Staff writer Maggie Monsrud volunteers at the Orange County Animal Shelter. Each week, she will write about a dog at the shelter who's up for adoption. You can visit the shelter's website here and see last week's post here.
Name: Janie
Gender: Female
Breed: Pit Bull Terrier
Age: 1 year-old
This is Janie, an exceptionally sweet dog. I had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon with her, so you could say I’m an expert on all things Janie.
Don’t let Janie’s small stature fool you — she is strong and full of energy. But aren’t most dogs at one year old? There were times when Janie would tug and pull and yank on the leash, dying to explore what we had yet to explore.
But all I had to say was that sweet, simple yet powerful word that many parents in America don’t have in their vocabulary: NO. Believe it or not, she actually listened to me. It’s magical what a simple stern ‘no’ will do to a dog, but it worked.
Janie’s in the puppy stage, so she’s still learning what she can and can’t get away with. With any dog it’s important to teach them good habits, and not be afraid to reprimand them if they do something you don’t want them to do.
Once I established that I was in charge and that I was the one holding the leash, Janie calmed down. I could even get her to sit and stay calm, until some new and unfamiliar smell or sound would drift through the air, and we’d have to start the process all over again.
And this is what makes Janie a great dog, because she hasn’t learned any bad habits yet. If you’re looking for a dog that you can train and a dog that will be loyal to you, Janie is your girl. But she needs an owner that’s willing and able to give her plenty of play time and training time throughout the day.
If you’re interested in adopting Janie, please visit her OCAS page here, then make sure to pay her a visit at the shelter and see all of the love and energy that she has to offer.
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