Dog Dilemma: Kara is Healthy, Smart & Eager, but Deteriorates in a Kennel

Adopt-A-Dog has never come to Greenwich Free Press with an urgent situation. They’ve never asked a favor. Today is different.

Kara is the most interesting mutt. She looks a little like my lab mix Roger (same ears, smile and brilliance).

I think she looks like a greyhound, but her DNA test came back indicating that she is 50% German Shepherd, 25% Cocker Spaniel and 25% American Staffie. She is 3-1/2 years old, spayed and up-to-date on her shots.

Kara in her foster home with Eleni, relaxed and content. Unfortunately, Eleni’s other two dogs make it impossible for Kara to stay. contributed photo

Kara arrived at Adopt-A-Dog in June 2013. The stress of the kennel was overwhelming as her anxiety is triggered by the barking dogs.

So staff member Eleni Calomiris has been fostering Kara at her home since February and quite likes this intelligent girl.

Unfortunately, the presence of a third dog is stressing out Eleni’s own two dogs so much that to keep all three is untenable.

I played with Kara on Sunday for an hour and found her quite engaging and friendly. She put her head in my lap while she chewed her blue ball and lay on her back for a belly rub.

Kara, resting at her foster home where Eleni kept her separate from the other dogs. It’s not ideal. Kara needs a forever home. contributed photo

She has a huge smile and Eleni tells us she doesn’t require much to be content. Some play time, then she runs back in her crate happily, which I witnessed. She knows multiple tricks, which you can observe in this YouTube video that speaks for itself.

Fortunately as of Sunday night, a temporary foster home came through for Kara, but she absolutely can’t return to Adopt-A-Dog’s kennel because her blood pressure shoots up the moment she walks through the gates and hears the barking.

What Kara needs is a home. In a perfect world she’d thrive in a job. She is so smart and eager to please. Eleni said Kara is adept at hamming it up in games of Blanket Monster.

When Eleni instructs “leave it” Kara obediently drops the ball. Credit: Leslie Yager

“I’ll move my hand around under the pile of blankets and she acts all goofy, pouncing on the monster,” Eleni said. “I even trained her to go after bugs, using a red light. She eats them!”

Eleni said Kara’s enthusiasm and superior work ethic could make her the ideal search and rescue dog or police dog. She learns quickly and knows several tricks including “leave it!”

We’re hoping someone will want a smart loving dog who may have to be put down through no fault of her own. Kristen Aloisa, kennel manager at Adopt-A-Dog, said that for Kara, being in a shelter is a fate worse than death. She deteriorates so quickly in the shelter environment and they haven’t been able to place her, which mystifies them, considering she is healthy, smart and eager to please.

Adopt-A-Dog staff haven’t seen Kara interact with younger children, so they are suggesting she go to a home where children are older and ideally be the only dog, though Eleni assures me that during leash during walks she is fine to pass other dogs and nod hello. She even walked in the St Patrick’s Day parade with her shelter pals.

The staff at Adopt-A-Dog are relentlessly optimistic, so it would be so great if one of our readers could adopt Kara. If you’re not in a position to adopt, please consider sharing Kara’s story. I’d take her myself but already have multiple dogs.