We are thrilled to introduce Elsa, the newest member of The Lily Pond family! Dolly was lonely without her partner in crime, Zaffa. So we set about looking for a dog in need of a loving home who would get along with our young and rambunctious Treeing Walker Coonhound. We didn’t have to look far. Perfect Pets Rescue is a local nonprofit organization that pulls dogs from high kill shelters in Georgia and transports them north to New York’s Hudson Valley, where they are placed in foster care until they are adopted into their forever home.
We visited the Perfect Pets Rescue website ( www.perfectpetsrescue.org) and saw the photo of Elsa (formerly known as Marmite) at the shelter in Georgia, looking confused, frightened, and lonely shortly after her family surrendered her. We filled out an adoption application on the spot. Interestingly, a friend of the sanctuary who also works in animal rescue sent us Elsa’s adoption profile with a recommendation that we consider her. We didn’t need any further confirmation! The arranged meet-n-greet with Dolly was a success and we made plans to welcome this sweet gal home.
On the day we went to pick her up, Elsa was very excited and jumped into the car with a big
smile on her face. We tried to get her to come back out for a few pictures, but she was determined to stay in the truck until she was sure that we had arrived safely home.
Elsa at the shelter in Georgia (Photo courtesy of Perfect Pets Rescue) 
We pulled up into our driveway and Elsa knew she was home. She jumped out and said hello to Dolly, who was overjoyed to have a new friend. Dolly pranced around, inviting Elsa to play, but our senior lady wasn’t too interested… much to Dolly’s dismay. However, the minute we set out on a walk together around the pond, the two pups happily investigated every new scent and made several attempts to chase the deer grazing nearby in the field.
Elsa is a senior around 8 years old and has the appearance of a petite German Shepherd. She has the traditional black and tan coloring of a Shepherd, but the short legs and weight of a Corgi. But don’t let her 30 lb. size fool you — she has no problem bossing Dolly around and making her wishes clear. Elsa’s wonderful foster mom kindly gave us a dog bed that Elsa had grown attached to, which provided some continuity and comfort during her transition to her new home here with us. For anyone who knows Dolly and her predilection for destroying dog beds, it should be no surprise that she made a beeline straight to Elsa’s bed with the gleeful anticipation of shredding it into a million bits of fluff. Elsa read her intentions with keen alacrity, and quickly moved to defend her property. Dolly took the hint, but Elsa remains vigilant. Dog bed defense aside, Elsa has settled in quickly and is a model of good behavior. She has a very sweet personality and loves belly rubs. We’re so grateful that this precious pup has joined our family!
