Gatsby is a 1 year old. 40 lb. spayed female mix in New York, NY.
Gatsby is a one-year old female Box Heeler (half Boxer, half Australian Cattle Dog) born on January 25th, 2025 in Kentucky. She came into our lives in April 2025 after adopting her from a foster organization in New York City. We immediately fell in love with her affectionate personality and exuberant spirit. She currently resides with us in our apartment in New York City. We do not have any other pets nor children. We think Gatsby is fully grown now at about 40lbs.
Gatsby has eyes that will melt your heart. She loves to give kisses and cuddles. One of her (and our) favorite times is in the morning when she will curl up in one of our laps for a post-breakfast nap. She can’t get enough belly rubs and will wag her tail with her whole body when she sees people she knows earning her the affectionate nickname “Wiggle Butt.” Gatsby is very playful as well. She loves to play tug and chase a ball. She is very athletic and agile. She has been going to daycare regularly since the age of 4 months and plays well with dogs there, especially medium and large-size dogs that like to play rough.
Gatsby is incredibly smart and easily trainable, mostly due to the fact that she is very food motivated. She is also very eager to please. She is house-trained, crate-trained, and very good with commands including sit, stay, paw and sometimes roll over. She also likes to play games like “find it” where we hide treats around the apartment and she sniffs them out, as well as food-related puzzle games.
True to her nature as a half cattle dog, Gatsby is very high energy and needs a lot of room to run around, something we unfortunately cannot provide living in New York City. Having now lived in the city for nearly one year, Gatsby does have anxiety which has manifested itself in a few ways, including (fear-based) leash reactivity. She has a tendency to bark or lunge at other dogs and some people on the street when out for walks or becomes very unsettled when there are crowds of people and loud noises and wants to rush home if she reaches a certain threshold. Even when inside, she will react to noises she hears in the hallway or from other apartments either through barking and whimpering or anxiously pacing up and down the corridor. She also has separation anxiety, making it difficult to leave her alone for any period of time. We have worked with a board-certified animal behaviorist and spent many hours of high-level training to get her past these situations involving positive reinforcement and treats, and have also put her on anti-anxiety medication. She has made good progress, but she is still very uncomfortable walking on the busy city streets or being by herself for too long.
We had to make the very difficult decision to find Gatsby a new home as we just aren’t able to give her the living conditions she needs. We have realized that Gatsby is not well-suited to living in an apartment in the city. She needs outdoor space to run around, and ideally live in a quieter area than where we live. During times where we have been able to take her to hike in state parks or send her to a dog camp on a farm in Pennsylvania, she was almost a completely different dog, happier and calmer being out in the open with room to run and exert her boundless energy. We hope we can find her a permanent situation where she can live her best life like she was meant to. Gatsby is an incredibly loyal dog and will instantly bond with whoever shows her love.
Gatsby is microchipped, spayed, and up to date with all her vaccinations. We are based in New York City and would be willing to assist with transportation depending on the distance. We have a crate, leash, harness and toys we would be happy to give you to get started. We do not need an adoption fee, but welcome an optional donation to an animal rescue.
Email michelle@obayda.com