When I took Scout for her first vet visit, I filled out her new patient paperwork and listed her breed as “Little Brown Dog”.  The lady behind the desk seemed unsatisfied with this and stuck her head out to see if she could come up with something more definitive.  Ultimately, she entered Scout in the computer as “Mixed”.

We’ve had several suggestions from people on possible breeds in Scout’s family tree:  Lab, Beagle, Pitbull…  And as I mentioned previously, her behavior is much like a herding dog.

I won’t be paying for any DNA tests to get any official answers but if you’d like to toss your hat in the ring for what mix of breeds Scout might be, please feel welcome.  I’d love to hear your ideas.  I took some photos of her playing in the yard today and put them on Flickr.  They may be useful in gauging size. (She weighed 34 pounds at the vet’s office this week.)

Whatever Scout’s lineage may be, she acts like a herding dog.  That is to say, not only does she like to herd things, she also plays with our other dogs in a lot of the same ways that a Collie puppy we had for several months did.

Outside of the Collie, I’m not very experienced with herding dogs.  So I’m hoping for some suggestions on how to keep her out of trouble.  She loves her stuffies and her bones, but she also loves chewing rugs, shoes, and doggie steps.  I give her a cup of kibble in the Kong Wobbler every afternoon and she’s very excited about that.  Unfortunately the kibble runs out pretty quick.  She doesn’t like to be left, inside or outside, by her humans, even though she has doggie company.  She’s escaped the yard many times but we keep blocking her escape routes as we find them.

I realize many of her behaviors are probably due to her age and her history.  She’s very young I think and obviously she’s never been in anyone’s home or fenced yard before.  All things considered, she’s doing really well.  Very few housebreaking accidents, good sleeper, and only one Really Super Major Incident – eating my gelato which I left unattended briefly on the table.  (Since it was technically my fault, I decided to spare her the death penalty.)

I know some of you will have good insights and suggestions on things I can do to help Scout continue her transition to life as a pet.  We are taking her for her first vet appointment this afternoon.  I’ll report back afterward.

Update: Scout did great at the vet’s office.  She has been vaccimilated, her blood work was good and her heartworm test was negative!  She’s scheduled for spay next month.  On top of all that good news, I found out my vet gives a 25% discount for pets taken in off the streets.  Bonus!

When she’s sleeping they stick up like devil horns.  When she’s looking down they form the top of a capital T.  When she’s jumping around playing, random snickering.

APL came out today and rounded up the last 3 stragglers so all of Scout’s puppies are now being cared for by loving, responsible people.  Kristine says that the first 4 are already allowing people to pick them up without screaming or snapping so that’s very encouraging.  I hope things continue to go well.

I did get a few shots of the 3 pups from today:

Scout is currently laying on the bedroom floor, alternately chewing her bone and one of Graham’s stuffies.  Graham is displeased.