Penny 4849's Web Page

German Shepherd Dog / Mixed (short coat)  : :  Female (not spayed)  : :  Baby


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About Penny 4849

  • Status: Adopted!
  • Adoption Fee: 300.00
  • Species: Dog
  • General Color: Black with Tan, Yellow or Fawn
  • Current Size: 27
  • Potential Size: 70
  • Current Age: 1 Year 9 Months (born on 6/6/2022)
  • Microchipped: Yes
  • Fence Required: Yes
  • Obedience Training Needed: Needs Training
  • Exercise Needs: High
  • Owner Experience Needed: Breed

Update 11.26.22. Hi, remember me? I’m new and improved! Ok, not so new, but definitely improved! I’m now about 50 lbs. I’m a lot taller and I cut quite a svelte figure. Oh, and my floppy ear is now standing at attention with my other ear!

A lot has happened since my last update. I saw a neurologist at Virginia Tech regarding my head tilt. The vet said they could not find anything neurologically wrong with me. PHEW! So why does foster my mom call me a weird puppy once in a while? I was diagnosed with a congenital birth defect in my inner ear. It’s called vestibular disease which affects your balance. Sometimes loss of hearing can occur in the ear that is tilting down. So, they went ahead and tested my hearing. They told my foster mom that there was no problem with my hearing. She then told them that, yes, I do have a problem with my hearing. It’s called selective hearing. Everybody’s a comedian. While my head does tilt at times, it’s not always stuck in a tilt. Ok, now THAT would be weird.

While I was having my head examined, the neurologist thought that since I was lightly sedated, she would tug my hind legs. Evidently, I didn’t like that much so there is still a question about my hips having issues. It was suggested that I see an Orthopedic vet sometime down the line. Well, let me tell you something. I have been running and jumping on and over HUGE rocks and playing ball for like 20 minutes at a time. Guess foster mom’s arm gets tired. I get to do that at least 3 times a day. Foster mom is amazed at how I run like the wind. It’s weird when I run and play ball (oh I LOVE to play ball!), my hind legs don’t trip me up. And my balance is really good. It seems when I walk normally, my hind legs sometimes knock together or I put one foot in front of the other and that trips me up. Well, at that point you can just call me Grace.

I hope this good news impresses someone enough to adopt me as their furever puppy. 

PLEASE. Only approved adopters with a fenced yard and one or two steps in their home should contact my foster mom. fosters@vgsr.org

 
UPDATE 9.30.22 Hi it's me; precious, prancing Penny. If you've looked at my earlier bios, you'll know that I've been having balance issues due to the damage to my vestibular system (inner ear). Well about two weeks ago I started exhibiting a weird gait, so foster mom took me to the vet. I'm going to be straight with you because I do not want to be returned down the road as used merchandise.
 
First, the exciting news. One of my sisters, Maggie, had a DNA test, and she's 100% GSD. That means I am too! Not that it should really matter. Just means mom had good taste.
 
All of my walking symptoms are neurological and related to the damage to my vestibular system. A few of my symptoms are: l eft hind leg will sometimes rotate in slow motion; my left leg will turn out and I'll take a wide step, my back will sometimes arch like I'm bending in half (looks like a cat when they stretch) and of course my head tilt.
 
Now I think this is adding insult to injury but I am also cow hocked (my hind hocks face inward to where they almost touch). They MIGHT get better over time. That doesn't stop me from running, jumping, playing on big rocks and tormenting my foster brother and sister. Being cow hocked and having my hip sockets very shallow, and I will most likely develop hip dysplasia. 
 
Again, I'm putting all my paws on the table. My sister Maggie also had her health traits checked through EMBARK. Over the  220 health traits checked, they all come back clean except 1. Maggie has a RECESSIVE genetic variant for Degenerative Myelopathy, DM (Lou Gehrig's disease in humans). This is recessive, so not much of a problem  her. I don't know if I have any goofy, dominant traits. Guess time will tell.
 
Here's the thing. Whomever adopts me will need to accommodate me and my slight imperfections. A lot of times I'll be wiggly, wobbly and tipsy. BUT, I will always be sweet, precious Princess Penny. And I KNOW we can still have great adventures together!

Update 9.10.22.  As you know my name is Penny but I have since acquired a new name, Penny Puddle Pup. I think the video speaks for itself. I sure did have a lot of fun that day. So much so my foster mom had to carry me into the house cuz I didn’t want to stop!

I’m now current with all my vaccines; rabies too! I’m really, really good in my crate. No messes and maybe a little whining at first but I settle down very quickly. I’m doing great in alerting when I need to go potty. I’ve had an accident or two only cuz nobody was paying attention. Geesh. To be honest, I’m not that crazy about going potty while I’m on my lead. I’ve been tearing around free in this huge back yard with rocks, trees and bushes. I’m not crazy about the lead cuz it’s new and I like to try and chew on it. Hey, I’m a puppy! So, it does take me a little longer to potty while on a lead right now. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Well, when I went to the doc the other day to finish getting my vaccines and to find out that I now weight 27 lbs., I also found out that I have a permanent, non-congenital birth defect. You may remember that my mom, Lily, was a little rough with me when I was first born. Evidently mom damage the part of my brain that affects balance. Sometimes when I run, I tilt my head to the side, mostly the right side. I don’t always tilt though. Sometimes I have difficulty remaining in a sitting position if I’m on a very slight incline and I fall over. I have been known to fall over and roll down the hill. I have also been known to fall down the 2 steps on the porch when I get really excited and run. I do walk like a drunken sailor at times but I think that is getting better. So, I need my new human to be very watchful of me, especially while I’m a puppy so I don’t get hurt. Also, I don’t want stairs. Well, maybe two to three would be ok. 

MORE IMPORTANTLY: I am a very happy puppy! I love playing and running around. I was a great copilot with my foster mom in the car. It was the first time I rode shotgun to my appointment and was very well behaved. I either sat and looked out the window, or I laid down with my head on the pillow next to her. The doc thought I might have been car sick cuz of my balance issue, but I wasn’t! Since I’ve been unbalanced, hee hee hee, from the start, she thinks maybe I’d adjusted to it. I met this furry black thing at the vet. Mom was holding me and I went nose to nose with it. Then I jerked my head back and look at mom like, What the heck?? She told me it was a cat. Big deal I said. On the way home, I looked at mom gave out a little cry which mom correctly recognized as I gotta go potty. So, we stopped and I peed and pooped! Mom says I’m so very smart.

Other than my balance being off, I am your normal, beautiful, awesome, fun-loving GSD puppy. I may never be able to do an agility course, but I can be a very lovable, goofy GSD who’ll capture your heart and make you very happy!

August 4, 2022. I was the runt of Lily 4847’s 6 puppy litter. My name is Penny and I AM NO LONGER THE RUNT at 8 weeks old! Mama didn’t mean to be, but she was a little rough with me and one of my sisters when we were first born. I had a small abrasion on my right shoulder but it’s all healed up. My right eye was also set back in the socket and smaller than the left eye. But that has gotten way better. It is still a little smaller than the left but the vet says that my pupil reacts normally to light. And it doesn’t stop me from straightening out my brother and sisters when they think they can pick on me. Sometimes when I roar, they won’t even dare to come near. I am a very sweet girl and I love attention and being played with and lots of belly rubs please. For further information on me, approved adopters please contact my foster mom. Fosters@vgsr.org

More about Penny 4849

Good with Dogs, Good with Older/Considerate Kids Only, Good with Adults, Requires a yard

Video of Penny 4849:

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