Phoebe is brand new to West Seattle, and she has a history. She's a "Schnauzer Mix" and was "found as a stray in Elko, Nevada," said her new owner Carole Isakson. "I was looking for a dog online and I saw the picture of her on Angel Paws Pet Rescue in West Seattle.

She once had a good home. She's not afraid of people, and kind of self confident. She's been trained before because when I get out her leash she sits down in front of me. But I think she's also a little sad and depressed.
Every day she gets a little perkier though," Isakson said.

When Phoebe was picked up she was, "dragging a collar and leash but nobody ever came and claimed her at the shelter. The pet rescue in West Seattle has a relationship with this rural overcrowded shelter in Nevada. They keep dogs for a very short period of time and then euthanize them. The shelter has an agreement that twice a month they will get a shipment of the most adoptable dogs. A truckload of 14 dogs came up on the 17th of March. So i sent an email and they said I could come and meet her. It turned out it was in West Seattle.
And it turned out she was terrific. She's the perfect dog for me. She's the perfect size and the perfect disposition. She's very calm and good with my granddaughter."

While it's apparent Phoebe has had training, in her new home here she's a little less responsive. "I've been reading a lot of dog books and they say for the first few weeks don't even work on commands but instead focus on bonding, housebreaking and name recognition. i wouldn't be surprised if she knows more commands."

Isakson feeds her combination of dry food, canned food and some chicken twice a day. But she got a tip from the rescue shelter. "She said she puts a little yogurt and a little pumpkin in the food of the new dogs because a lot of times they have a lot of stomach issues, just from what they've been through."

As part of the bonding and familiarization process Isakson carries treats all the time.

The name Phoebe was settled on out of Isakson's imagination. "I knew i was going to get a dog so I imagined what I would call a male dog or a female dog and the name Phoebe came to me. It's a good name to call, and easy to say."

Isakson goes to Petco and Next to Nature, both in the West Seattle Junction and,"she's gone with me. It's nice those stores allow you to bring your pet.

Like many dogs, Phoebe is quite talented at getting out. My daughter went with me when I picked her up and i have a fully fenced back yard. My old dog died in December so I had a dog in that yard for years and years. I brought her home and took her out to show her the back yard. My daughter and I were chatting and suddenly, 'Where's Phoebe'? She had found a little tiny hole in the fence so we raced around to the front yard and saw her running up the street. She ran across Delridge, cars screeched to avoid hitting her. I was chasing her. I yelled at my daughter to go get her car because Phoebe was running away. We got in the car and go ahead of her and opened the door. I kind of herded her to the car and she jumped in the car. I'm sure she didn't know what was going on."

Isakson has a dog door but she's keeping it closed for now until she is confident Phoebe won't try to escape.

She sums up Phoebe as," a sweet, calm, mellow, easy going, charming, delightful, loving pooch."