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39;T know than we DO know. We DO know that Violet was picked up by animal control in rural Oklahoma, along with three puppies who were estimated to be 3 months old. They were picked up from a property where they were in the pasture with goats. Animal control had to use a "catch-pole" to catch them because the whole little family was showing a fair amount of fear-based aggression. Sadly, the animal control officer made the decision to euthanize one puppy, saying s/he was too aggressive. It's really hard to imagine a 3-month old puppy being so aggressive that an experienced person couldn't have dealt with the issue, but seeing that the "shelter" was willing to put down a puppy, one local person volunteered to foster Violet and her remaining two puppies until she could find a rescue to take them in.
When we brought them here, the puppies (whom we named Nell and Maynard) were very frightened, and they tried to avoid my attempts to touch them, but they were never aggressive. They simply acted like feral pups who had ZERO experience with humans, other than their very unfortunate interaction with animal control. Violet, on the other hand, showed a fair amount of aggression any time I approached the kennel and dog run where I put her together with her puppies. When it came time to take her to the vet for her spay surgery, I was able to get a leash on Violet and take her to the vet. From that point forward, Violet stayed in the house and was not returned to the area where her puppies stayed until they, too, were old enough for spay/neuter surgery. Once she was no longer protecting her pups, Violet settled in to life as a couch potato, and she acted so comfortable that we felt sure she must have had a home at some point in her history. Perhaps she lived in the house with her first family, but then was dumped out in the country when she got pregnant, and turned into a semi-feral dog, doing whatever it took to take care of her little family. She has become very protective of our home, and is not AT ALL welcoming to visitors -- she barks almost non-stop and will nip at strangers. If we have visitors, we typically put Violet in a crate in another room, which is something we do with a few dogs who are so protective of home and family that they don't like visitors. Dogs such as Violet typically do fine when they leave our home -- Violet behaved very nicely at the vet's office, and I am confident that she can transfer her affection to a new family.
Violet is VERY playful, and gets along with all the dogs in our home. One of her favorite play mates is a smaller dog who is about half her size. She also plays with dogs of her own size, and she doesn't discriminate based on gender.
As for her breed/s, we've just made a guess based on her looks, size, protective nature, and the fact that she was living with goats. She is NOT a livestock guardian, but we think it's possible that she is at least part Great Pyrenees. The red ticking in her white coat reminds us of a Red Heeler, but her stout frame and the curl of her tale make us think of an Akita. She has a BIG bark, so whatever her ancestry may be, she definitely acts like a guardian for her home and human family. She would be a great companion and protector for a single person who lives a quiet life without a lot of visitors.
If Violet sounds like exactly the dog for you, please complete the application on our website at .bluebonnetrescue.