I adopted Sage, an Australian Cattle dog mix, in January 2020 from a shelter in Albuquerque, NM, and eventually moved with her to San Francisco and now San Diego. Sage had been found as a stray. She was house trained and already knew her basic commands (e.g., sit, lie down, come, lets go, touch, find it) and basic manners (e.g., no getting on furniture without permission, no chewing anything or make a mess, and no barking around the house or resource guarding). She's 6 y.o., spayed, microchipped, and up on all her shots and check-ups; during her latest vet visit this past August, the vet said Sage was in great health.
Sage has been such a terrific dog companion. She’s so affectionate, and as you can hopefully tell from her pictures, a true sweetheart. She loves napping at home and playing with her stuffed toys. She’s always excited to see me and people she knows. She can be shy and nervous around strangers at first, but once she gets comfortable with them (which takes only about ~30 seconds), she loves to get attention and affection and hang out. She loves her treats, especially dental sticks and bacon and biscuit snacks. And though she doesn’t need a ton of physical activity given her age and disposition, she loves walks; especially sniffing all the amazing things going on outside.
Because she’s a rescue, she has some manageable anxiety issues, which we’ve made progress on with some medication and training. Inside the house, it's negligible. She doesn’t like when the freezer makes loud noises, and other unexpected sounds like that; but all she really needs in this circumstance is a little affection/reassurance. Outside, she can be a bit nervous around strangers walking quickly towards her; and she’s definitely not a fan of other dogs and is reactive. It's definitely fear based. So, a home or apt with an enclosed outdoor space would be best. She lived with another dog for about a year, and they got along really well (see photo); so it’s definitely possible for her to live with another dog. It’s all about making sure the dogs are a right personality fit, and introducing them slowly. I’ve never seen her have any issues with children, though the only kids she’s consistently hung out with have been 7+ y.o.