Cora

Cora is a beautiful 5 year old German Shepherd who was found as a stray; no-one has ever come forward to claim this gorgeous girl, she is now alone in the shelter wondering what she did wrong and why she deserves to be in this scary place.

When Cora first arrived in the shelter, she was extremely shut down and scared, not trusting anyone, wondering where her family was. Over time, Cora has slowly learned to trust shelter staff and has learned to make friends with new people with the help of treats and plenty of space. Cora can still be very shy at times and needs to take all interactions nice and slow at her own pace, she is looking for a quiet home with people who will give her time to come out of her shell and feel safe. Once Cora feels safe, she is the sweetest lady and quite gentle and soft, she likes a pat and an ear scratch and leans in for more affection.

Cora would be best suited to a breed-experienced home with a predictable routine, this girl will thrive knowing what is happening and what is expected of her, it will greatly help her to adjust to this big change. Cora is not suited to a home with children, loud noises and sudden movements too soon can be a bit scary for Cora, she would rather avoid them.

Cora loves treats, she is motivated by food and completing tasks with a reward helps to build her confidence and build that all important bond. Cora’s new family need to be understanding that Cora has had her world turned upside down and is frightened and confused, many things may be very new to her and at times she will be scared; luring, and shaping her behaviour with food, creating a positive association to new things, places and people will help her to have a positive reaction to them.

Once Cora knows there are treats on offer, she is quite happy to start showing off for them and knows sit and shake paws, she is a clever girl who is keen to engage in training and will thrive with positive reinforcement, reward-based training at home to fine-tune her skills.

Cora’s fear in the shelter has translated to a fear of other dogs, we do not know her history nor how she reacts with other dogs out of the shelter, so we can only judge based on her current interactions within the stressful shelter environment. Cora is showing signs of fear-based reactivity to other dogs, she doesn’t want them near her and will bark and lunge to try to scare them away before they come any closer.
We do not know how Cora will react once in a home environment and she has been able to decompress, however her new owner must be prepared to keep her away from other dogs and that this reactivity and fear is likely to be an ongoing battle for Cora.

Cora is best suited as the only pet in her new home, she has not been tested with cats or other small pets.
This gorgeous girl has been let down, and is terrified of why her world is changing and where she is, Cora is slowly learning to trust and find the joy in humans again, now she needs someone who can work with her long-term to help her feel safe and learn to love. Cora is looking for someone with lots of time and patience, that can win her over and show her unconditional love.