Tessa is a tall slender girl right now but her large feet indicate she's got a ways to go yet. She's black with brown accents. She has the most beautiful, alert, golden eyes and perky brown eyebrows.

Tessa is a puppy who just wants to please you. She wants to cuddle and will flop down for a belly rub just about anywhere. If you want a lapdog she'd be more than happy to oblige but she's been very quick to learn to keep her feet off the couch. She's very mellow and does her fair share of sleeping but she loves to gallop around in the yard, go for walks and play tug with a stuffed animal. She took to retrieving a ball like a champ!

She's still learning how to walk on a leash and she's doing great but she will need a yard she can run in. If she gets excited about a new person or a dog walking with their owner you can tell her to sit and she does. She sniffs and pays attention to everything as she walks and absolutely loves every person she meets. She's very curious about everything from bugs and other dogs to flowers with butterflies on them.

Within one day, Tessa learned sit and knows to sit at the door while her leash is put on. She sits at every corner as she looks at you and patiently waits for the command to walk on. She is also crate trained and snores through the night.

Tessa does like to sniff and chase the cat in her foster home now and then and sometimes just doesn't realize her own size. We're working on that but overall it seems she just wants to play and be friends. She also loves to chase and play with every dog she's met so far.

She gets a burst of energy in the evening and will do well in a home with either a playful dog or someone who will play with her.

IAR subsidizes post-adoption professional training with Jane Marshall (www.cheerydogs.com) to encourage a life-long and successful bond between the dog and the adopter. Group classes for puppies and adult dogs are provided at a substantial discount to IAR adopters.