ADOPTED

ALEXANDRIA

Our irrepressible Alexandria is bursting with puppy joie de vivre. Just one year old, she was another homeless stray, who had lost her way in the big city, only to find himself an unwilling guest of the City Pound. When Animal Control Officers found Alexandria, she had been hit by a car and was badly injured. As a powerful German Shepherd mix, with serious injuries, Alexandria was automatically designated for euthanasia.

We invited Alexandria into our Rescue, and she arrived pretty banged up. She had a badly injured eye and a fractured leg, amongst other assorted scrapes and scratches. First, Alexandria saw our Ophthalmologist, who put her on a healing regimen to address the infection in her eye. The cornea was sliced edge to edge, and massive inflammation had set in. She had already lost the sight in that eye. Our goal was to reduce the inflammation, so that she could keep her eye, and we achieved that.

Next, our rescue vet repaired her fractured leg. Her leg had been broken sometime ago, so it needed to be reset, and after weeks of difficult restraint, to allow for proper healing, and the dreaded "cone of shame", Alexandria is finally free and ready for adoption. She has complete mobility, and full use of her leg.

Alexandria is clearly a glorious German Shepherd, likely with a smidge of Labrador Retriever in the mix. She is a large, strong dog at 50 pounds, and she bears the classic German Shepherd black and tan colors, as well as the saddleback markings. Alexandria's head seems Lab influenced, triangular-shaped, and her half mast ears express confusion about whether to stand up or sit down. Her short, flat coat is a breeze to groom.

Alexandria has a marvelous, playful personality that lets the world know she's up for anything. She bursts into a room with command presence and exudes confidence. She revels in human touch, and is quite affectionate, although Alexandria also needs human leadership. If allowed to run amuck, Alexandria will become full of herself and try to run the show.

Alexandria would be a great companion for an experienced large dog lover, who is comfortable with the exercise and discipline that powerful breeds require to stay balanced. She could easily join the active lifestyle of a single or couple, who can devote an appropriate amount of time to her training and workout regimen. Alexandria would make the ideal walking or running buddy. She thrives on lively outdoors activities.

Alexandria could be happy as an only dog, or she could do well in a dog savvy home, with another well behaved dog. She is not well suited to young kids or cats, and may well overwhelm them with her pushy bravado. Adopters will want to channel that vibe into focussed obedience work, and take Alexandria along the road to Canine Good Citizenship. She is a budding obedience Superstar and has already mastered the basics. The daily training sessions give her a powerful mind and body workout.