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Sammie was returned to us because her owners moved to an apartment that does not allow her breed. For that reason, her preferred adopter would be a stable homeowner.

Sammie is truly the most wonderful dog anyone could ever ask for! She is housebroken; she is quiet and only barks when strangers approach the house. She always has a smile on her face and is so happy and friendly - she loves absolutely every single person she meets, including children. She can get very excited and tends to try to jump up and kiss people on the face, so she would do best with kids that are at least 5 years old and not intimidated by dogs.

Sammie is VERY obedient and listens very well. She is kennel trained and actually loves being in her crate. However, she does not need to be crated because she is an angel and doesn’t chew things or get into anything when left unsupervised.

She loves balls, stuffed animals and chew toys, and she is a powerful chewer but is happy to gnaw on Nylabones. She loves to run around the yard and play fetch, but she also loves to lay with you and watch TV. She enjoys sitting by the front window and keeping watch over the neighborhood.

Sammie is good with 95% of the dogs she meets, but occasionally comes across one she doesn’t like. For this reason, she would do best with an experienced and understanding dog owner who can read her body language. She is an alpha female and does best with submissive males.

Sammie’s original owner said that she tore her ACL in her hind left knee several years ago and that it can act up if she is too active. He said that if she was favoring the other leg, he would give her Rimadyl or another anti-inflammatory for a couple days until she was back to normal. However, her foster regularly takes her on 2-3 mile runs and Sammie loves them and seems to do fine. Regular walks, along with fetch in the yard, are plenty of exercise for her.

Sammie is a sweet girl you have to meet in person to appreciate.

Here are some highlights about Sammie:

• Appearance: Sammie is a beautiful golden brown color with a dark snout, about 60 pounds and very muscular. She is strong but very obedient. Her ears are pointy and she always has a smile on her face!

• Energy Level: She has a moderate energy level and is a good walking/running partner. She gets excited when you first get home or someone comes over but settles in quickly. She always sleeps through the night.

• Food: Sammie is very low maintenance when it comes to food. She likes pretty much everything and doesn’t have any allergies or sensitive skin. She eats ¾ to 1 cup of dry food twice a day and gets a few treats in between.

• Behaviors:  She does not dig under or jump fences, get into the trash, or counter surf. She stays off of the furniture unless she knows she’s allowed to be on a particular piece. She is completely housebroken and does not beg for human food at meal times. The only somewhat negative trait Sammie has is that at times she can be leash aggressive with other dogs. She is getting some help from a local trainer for that, but off leash she is fine – her foster has another dog that she loves and she regularly goes to a doggy day care facility and has had no issues there.

• Human Social Skills: Sammie loves EVERYONE! She loves kids, women and men equally. In fact, her original owner (who had her for five years starting when she was a pup) was a man. She is not cautious or aggressive in the least – she adores all humans and just wants to be petted and loved!

• Animal Social Skills: As mentioned above, she can be leash aggressive at times with other dogs, almost always when they approach her directly face-to-face. Sammie is an alpha female so she does best with submissive males. She currently resides with a 100-pound male yellow lab and they are the best of friends!

• Obedience: Sammie is VERY smart and obedient and knows sit, lay down, stay, go (go away), leave it, take it, paw/shake, roll over, seek and will play “dead dog.”

• Training: She is 100% housetrained and crate trained and loves being in her crate. There is no need to crate her when you’re gone because she is an angel, however, she likes to nap in it so her ideal home would have a crate for her but would leave the door open so she can come and go as she likes. Sammie is always willing and eager to learn new things.

• Personality Quirks: What sets Sammie apart from other dogs is that she is absolutely the BEST behaved animal you could want in your home. She LOVES to sunbathe in the yard and never tries to dig out or jump the fence. She listens to commands, has great house manners, and is truly a wonderful companion.

• Ideal Home: Sammie would do great with experienced dog owners, a family or couple, with or without other dogs and/or kids. She is very well behaved but is strong and her breed can be misunderstood so she needs to be loved in spite of her appearance and for her great personality. It’s preferred that her new owner is a homeowner.

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, originally from Zimbabwe, resulted from crosses between ridgebacked dogs originally kept by native tribes in South Africa and other breeds, such as the Khoikhoi dog, Mastiff, Deerhound and some breeds that are not known. It was the native Khoikhoi dog that gave the Ridgeback his distinctive reverse-hair coat marking, a dominant characteristic that today makes him unique among dog breeds. The ridgebacks were imported by Boer settlers in the 16th and 17th centuries. Its standard, fixed in Rhodesia, dates from 1922. The Rhodesian Ridgeback was used for many purposes. This impressive, protective hound could hunt game, retrieve, take care of children, and guard property. South African hunters discovered that the Ridgeback, used in packs, was very effective against lions, hence the breed's other name, the African Lion Hound. The Rhodesian Ridgeback is well adapted to the harsh African environment. He can withstand very high temperatures and the damp cold of night. It is insensitive to insect bites and can go without food and water for over 24 hours. The Rhodesian Ridgeback is ferocious in the hunt, but in the home it is a calm, gentle, obedient, good dog. Good-natured, but some do not do well with children because they do not want to be pestered or played with roughly. They are intelligent, cunning but straight-forward dogs that are loyal to the family, have something of a mind of their own, are brave, vigilant, reserved toward strangers, and possess considerable stamina. This breed needs thorough obedience training, socialization with people and other dogs, and firm owner leadership to become the excellent companion he can be. Ridgebacks react best to an extremely consistent and equable approach to training. They are intelligent and learn quickly, but they are also strong and a bit stubborn. Training should be gentle and start young while the dog is still small enough to manage. They are also very good watch dogs, but not suggested for guard dogs. They are very protective of owners! This has to be addressed during their early training. This breed can be more destructive than a Lab if left unsupervised! Do not overfeed this breed. Males may be combative with other dogs. Provided this dog meets cats and other pets when it is young, any potential problem will be prevented. Ridgebacks make excellent jogging companions. They have a life expectancy of about 10-12 years.