Cashew

Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. We at PDR believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.

Let me introduce you to Cashew. She is a 6 year old Cockapoo and she currently weighs ~20 lbs. Cashew is a beautiful natural blonde and her coat has beautiful, flowing natural curls and waves. Her coat will require regular grooming in order to prevent matts and keep her looking beautiful and feeling comfortable.  Her eyes need to be cleaned daily and her ears will also require regular cleaning in order to prevent infections.  Cashew is a super sweet girl with a very loving personality.

Cashew spent her entire 6 years before her rescue being bred and never knowing love, kindness or comfort. She did not have toys to play with, a warm and comfy place to sleep or gentle hands to touch her.  Due to all of this she is a little nervous in this new world she is now living in. She will need a home that will be patient and understanding.  A home that is not too busy and noisy as she settles in and decompresses.  Everything about living in a home with people is new to her.  She is learning very quickly that the house and yard are safe spaces for her.  She does cringe when you move too quickly or something spooks her but she very quickly learned that human hands can be kind and feel good.  She will definitely need a fully fenced yard with no opportunities to escape.  She will look for any opening and attempt to escape if she can.  She is still nervous on walks but again this is new to her and there are noises and sights that she is not familiar with and that is scary.  She walks quite well with some prompting here and there when it is quiet in our neighbourhood.  She loves to stop and sniff on occasion and I think one day she will look forward to these outings but it is definitely still a work in progress and something her forever home needs to consider and continue to work with her on.  Daily walks are an important part of any dog’s day.

Cashew is very calm and quiet indoors. We have heard her bark on occasion, typically to alert us to someone outside that she feels we need to know about. And she has barked at and chased squirrels in the yard. She requires a home that will give her regular exercise, understanding that exercise is also something that is new to her. She doesn’t seem to need long walks but this could change as she gets more comfortable with the outside world.  Again for Cashew’s health, both mentally and physically this is something that is very important and in time as she gets more comfortable and confident we believe she will love going for longer walks and exploring the world around her.

What Cashew loves and looks forward to at any time is pets and snuggles.  She will sit with you and soak up any love you will give her.  If you’re looking for a cuddler, this is definitely your girl!  She will tolerate being groomed, but it is not the favourite part of her day.  Currently she gets brushed every night and we also clean her eyes nightly.  

Cashew is housetrained but has not been vocal about it.  We just make sure to keep a schedule with her and have had no issues with it.  She sleeps in her crate all night without any issues. At first we had to assist her into the crate at bedtime, now we can just motion our hand and tell her it’s time for sleep and she happily goes in on her own and lies down. She prefers to have her sleeping crate in the bedroom where the humans are.  On my work from home days she likes to hang out in the office with me where she supervises by taking naps and laying quietly on her doggie bed.

Cashew did not know stairs when she first came into our home.  After the first week she mastered them. She is a smart little girl and I am confident she will excel in any training that is done with her.   Her forever home shouldn’t have long flights of slippery stairs that she will have to navigate though as stairs are quite new to her.  So a condo or apartment living where she has to do stairs to access her unit won’t be a good fit for her.   She will also require a quiet living environment so a busy building won’t work for this shy girl.   Noises and a lot of activity can scare her and we want her to feel secure in her home environment so a quiet area and little traffic noises etc are key to her well-being.

Cashew has not met any small children during her time with us but she does perk her head up any time she hears children outside or babies crying on the television.  We believe she would be ok in a home with children over 10yrs of age as long as the children are old enough to understand that they should approach her calmly and that they can’t startle or scare her with sudden movements, etc.  Those things would be too stressful and scary for her.   Any children in the home would need to be of an age to understand that Cashew will dart out an open door or gate so insurance that all doors are closed tightly is very important.  

Cashew has not shown any interest in toys yet.  She has several toys that we have introduced her to. She has yet to play with them.  Cashew has been good with our resident dog; however she doesn’t seem to have any interest in playing with her. At least not yet. She would definitely do well with another mature and calm dog in the home and truthfully that would probably be something very good for her in a forever home. Another dog to help teach her and help to build her confidence. She has pretty much ignored our senior, chill cat. She has sniffed him and will watch him on occasion when he is moving about but mostly she doesn’t even seem to notice him. They have lied next to each other, not touching but not far from each other and she doesn’t seem to mind that at all.  She would be fine in a home with a cat as long as the cat would give her space and time to get comfortable.

We have been working on “come”, and teaching her “go outside” and “go inside”.  She is not terribly food motivated at this point but she is starting to quite like freeze dried liver or tiny bits of cheese for training treats. She is a very smart girl who just looks for praise so I believe as her confidence builds working on other commands will be much easier for her. Cashew’s new family should commit to continuing to work on building her confidence and working with her on further obedience training to bring out the very best in this smart dog.  Cashew will also most likely also benefit from the socialisation she would get from group training sessions.

Cashew now has a clean bill of health.  As mentioned earlier her eyes, ears and coat will require consistent and regular maintenance to keep this girl looking and feeling her very best.

Cashew is a gentle, loving and sweet soul. She shows her happiness by wagging her tail and doing a little excited dance.  Your heart will swell when she does. She is the sweetest most deserving little dog and I just know she is going to make some family a wonderful, loyal and loving companion. She is looking for a forever home where she can love and be loved.  If you are calm, patient and loving and can help Cashew to build the confidence she needs then this sweet girl is waiting for you.