FIONA

Female, 1 year 40 lbs.

Say hello to FIONA! She is a 1-year-old, red tri-colored, 40#, border collie mix with a lovely medium length coat. Fiona’s favorite thing is her person, followed by toys, treats, and other dogs. Fiona wants to be with her person and will follow her foster around the house and settle at her feet or nearby. She loves to play with toys and will flip them around and make her own party!

FIONA loves to be loved. She is a world-class cuddler, too! She seeks attention from people and other dogs with a playful demeanor, even at the vet’s office. She can get a bit excited and jump up, but a calm approach like a quiet “off” and turning away usually does the trick. And sometimes she just needs a few minutes to collect herself. She enjoys playing with toys on her own, but she is also learning to bring a toy to her foster mom and to play tug with her. Since she is so excited about toys, teaching her to come when she’s called by using a toy is coming along nicely.

FIONA adjusts her play style to the signals from her playmate, large or small, very nicely. As much as she loves to play with other dogs, she would do fine as an only dog who gets all the attention. She does OK with cats, but she can be a bit overly curious at times. She mainly wants to play with them, but does not understand when they say “no.”

FIONA learns best with a calm approach, avoiding a harsh voice or an overly excitable one (even with praise). Training needs to start with encouraging her focus and waiting until she settles a bit. She is working on house manners, but most of her errors are ones of curiosity and enthusiasm. She dearly loves being a house dog with big soft beds and a toybox. Fiona is working on her leash manners and has greatest success with a harness. She has learned to wait at the door for a release word before crossing the threshold and to wait before exiting her crate; we’re working on “off.” While Fiona has made progress at her foster home, she will need a patient adopter who will continue to give her positive reinforcement training and clear boundaries to help her to be her best. She is very puppy-like in terms of her experience and understanding of house boundaries, but she has a nice desire to please. She has not been allowed free roam of the house and is crated when her foster mom is away.

FIONA is fully housebroken and crate-trained. She will go into her crate on her own because she knows she will get a little cookie for doing so. She rides well in a car when restrained with a seatbelt clip or in a crate. She sleeps quietly in her crate at night and is also quiet if crated during the day. She is especially happy to entertain herself with a hard chew or bully stick!

FIONA loves people, and everyone who meets her falls in love with her! She is very friendly with everyone she meets and would love a home where her people are around most of the time. She is a medium energy girl with bursts of spaz, who will need daily exercise and mental stimulation, but she also has a pretty good off switch, especially if it means cuddle time. For that she is all in! Fiona is a super sweet girl who is ready to bring her party to your house! She wants to be your very best friend.

FIONA is micro-chipped, spayed, heartworm negative and on preventative, and up-to-date on vaccinations. If you have an approved Northern California Border Collie Rescue & Adoptions Adoption Application (https://norcalbcrescue.org/adoption/adoption-application/) and wish to inquire about FIONA, please email us at Adoptions@norcalbcrescue.org. If you do not have an approved application, or it has been over a year since applying, please fill out a new application here Adoption Application.

FIONA is fostering north of Sacramento, CA.