Update: Mento was adopted.
I love Mento. She is a 2 year old pointer mix. She is very very sweet. She is also shy and needs a very gentle person that will bring her out of her shell. But I saw the potential that she has. She really wants love and companionship. She takes treats gently and after you visit with her for awhile she will come up for a chest rub and be wagging her tail. I love this girl. I bet once she bonds with you she could go free running with you and learn to skijor. She is inside at the shelter and is already spayed.
Do you know how she does with other dogs? We have a very playful dog who needs a buddy.
From what I know and have seen, she gets along great with other dogs. She is shy, but I haven’t seen any sort of aggression from her at all, even when walking a dog past her kennel that started growling at the other dogs. Mento just stood there and looked at her, no raised fur.
I have been looking at Mento. Have you evaluated her at all in harness? I put a harness on her at the shelter, and she seemed rather fearful. I am looking for a female dog to pull a kick sled and dog scooter with my female sled dog retriever cross. I am considering giving her a 10 day trial adoption, but the only way I can keep her if I have to train her is if they will let me foster her for a while. I am pretty committed to having a sled dog.
Hi Sheila,
Fairbanks Animal Control told me they don’t do trial periods/adoptions, FYI! I would recommend fostering her if that is an option for you.
When you adopt from the Fairbanks animal shelter, you have 10 days to bring them back if they don’t work out. The only part of fees not refunded is the rabies shot ($15) and micro chip ($15). She was friendly enough with my dog when we mutual visit. But I have no idea how she will work in harness. I have approached them about fostering, but I saw no reason not to try her out for ten days before making a decision. At least I will find out if she won’t work out at all. If you are interested, I can post how she does.
Oh, I see. I guess I was misinformed. I’m glad they have that policy – I think that’s best for the dog. We are very interested in Mento, actually, and were hoping she’d still be there a month from now when we’re ready to move into our new house. So, if you are interested in fostering and not adopting, that would of course be great for us. If not, sounds like you’d be offering her a great home :). I was looking to skijor with her, so I’m also curious about her reaction to a harness. Please let me know if you end up permanently adopting her, and if not, if there’s a specific issue you encounter that led you to bring her back. Thank you!
Hi Alex,
Today is the last day of my 10 day period with Mento. I still do not know what I am going to do. I tried to get the Shelter to let me foster her and was told they really only foster for medical reasons and Mento does not fit that category. They suggested that Carol may be able to assist with getting more flexibility. I’m hoping that Carol will help me foster her.
Mento is no longer afraid of the harness. She will pull the scooter with my other dog, but she is not very consistent. My other dog, Lena is not consistent and is not the best dog teacher to train a new dog. I think she could be really good with another dog that pulls consistently. I knew 10 days would not be enough time.
I’m thinking that maybe we could help each other out and Mento at the same time. My problem is that I cannot afford to lose the $130 adoption fee. I would need it for another dog. I would know by the end of June, if Mento was going to work for me. If I don’t keep her, and you were willing to reimburse me, I would house her and care for her and she would be available after you moved into your new house. The only risk to you, is that I might keep her. However, if I don’t, she will be more socialized and have had some harness training. I would be more comfortable with this arrangement with Carol’s assistance. But I really think Mento would be the winner regardless of how it turns out.
I think Mento is benefiting from being out of the shelter. She is starting to pull out of her shell a little. She is still shy, but warms up with attention. I have seen no aggression on her part towards other dogs or people. I have had her out on the trails at Creamer’s Field, Tanana Lakes and UAF and I encourage people to pet her. She has started loading herself into the pickup. It is nice not having to pick her up every time. She weighs about 43#.
If you want to talk, my work # is 456-0307. I work for the Fish & Wildlife Service at the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
I’ll give you a call tomorrow! Thank you.
I had some questions about Mento, but received a notice that it was a duplicate comment. Don’t know if it posted. Has you tried Mento out in harness?