Toni is a 40 pound, two and a half-year-old lab mix gal whom we have found to be a true delight in our foster home. Although still very much a "work-in-progress", her house manners are impeccable even down to the point where she will patiently wait in her crate (without barking) to go out until after all the other dogs have had their turn. She has never chewed up anything in our home and does not show any signs of separation anxiety when we need to leave her alone in her crate.

When required to, Toni will also sit and wait at the door until given permission to go out in the yard. She has never had an accident in the house. And, while she would probably prefer to lay around on the couch next to you or wait expectantly under the table for a tasty morsel to fall, she readily moves away if asked to. She is reliable on most of her basic commands inside the house including "sit", "stay", "leave-it", "off", "come" and "down". Out in the yard, her reliability goes down a bit, but we are working on it.

As we mentioned above, please know that Toni did come to our rescue as a stray, very possibly after having escaped an abusive or neglectful situation. Because of this, she tends to be very fearful and cautious of new people the first few times she meets them. This usually manifests as barking and lunging towards the new person. We have been working with Toni exhaustively on this issue and she has made remarkable progress since we first took her into our home back in June of last year.

Today, even though Toni will still initially bark and lunge at new folks visiting our home while on leash, she is more easily re-directed back into a sit/stay. She will also eagerly (although still fearfully) approach new people to investigate their hands to see what sots of treats they have brought for her.  Generally, after just a few minutes of being given treats but otherwise ignored, she visibly relaxes enough to just "hang out".

It is also good to note that, if needed, Toni is especially responsive to the presence of a spray bottle filled with water mixed with a small amount of white vinegar. Usually all that's needed is a quick shake in her direction (not even a spray) and she will leave the person who has it alone.

We are going to bet that if you are willing to put in the time, love and patience required than Toni really has the potential to be the most awesome friend and dog that you will ever have. Please believe that we don't make this claim lightly. When comfortable, this happy girl is playful and full of spirit and goofy enthusiasm (as young lab-ish dogs tend to be). She loves car rides (although she does have a tendency for being car-sick) and thoroughly enjoys chasing fetching tennis balls of all sizes.

But Toni's higher energy level and exuberance for life is balanced very nicely with a gentle and laid-back temperament. In fact, when we are unable to take her for long walks, a good fifteen or twenty minutes of ball throwing in the back yard is usually enough to knock most of the extra energy right out of her. She comes back in the house breathing hard and ready for a good long nap. This makes for a great companion who's ready for action whenever you are but who will also be happy "just chilling out".

When it comes to kids Toni has been (overall) very tolerant of the younger ones she has been around.  While preferring to avoid it if possible, she will endure a rough hug or over enthusiastic pat on the back very well from kids that she knows. We suggest, however, that she would fit easiest into a home where there are no young children and relatively few, if any, young child visitors.  Her ideal companions would probably be understanding adults or responsible teenagers who understand how she needs to be approached and worked with.

Toni is not a choice of companion if there is a cat or other smaller animals (including smaller dogs) in the home.

This is not to say that Toni needs to be an "only dog". If you have another young pup who is around her size or larger than Toni could really do very well.  She loves to wrestle and play with our other foster dogs and is especially good with rambunctious pups who need an outlet for their energy. We have also, in the past, taken her to the local off leash dog park and not had any problems with her interactions there.

Toni would definitely enjoy a fenced-in-yard if you have one. However, if you do not, she would have an equally good time going for a long walk or a good jog or hike through the woods (the boggier, the better in her opinion). Sometimes, we have even attached her to a very long rope (50 feet or so) and gone to an empty field in order to play ball. We have found that, while being fearful and nervous around buildings, pet stores or very crowded urban areas, Toni has absolutely no fear of the "wild".

Do you need a fishing companion? Live by a lake? Spend time at the shore or have a boat you enjoy? Our girl will be the kind of dog who'd be more then happy to accompany you on an adventure for an hour, a morning or the whole day.

But if a day in the backwoods is not in your plans, you will still find Toni to be a very well mannered house pet. She is a smart dog who is very food and ball motivated and easy to train (with positive reinforcement).

Our family has fostered many dogs and we really believe that Toni is something very special.  She may not be the dog for everyone. But we still believe that this sweet girl is the perfect dog for someone. She's just waiting for them to come and get her.

Toni is in great physical shape and current and up-to-date on all required vaccines including rabies. She is also negative for heartworm and is on flea/tick prevention. She has also been spayed.