Stella Is Adopted!
Stella came to us after she was found as a stray and taken to a local shelter. When we met Stella, we found her to be resilient, a bit shy, and very sweet. Loved the attention from people and the company of other dogs. Stella caught the eye of a family, and was adopted, but unfortunately was returned a little over a year later as they were not able to manage her. We knew that there was the perfect home out there for Stella, and then we found it!
Felisa and Raoul applied to adopt a GSP after recently losing their beloved Weimaraner at 17 ½ years old. Raoul had a GSP growiing up, and having Weimaraner’s, they were prepared to provide and meet the exercise and training needs for a GSP, but also realized that a GSP, 3 to 6 years old was more realistic than adopting a young puppy.
We had them meet Stella and another male dog, but Stella won them over, and she is now living her best life with Felisa and Raoul. We received some fantastic updates, and we couldn’t wait to share!
“Hi Teri! Zara, (formerly known as Stella) is doing great! She is very smart and sweet! She pulls a bit on walks, but it’s manageable. Took her for a long walk yesterday and out to lunch. Today she went to the beach and on a bike ride, and out to lunch again. She sits calmly next to the table without begging for food. Comfortable with people and other dogs. She scared away a raccoon on the block wall to stay away from our yard. She loves pets and snuggling. She is quickly learning boundaries (like which furniture she is allowed or not), learned house rules and was already crate and housetrained. She does not rush through the door or gate and prefers to stay by our side.
Zara continues to do very well. She is such a great dog! She is living up to her name (which means “radiance,” “blooming flower,” and “princess” in various languages). At one week, Zara is blossoming and showing her loving and playful personality. She is our little princess and true Velcro girl. She is not a fan of toys, but we keep trying to get her interested. Although she is active and playful, she is really an easy dog to have in our house and in our life.
She is very social with people and other dogs. We regularly take her out to lunch with us on the weekends. She sits calmly next to the table without begging for food. She loves to snuggle, go on long walks and bike rides, play with other dogs, and hunt for squirrels/birds. She still pulls on walks sometimes but is getting better with some training. She is not a fan of most toys, but loves her plush squirrel toy. She has a calm and loving disposition at home, and only barks occasionally.
Our daily routine consists of 3-4 mile walk in the morning, followed by her running in the yard for hours hunting squirrels and cats while I work, then a short evening walk or bark park after dinner. She is usually the fastest dog at the bark park and easily tires out within 20-30 minutes. Zara seems to be getting a little better at recall, but we still have a long way to go before we let her off leash. The long lead is working out well for parks and beach for now.
Zara’s confidence and personality just keep blossoming. She has gotten used to our routine of long morning walks. We have had rain the last few mornings and thought we would just enjoy long cuddle sessions indoors. Well, Zara is undeterred by rain, and there are no days off for our little girl. We managed to get a 30-minute walk this morning before the rain started again. Now our silly girl is running around the yard in the rain hunting squirrels.
Zara also loves to howl at sirens like many other dogs, but she runs to each person at home to insist that we all howl with her (like a “pack” howling). What makes it funnier is that our younger son is a fireman and Zara even had him howling along with her. We may have to take her on a station visit to hear the sirens up close.
I highly recommend adopting GSP’s that are 3+ years old. We raised two Weimaraner’s from puppies; and then adopted our last Weimaraner at age 3. Their energy level is similar to GSP’s and knew a dog that was 3-6 years old would fit our life easier. We never imagined how lucky we would be to get Zara. She gets so happy that her entire body wiggles when she wags her tail. I call it her “wiggly” happy dance.
We are so blessed to have her in our family. Thanks to you and Greg for all your help”!
Best regards,
Felisa and Rauol
