Cider (ADOPTED!) is as adorable, charming, and cute as they come. She is a very sweet natured, bright and happy girl. She weighs 36 lbs. and is approximately 2 years old. Cider is a moderate energy pup, who adores human attention and crawling into your lap or snuggling on the sofa with you. She is great with all people and very free with her kisses. Everyone who has met her has fallen in love with her. However, as is often the case with cattle dogs, Cider has an angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other. Besides being devoted, curious, brave, and super smart, she also has a very busy, thinking brain, with a willful mind of her own, and an impish personality. Our girl is an extra challenge, because she is deaf. The vet who examined her believes she was born deaf in both ears. We sometimes suspect that she may hear certain loud and/or low rumbling sounds. As an eager to please, observant cattle dog, who figures things out, she will learn quickly.
More than anything Cider wants to belong and have her own people to bond and be with whenever she can. During the day, she likes to know where her people are, and will hang out somewhere in the same room or close by. If you move to another location, she will get up to see where you have gone. Cider has been trying to win over her foster dad, who doesn’t interact with her much. Whenever he enters the room, she goes to greet him with a big smile and wagging tail.
Cider likes her play time, but is also very content to curl up and relax with her people inside the house. She is still puppyish in some ways. Occasionally, she will get a spurt of glee, pick up a toy and race around the with it for a few minutes. Cider can be very mouthy when playfully interacting with people, and she becomes excited. She likes to play by taking your hands in her mouth and treat them like a chew toy. We are working to teach her that this is not an appropriate game to play. Cider loves children, but because she is mouthy, she may not be suitable for a home with young children, at least until she learns that puppy chews on hands is not appropriate behavior.
She has a very funny and endearing habit of taking shoes and slippers over to her bed or resting area(s) and sleeping with them. She seems comforted by having them with her when she is resting. She does not chew or destroy them. Her former fosters said she was fine left alone for several hours. She seems to settle down nicely in a crate, especially if she has a few shoes with her for comfort. Cider is very quiet most of the time. If all is well, she rarely barks. She will bark in protest when she is upset, mostly if she is left out of something or being prevented from joining in an activity.
Cider is similar to a cat in some ways. She loves being on her bed or curled up in a small space. Her former foster once found her curled up in the baby’s car seat. We have not seen her with cats, but suspect that she would not do well with them, due to her desire to police and/or herd other animals. While playing with other dogs, she herds by giving a small nip to the feet or rear, and sometimes behind the ears. She is completely submissive with people, and does NOT herd or show any willfulness to humans.
She meets other dogs, large and small, calmly and politely, with a low wag, and is friendly and playful with other dogs. However, once she feels comfortable in a multi-dog home, Cider will attempt to hog her person and block other dogs from approaching. In a multi-dog household, it must be made clear to her that she is not the dog traffic cop, and she must share her person. If there are other dogs in the same home, Cider’s person needs to be a very clear leader, with training and breed experience. Otherwise, she will try to control the dog traffic in the household. We believe that she had just never been taught anything, including manners. Because she is so bright and wants to please people, we feel sure that she will comply, once she understands that you do not want this. Other than this desire to be possessive of her person/people, Cider does NOT show any other guarding behavior. She is easy around food and toys, and waits her turn politely for treats, with the other dogs.
Cider enjoys going out on walks to see and take in the scents of new places. We believe that before we rescued Cider, she was likely not taken out on walks or exposed to new experiences. She is extremely curious and eager to explore areas with her nose. She is very good at staying close to her person, walking right at your knee, half a step behind. In unfamiliar surroundings, Cider wants to make sure she doesn’t lose sight of her person. However, when in public, she needs to be on leash, since she cannot hear approaching cars or bicycles, and if she becomes distracted, she may not see you beckoning her. Cider is still learning how to walk on leash, and tends to follow her nose when out on walks.
Cider is completely housebroken. In a car, she rides quietly, both in the back seat or in a crate, and seems to enjoy watching the world go by, although she is nervous about where she is being taken. We believe Cider is afraid of the dark. At night, she is reluctant to walk in dark, unlit areas. At bedtime, when the lights are out, if she does not know where her people are, she will give out sharp, alarm barks. Cider seems especially fearful when in a car, on dark country roads at night. She will tremble and pant quickly during the entire ride on a dark road. The first time we drove in the dark, her heart raced so fast, that we feared she would have a heart attack. She is better in the car at night, if in a well lit town areas.
Cider needs moderate exercise and to learn through gradual exposure to new experiences and situations. She needs some work to catch up on training she should have received as a puppy. We are seeking adopter(s) who can see the incredible potential in Cider, and who will return all the love in her heart. Besides having a knowledge an appreciation for the busy, stubborn and silly cattle dog brain, her adopters will need to have the time and patience to teach her manners, boundaries and basic hand signal commands. Cider has learned a quick hand signal for Stop and finger wag for No, to stop her inappropriate action; although, it may take a repetition of a few times, because she may think (or hope) you didn’t mean it the first time.
We encourage any adopter to learn about the special challenges of and attention needed for a deaf, strong willed cattle dog.
If you are interested in meeting Cider, we ask that you first complete our adoption questionnaire (online form or download a hard copy). At our website (hittgv.org), click on the Adopt tab near the top of the page, and scroll down for the online Adoption Form. You can also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have specific questions.