Since there was a delay in Punky's transport, I've taken Snickers as my new little interim foster from Tennessee. She was from a hoarder, one of those people who starts out meaning well but somehow ends up with way more animals than they can possibly care for in a reasonable way. Unfortunately, she went from bad to worse, and ended up at an animal control facility with a gas chamber. Fortunately, it is the facility that CODAR often pulls from, so she and seven other lucky dogs got a ticket to NJ this weekend.
I selected Snickers because although she was very timid, hiding in the back of her crate after they unloaded her from the transport, she edged her way out into Pam's yard, and within a few minutes she was leaping through the grass like a little bunny. She immediately went to check out the other rescues and Pam's dogs with her tail up and her ears alert. Some of the other pups had their hackles up and were afraid, but she was cheerful and curious as she interacted with all of the others. Also, she did not bark.
We had a pretty long day at the jewelry store, and she spent alot of time hiding behind the big chairs in the front of the store. She eventually got comfortable with me, but was very jumpy when anyone else tried to touch her.
She did enjoy sitting in Maggie's lap, so I would say she's good with kids like Maggie who is ten. There were some other children in the store in the evening, three boys, and she mostly stayed under the desk but was interested in what they were doing. Generally speaking, she was afraid of many things, especially while out on a walk. I wonder if she has spent much time outside. She also seems unfamiliar with a leash, but she adjusted quickly to walking with her harness, and she did pee outside. There have been no accidents indoors to date, but I cannot say for sure that she is housebroken. She is very fearful of cars and loud noises. At one point I thought she had tried to nip Joel, but it was just a sudden jerk of her head when he tried to pet her - no teeth and no growling. She had a similar response to Francis, and appears to have some trepidation about men, but again, not in an aggressive way, just fearful.
She had no trouble meeting Teddy Bear, who can be something of a bully when new dogs arrive at home. She seemed very comfortable walking in our yard before bedtime, and she settled right into her crate in Maggie's room without so much as a whimper. She slept right on through the night until about 4:30am when a big crack of lightning/thunder woke everyone in the house.
This morning her demeanor is much more relaxed. She and Teddy Bear have developed a nice play routine where they jump up on the sofa and she dives under or around or over him and he spins around to face her. It's a nice, gentle, but energetic game. She does not bark at all.
She really is a lap dog. She loves when Maggie holds her belly up like a baby and pets her stomach. She lets her head fall back and her eyes close and looks like she is in dog heaven. She reaches up and give little tiny kisses.
I would not hesitate to say that this little dog is going to make a great companion. She is a little shy right now, but she really warms up to people and is a very lovable little girl. She is open to all the dogs I have seen her with, and plays very nicely with a dog much bigger than herself. She is quiet and seems to require very little attention, but loves being held and snuggled. What more could you ask for?
