ADOPTED
Meet Capri! Capri is a 2 year old golden retriever, with a coat leaning on the darker side of golden. Capri is a medium sized dog, weighing 30 kg/66 lbs. Capri is very anxious and shy at first but once she lets you in, she is a funny, goofy, cuddly dog who just wants attention and head scratches. As I write this, capri is curled up next to me on the couch, with her head on my legs.
Capri got her name the first day I brought her home. Looking at her, all I could think of was a beautiful sunny day, which made me think of the island of Capri. I knew she would grow into being a dog that would brighten up anyone’s day, and she sure has!
Capri spent the first 2 years of her life at a puppy mill before coming into our care. Capri didn’t know how to be a dog before this, never having a loving home to show her how great life as a pet can be. She has worked extremely hard over the past 6 weeks to learn to trust her foster mom and feel safe in her surroundings. When Capri first came into our care, she was very nervous and did not want to be touched or around humans. Now Capri would be happy to live on my lap, receiving pets and snuggles all day. She is still a very nervous dog around new people and surroundings but is slowly learning to embrace these new adventures; she will need a lot of work to get her comfortable and confident, which she is willing to learn. Capri is most confident in herself when she is outdoors, and she is more willing to sniff new people and let them pet her. Capri needs a home with a patient family, willing to work on her confidence with her. She also needs a home that understand once she is comfortable, she is full of energy and needs her energy burned off. Capri would do best in a detached home with a fenced in yard, in a more rural area or a quiet town setting or very quiet subdivision, as she does love to express her emotions through barking and whining. She is also still nervous around cars, garbage cans and anything or person she is unfamiliar with, so an apartment would not be ideal for her. A quiet, less busy neighborhood would be ideal for Capri.
Once Capri is feeling comfortable, she is a goofy, funny, and an especially cuddly dog. If she could live on my lap receiving pets, hugs, and kisses, I still don’t think that would be enough affection for her. She will jump on the couch and into my lap, inching closer and closer to my face until there is nowhere left for her to go, but will still try to find room to get closer. She also loves having her head and ears scratched. For a dog who feared human touch, it’s amazing to see how much she loves her physical affection. Capri also loves being outdoors. She enjoys chasing her foster mom around in the backyard. Every time we enter the backyard, she runs to the grass and impatiently waits for me to meet her there. She will bark or
howl at me if she thinks I am moving too slow. She will jump and hop around until I meet her on the grass, where she will want to chase me around the backyard. Capri also loves chasing her kong ball around in the backyard, except she hasn’t gotten the retrieve part down just yet; she will grab the ball and run around with it in her mouth, dropping it wherever she sees fit. Then she will bark at me to go get the ball and throw it again for her to chase.
Capri is still nervous to explore the house, spending majority of her time in the living room. When I leave to another room, Capri will stare down the hallway waiting for me to come back but does not like to venture around the house. Capri does use her dog bed occasionally but prefers to be on the couch or on the floor. She likes to cuddle with her fish plushy, giving it kisses, but never destroying it. Capri has however destroyed tennis balls, so a strong kong ball is best for her.
Capri goes for a daily walk of 15 minutes. Capri can be very stubborn on the walks, refusing to walk any further if something scares her; she does sometimes try to bolt home. If you give her a minute, some words of encouragement and affection, she will start to walk again. She is very anxious on these walks, and does not really enjoy them, but every day she is getting more and more confident. We walk the same loop every time to give her a sense of familiarity and routine. I have no doubt once she is confident on walks, she will be able to go for nice long walks and hikes. Anyone interested in her needs to be patient and not push her too much too soon, but also know when to push her confidence in stages to build her towards being a much more confident dog.
Capri’s family must understand that she is a flight risk and will try to run when she is spooked. She does get scared of cars, recycling bins, garbage cans, loud noises, strong gusts of wind, people outside, etc. Capri’s family must be very aware of her want to run when frightened. A martingale collar, good leash and a strong grip is required. Capri is also very nervous on car rides, though is getting less anxious with every car ride she goes on. She is also still very nervous in unfamiliar situations, as everything is still very new to her.
Capri loves food but is not food motivated when it comes to training. Capri knows her name and knows to come when asked. Capri will need quality training to help with her socialization and confidence building. Capri needs daily exercise and mental stimulation to keep her happy.
Capri also gets very excited in the morning. She can hear my morning alarm from the living room and will immediately start whining for me to get up and come see her. Capri will whine at me if she feels I am not giving her enough love in the morning. She does have quite a bit of energy first thing in the morning and would do well with a 15-minute morning walk or a good play in the backyard to burn off some energy. Once back inside, Capri wants more attention before settling in on the floor and allowing me to get ready for work. She is crated when she is alone in the house. She is very excited when I get home from work. Capri will give kisses and head snuggles as soon as she is out of the crate, even trying to sit on top of me. If she feels she is not getting enough affection back, she will bark at me and force her head into my hand letting me know she wants more attention. Capri would do fine alone for an average workday, but would prefer to have someone with her more often than not.
Capri does enjoy the company of other medium energy dogs and has had a handful of successful pay dates. Although she doesn’t understand how to play just yet, she does love following the other dogs around. Watching the other dog approach their owner, Capri followed suit and let the other owners give her some pets, whereas she usually runs away from new people. Capri would do great in a home with another medium energy dog around the same age as her, who can show her how to be a dog and show her how to trust her human. She does not like high-energy dogs who come on a little too strong, so a medium energy dog would be a great companion for Capri. Capri would also be fine being the only dog in the house, receiving all the attention and cuddles for herself. Capri is not being fostered with children but has shown interest in the children across the street. She has let them pet her while on a leash. These children have a dog of their own and understand they needed to respect her space until she is ready to approach them. I do believe Capri would do good in a home with teen, dog savvy kids who are willing to be patient with her while she learns to trust her new family.
Capri came to us with a case of gastroenteritis. She was on antibiotics for a week and it cleared up quickly. Capri also came to us with a broken canine tooth and had this extracted. Capri doesn’t seem to be bothered by this at all, except she has a harder time picking up her kong ball, although she is learning quickly how to make it work. Capri does like to beg for food, so she will need a home that understands not to feed her table scraps no matter how much she persists. Overall, Capri is in great health and has energy spurts that need to be burned off with daily walks and lots of play time in the backyard or in the house.
Capris adopters will need to understand they will have to have a lot of patience, compassion, and dedication to rehabilitate Capri. It will not happen overnight, as it took some time for her to show her fun, goofy side to her foster mom. Capri needs lots of words on encouragement and praise, she thrives on being rewarded with kind words and lots of physical affection. Capri has made so much progress in the short time she has been with her foster mom, there is no doubt she will continue to progress with a loving family of her own. By adopting Capri and welcoming her into your family with patience and compassion, she will return her love in no time with snuggles, kisses and lots of laughs.
Anyone interested in Capri needs to think ahead to the holiday season…are you travelling? Having large gatherings at your home? Then sadly this won’t be an ideal time to be bringing a new dog into the home. But if you have a travel free holiday season and will be mostly be spending quiet days and nights at home, then this would be a great time to introduce a new dog into the home. All new dogs need consistency and routine in the weeks and months following an adoption so we have to ask all our applicants to think ahead as to what the holidays realistically will look like before submitting an application for this girl.
Writing this bio, I still feel like there are not enough words to express how special Capri is. Watching her confidence and trust in people grow has been truly amazing. Any family who lets Capri into their home will surely be glad they did. Capri is such a special dog, always putting a smile on my face. I know her family will be so glad they gave this amazing girl a chance and be thankful every day she ended up in their home.
Could you give Capri the love, attention, and patience this girl needs to continue growing and gaining her confidence? Capri is such an amazing girl and will bring so much joy and laughter wherever she gets to call home.