I'll start by saying Dakota is well-loved and taken care of...but she is wanting to jump ship for greener pastures! My twin boys and I adopted Dakota from a local shelter in 2017. I was told by the shelter that Dakota didn't have a prey drive, which was important given that I had two cats already in the household. I naturally separated Dakota from the cats for the first few days until she could get acquainted with her new surroundings, but soon after some initial guided interaction, it was obvious that Dakota had a prey drive. We immediately fell in love with Dakota, so there was no way I was going to return her to the shelter (of which she spent the better part of her first two years of life). So from that point on, Dakota and my two cats have been separated with the addition of gates at the bottom and top of the stairs (a lot of coordination/orchestration involved). The cats remain 100% upstairs and Dakota is 100% downstairs. This wasn't as much of an issue until recently because I used to have a renter who's bedroom was downstairs and she would let Dakota sleep in her room every night. But that situation has since changed and Dakota is now downstairs at night. (Issue #1 - Dakota has to sleep by herself downstairs every night and she hates it!) . Dakota has always yearned to be with and play with other dogs. Up until the last year, Dakota was around other dogs on a rather frequent basis, if not weekly basis, but over the last year, circumstances changed and now she's not around other dogs unless she is boarded and she just sits at the window and whines/cries at the dogs walking across the street in the park. She pouts for days after I bring her home from the boarder, where she gets lots of play time. (Issue #2 - Dakota would be her happiest self in a home with another dog(s)). One of my sons ended up developing a dog allergy about a year after adopting Dakota, so that has also created issues of separation in the household (Issue #3 - my son spends little time downstairs because he's allergic to Dakota). Overall, Dakota is so loved and well-cared for, but I don't feel that she is living her best self. The sitting and whining as other dogs go by throughout the day is heart-wrenching and she overall just appears mopey and sad since she's not around other dogs at all anymore.
Dakota so wants to be with another dog(s), so a family with a dog or access to doggie visits would be ideal! Dakota is an amazing companion dog and loves attention and snuggling! She is a great guard dog (once barked off an intruder who was in my garage), gets along with all dogs, and is great with children. Dakota loves attention, but after a good 'butt-rub' she'll settle and relax near you. She knows basic commands and is reasonably good on the leash (I keep her on a short leash because her nose is on overdrive and she will stop in an instance if/when she gets a good whiff of something!). But in general, she walks beside you and does not pull. She is not a retriever of any kind but likes to play around with a ball, she just won't bring it back...lol. She doesn't have any real stamina and tires easily in the heat. She loves the beach, although not a big fan of water above the knees. She loves camping, can hang hiking (if not too hot) and a car ride (only if under 40 mph). Dakota's best quality is her demeaner and being one big love! Dakota is submissive in nature, as you can see from the videos with other dogs.
My ideal goal for Dakota is for her to find a home where she has a canine companion and still lots of love and attention! She has a lot of energy left and most think she is still a puppy! haha. She is not crate-trained and likely couldn't be (I tried). Dakota will be happiest in a family who has at least one individual working from home during the day. She truly is a companion dog. Dakota is very sensitive to loud noises (extreme storms, wind, fireworks, etc.), causing her anxiety (panting, shaking, pacing), so plans need to be made so that she is not alone during these events (prescribed medicine helps in these circumstances). She is great in any boarding situation and her current boarder uses Dakota as an 'introduction dog' to help other anxious dogs get acquainted before introducing to the rest of the dogs.