Meet Scarlett, Austin’s Dog of the Month

What do you get if a two week old puppy and a cat are accidentally shut in a room together?

If you are Scarlett Tsai, you end up with a healthy respect for kitties and a scratch that inspires your name. The scar from her early adventure is gone, but the name Scarlett stuck.

Scarlett originally hails from Oklahoma. She moved to Austin at the end of 2012 when mom Patti drove seven hours north to pick up the young puppy where she was being fostered.

That’s quite a drive, but Patti knew Scarlett, who she describes as “sweet, intelligent and very special,” was the right dog from the get-go. She’d been planning for her dog-to-be long before Scarlett joined the family. She spent time learning about breed personalities before settling on Pyrenees. “I was looking at Pyrenees breeds because one of my cats is skittish and I needed a dog that was calm.” she says. “I wanted a young puppy so it would be used to being around cats from a young age.”

When she located Scarlett through a rescue group, she knew she’d found her dog. Once in Austin, 10 week old Scarlett, at 17 pounds, was already twice as big as Patti’s cats Bear and Girlie.

With a large dog Patti knew there would be certain challenges, so she had started getting prepared early. “I read all the books,” she says. “It was really important to get her trained.” Patti even made an advance visit to Zoom Room as she got ready for the new addition.

A recent graduate of Tricks 2, Scarlett can Hang Ten on a skateboard and especially enjoys “play dead.” She is also a graduate of Puppy Preschool and Puppy Agility. Her favorite agility obstacle is the A-Frame.

Speaking of favorite things, Scarlett loves squeaky toys and playing chase. She’s especially happy when she can combine the two by showing a toy to another dog and then dashing away with it.

There are always challenges when adding a new puppy to your household and we are here to help you! With everything from Puppy classes, Puppy gear and Private Training, we can help living with a new puppy easier! Call us at 512-371-1223 to get started.