KAYAI
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| Kayai in a nutshell: Spayed We first heard about Kayai late in September. She had been picked up as a stray in the western part of Los Angeles. The California rescue groups are SO overly full, but they just could not pass this girl by and so they put her on "hold" and prayed. Their prayers were answered when Kayai was quickly adopted...unfortunately after about a week, the elderly couple who adopted her decided that they had bitten off more than they could chew with a German Shepherd and decided to "exchange" Kayai for something smaller.
| Now in the shelter as an "owner surrender," Kayai's days were very limited. Our transporters (Laura and her mom) were already in California and scheduled to pick up Hercules at 9 o'clock on Sunday morning when we were notified (on Saturday night) that Kayai was back at the shelter. The shelter was already closed for the day--no time to even let them know we might be coming the following morning. Was there even room in Laura's mom's car to fit another big dog? Were they in a position to wait until the shelter where Kaya was opened at 11 the next morning and go by to pick her up? When we spoke to Laura, her answer was, "We'll MAKE it work." UPDATE 10/3: A call this morning confirmed that Kayai was safe in Laura's hands and they were heading to east LA to pick up Hercules.
From what we have seen so far, Kayai has had some obedience training; she knows sit, appears to be crate trained and is not too bad on a leash. We'll know more once she has settled in. Kayai is up-to-date on shots, spayed and microchipped.
UPDATE 10/6: Kayai discovered a ball that was given to the resident back by their "Aunt Steff" a while back, and the game was on! We should have renamed her Pele' the way she ran that ball up and down the yard. She's definitely a natural.
UPDATE 1/10: Kayai went herding today and was Herding Instinct Certified by Tester Molly Wisecarver. Molly said that she loved Kayai's drive and would LOVED to have taken her on as one of her own if she didn't already have a house full of border collies. Molly was amazed that she was looking at a homeless, rescue dog...
After spending time in the home of a WGSDR staff member, it was decided that Kayai's drive levels and temperament, along with her tannish color, were less typical of a white German Shepherd than originally thought. What does that mean? White German Shepherd Dogs are no different than any other GSD; their needs, issues and naturally protective and territorial nature are the same as their colored cousins. That said, nearly all whites are domestic...American bred...we don't see folks importing white German Shepherds from Europe, hence none of the influence of the imports, which results in a softer temperament due to lower drive levels. In other words, Kayai is closer to a black and tan in terms of her energy, drives, personality and placement criteria. As with many of her counterparts, she's not particularly fond of other females; she is a dominant and confident gal with a high activity level and strong prey drive. Kayai was evaluated by our partner at Southwest GSD Rescue back in May: We met her today and here's our assessment: Most "German Shepherd" people would welcome the opportunity to work with a dog like Kayai; she's smart, compliant and eager. She is also pushy and lacking in some social skills. She knows her basics and is very responsive to leadership. And therein lay the key to the right adopter...if you let her, Kayai will take control. She could use some leash work. Slow appropriate dog intros are necessary as her in-your-face greetings could put off a strange dog. So, if you have some training and GSD experience along with time and a busy lifestyle which would include your dog, Kayai is the gal for you. She is very ball driven and has a great nose. This is a proclivity, if channeled into something constructive and fun, like finding things/tracking, hiking, herding (she's a natural) etc., would equate to a great companion relationship.
Kayai needs a busy buddy with some doggie know-how. We think Kayai is around three to four years old. She is house and crate trained, spayed, chipped and vaccinated. She's ready to rumble. UPDATE 3/4: Kayai has taken off a few pounds in the last couple of weeks and is fit as a fiddle and raring to go -- to her new family that is. She is the consummate water dog and we have no doubt that if taken to a lake or a pool, she'd be swimming in a flash. With the warmer weather here, are you in the market for a water buddy? If so, then Kayai's your girl!
UPDATE 5/7: Kayai moved in with temporary foster dad Austin today. She's doing very well with Austin's poodle mix and is learning to live in a condo with a very active family.
FOSTER UPDATE 5/27: Over the past three weeks Kayai has fit so well into my pack it's as if she has been with me since puppyhood. All of Kayai's pet peeves such as children, cats, little dogs, social situations, pet stores, have all been addressed and are now a thing of the past. We walk on a leash every day and Kayai does not even acknowledge the other dogs walking by. Through daily excercise and strong pack leadership, Kayai will make an amazing companion. Anyone who has pack leadership skills will absolutely love this dog. She will play fetch until she falls asleep. Kayai loves to be put to work. She loves to swim and adores affection! I can trust her to lay on the couch when I leave the house. I really have no complaints other than the thought of her not being a member of my pack anymore. This beautiful animal was born to please. UPDATE 7/10: Unfortunately, the HOA where Kayai is currently living has decided to become very vigilent about enforcing their rules regarding German Shepherds in the complex, and so Kayai has been given a limited amount of time in which to relocate. The good news is that Kayai has spent the last couple of months in training. She has been exposed to extreme distraction training and she is in better shape than ever. She actually plays with a friend's cat and is great around children. Now she is curious about little dogs rather than wanting to eat them. Please check back for a further update and pictures. UPDATE 7/14: Kayai's foster dad has sent us a new video on Kayai. CLICK TO SEE THE VIDEO Adoption fee $325.00.
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