Phaedra: female dog to adopt

Our gorgeous girl Phaedra is very sadly seeking a new home. Phaedra arrived in the UK in March of 2023 after being found as a stray on the streets of Cyprus. She has spent the last year in a lovely home in York, but unfortunately her family feel that she would be better suited to a different type of environment.

Phaedra is a very beautiful Shepherd mix and is still a fairly young dog at around two years old. She is generally a very calm, chilled out dog who doesn’t ask for much and enjoys being in the company of her favourite humans. She loves spending time outside in the garden and being a Cyprus dog at heart, she is an avid sunbather. Between walks. Phaedra is quite content just lounging around at home, with the occasional burst of energy when she wants to play, but is quite happy entertaining herself with her toys and doesn’t demand attention.

In the past year Phaedra has continued to prove how intelligent and keen to please she is, and has learned plenty of new things. Among the commands she knows are sit, wait, touch, close (walking to heel), and come. Her recall has improved loads (but she can be easily distracted if there’s another dog involved) and she is also crate trained, house trained, and walks well on the lead the majority of the time. Phaedra is very food motivated and we’re yet to find a treat that she doesn’t like! She’s not a fussy eater and loves treats like cheese, bread, apples, sweetcorn, and also blueberries, although she likes to play with them first!

Phaedra is very loyal to those she knows and trusts, and is looking for an adult only home. Unfortunately, she’s not completely comfortable around children and while she’s never shown aggression towards them, she is visibly on edge around them. Loud noises such as screaming and play fighting cause her a lot of discomfort and anxiety, so we feel that a calmer home without the unpredictability of children would suit her far better and allow her to relax.

Phaedra also doesn’t feel very comfortable in large groups of people or dogs. Larger social events aren’t Phaedra’s idea of fun and she prefers a quiet life. She also struggles with large scale daycare settings (her past experience was in a daycare with 20-30 other dogs), which is totally fair enough. Lots of dogs running around cause her to get overwhelmed quickly, but in more intimate setups where there are fewer dogs and more structure she is far happier. She has spent time at boarding kennels and she loved it! The staff had nothing but praise for her behaviour after her stay. 

Outside of daycare/kennels situations, Phaedra generally gets on well with other dogs. She is tolerant with puppies, keen to play with new dogs she meets on walks, and reads other canine body language well. When she’s off lead she instigates play politely and loves interacting with other dogs. She does however show some lead frustration when she can’t go and play, such as barking, crying and lunging, but this shouldn’t be misunderstood to be aggression, as it’s not. We think Phaedra could live with another dog, and would benefit from their company, especially when spending time alone as she does have some mild separation anxiety. However, it’s not compulsory as she has lived alone for the past year and been okay.

Ideally, Phaedra is looking for a home outside of the city with a calm home atmosphere. She would like a home with a garden, and with a family with some prior knowledge of dog ownership. Being a Shepherd, Phaedra needs someone who is happy to continue working on her training and socialisation. She is an exceptionally good girl with a big heart, and her charming personality comes out gradually the more you get to know her. She really deserves another chance to settle into a more relaxed home setting, and we really hope that someone can give this girl what she needs.

Phaedra is currently based in York and has a clean bill of health. She is ready to meet her new family as soon as possible!