lbs! She missed out on a normal puppyhood and now has the chance to act every bit like a puppy at the age of 15 months. She is very active and loves to play with everything in sight. She loves to run and even plays fetch with a ball! She takes good naps and then gets right back to being a puppy. At this point just like a puppy she needs to be under constant supervision, or needs to be crated if someone isn’t home or with her to make sure she isn’t getting into anything that is unsafe for her.  She needs regular training and reinforcement by her owner. Her energy level and need for focus and discipline make agility a great option for her!

She did have a fear of men which leads us to believe she had a negative history with men. She has recently started to warm up to her foster dad so there is some progress. She also takes time to feel safe around any sort of strangers, especially when her foster mom isn’t around. She trusts her foster mom implicitly, and is very attached to her. She doesn't like car rides at this point. The right home for Catie would fully understand that it will take time, patience, and lots of treats for her to create the type of bond she currently has with her foster mom, but that once you have her trust she will love you deeply and forever! 

Now that she is healthy and feels great, she is ready for a forever home. Due to how extremely cute she is (she looks like a puppy, not a full grown dog)! It would be easy to let her run the show. We recommend her new family to take her to training classes or engage a trainer to help them reach goals with Catie.

Right now her attention span is short. Repetition, consistency, patience and more training will be needed for her to develop self control and learn expected boundaries. She has mastered “sit”, “down” and “crate” and is working on her  “stay”. She is good on a leash and has enjoyed walks with her foster mom. She has been sleeping well alone at night in a crate. This has helped with house training, and she has made good progress. Until she is well house trained it is best to have her continue to sleep in the crate and be crated when left home alone. She needs supervision and lots of reinforcement of expected behavior. She is very motivated by treats. 

Catie has great potential! We are so pleased with the progress she has made since she came to Lucky Star. It is likely that in a new home she will choose someone to attach to and may not accept others in the home as quickly. It will take time for her to continue to feel safe. She is happy and very busy, but can still be afraid and bark at strangers or a strange noise. 

If you think Catie would be a wonderful pet for you and would be able to give her the guidance she needs to continue to blossom please fill out an application and email Mary Coyne, mary401339@aol.com.  No long distance adoptions are considered.  We do not ship any of our dogs. Catie will require continued training with her owner, not a hired trainer. She has behavior issues. Please address your training experience in your e-mail. If not, we will assume you did not read the entire bio.

She must have a fully fenced and secure yard with an entrance to the yard from the ho use. Mature children over 10 would be considered. Thank you for reading this bio to the end to get a good understanding of Catie's needs. She is a special girl looking for a special family.  Catie is in the Ann Arbor area of Michigan.