ADOPTED
Introducing Enid, a shy little ShihTzu who is looking for a new lease on life in a quiet, adult only, loving home! Enid is three years old with big brown eyes that just make your heart melt for her. She’s white with pale tan spots on her body and a little gray on the tips of her ears. She has a big furry face that is hard to resist and a fancy plume of a tail that swishes as she walks and helps make her look like a fancy girl! She’s a solid girl at about 14 pounds.
Enid has been used for breeding so coming to a family home has been a huge change for her. She enjoys the comfort of dog beds, and blankets and all the comforts of life, while taking her time to observe the people around her and cautiously begin to trust them. She can be hesitant to come to people at first, but has proven that she is able to become a good pet in a home. Her new family will need plenty of patience and give Enid lots of time to adjust to their home. Enid likes to watch everything and keep her eyes on the people in her home. In the two months that she has been with us, she is showing us that she is open to joining in her new world, she just is a little shy about it.
Currently, Enid is living with another foster dog in our home, and she enjoys being around her but we have found that her personality really started to shine through when her foster sister was adopted and she got to be the only dog in the home. She takes a back seat when living with another dog as she is not a dominant personality so we feel she would do best being the only dog in the home, or sharing her home with another submissive, calm dog. She loves squeaky toys and will play and play with them, even after the squeaky part is gone! She absolutely loves soft toys and carries them all over, often bringing them to a dog bed or even to her crate. She likes to have her stuffies near. She hasn’t discovered what balls are for, but if it makes a noise, she’s ready to play hard! Enid also loves to chew on rawhide and that will occupy her attention for a long time.
Enid unfortunately went into heat before her scheduled spay so we had to hold off on this. Her heat is over now but she can’t safely be spayed for a few months. She will need to be returned to be spayed, in a few months, which needs to be done our veterinarian in Cambridge and is already paid for by her rescue. Anyone interested in adopting Enid needs to live within a 45min radius of Cambridge and be able to drop her off the morning of her spay and then pick her back up later that evening. She will be adopted out on a contract that enforces this mandatory spay return. We just feel that it’s time for Enid to find her forever home and waiting an extra few months in foster care until she can be safely spayed will only delay her happily ever after.
Enid is a non shedding girl, so regular grooming will be necessary, as well as the need to brush her coat often. She probably never
had a bath before being rescued, so a bath is stressful, but she lets us get the job done and afterwards likes all the warm towels and rub downs.
Enid is beginning to be housetrained. We try to get her out and give her opportunities to go every hour or two when we are home. At first, Enid held on so long that she only went twice a day, but now, is starting to go when given the opportunity. She can be distracted by the snow, she loves to jump around in it and eats as much as she can, so she’s often reminded with “Enid, go pee” instructions. She needs time outside before she goes. When she starts to do the circles non stop, you know that she’s ready to do something. This is one of the instances where you need to have patience and plan your timing for her outside time to not be rushed. In transition, her new people should expect some accidents before she starts to get used to her new home and routines about where to go. When Enid goes for a walk, she rarely stops to do her business, so a yard will be necessary for her to be let out in.
Enid will need to be in a home with a secure fenced yard or out on a leash and supervised at all times. She loves to be outside but can’t ever be left out unsupervised as she is a flight risk due to her startle response. In the beginning of her time in our care she tried to bolt at the slightest thing that startled her. We have her on a leash outside at all times. She is easily startled when someone makes an unexpected movement and her inclination is to leave the room immediately. She often heads for her crate which is her safe place to watch the world from. She will flinch if unexpectedly touched, but once she realizes it is a friendly touch, she leans in for more. She is getting better and learning more about the world around her but she needs her people to fully understand the flight risk and keep her safe.
Enid has an in-body alarm clock that goes off every morning at about 6 am. Sometimes if it is quiet she will last a little longer, but the moment she hears an alarm clock or someone up in the morning, she starts to bark because she is ready to start her day. She is currently living in a bungalow, so she hears every movement and most mornings, the first thing her foster mom does is take her outside. Once she has been out, she’s content to relax in her crate or in a dog bed, while you go about your morning routines, but she is quite vocal until her needs are met and so she gets first priority in our home. Because she is so vocal in the mornings, she is going to need a home in a house where she would not disturb neighbours.
Enid is beginning to learn to sit for a treat. She will need to go to training with her new family and she should do well because she loves to get liver treats. She also wants to please her people and she will try so hard to make them happy. Enid will need to have a family who wants to continue to expose her to the world outside of being in a barn. She will need someone who will celebrate new achievements and push her to move beyond the comfort of her crate. Once you have established a trust with Enid, she should not be sheltered, she should be encouraged to become more confident in the world. Enid has had only a few trips in the car, but has quietly travelled in her crate in the back seat.
Enid takes her meals in her crate. At first, she waited until she was completely alone to eat. We also added a little warm water to her kibble to help encourage her. Enid probably has never eaten from a bowl in her first three years of life. She does chase it around with her nose and it almost seems like she plays with it. It is like a ritual she goes through before she actually eats. She also will take kibble from the bowl, drop it on the ground and then eat it.
Enid is crate trained. She willingly goes into it at night or for the work days and will work away at a Kong as a treat for going in. She fussed a little at night in the beginning, but after the first weeks, she has settled into this routine. Enid likes her crate so much that when we are home during the day, we will shut the door to make her find somewhere else in our home to rest comfortably. However, at 6 am, she is always ready to get out!
Enid likes to go outside, but walking on a leash is new. She’s doing well with it. She definitely needs a quiet community to walk in as any noise startles her. She will not be suitable for a busy city center, high traffic area or other busy living area. She will need a rural area, small town, or very quiet subdivision to live. It is important for her walker to always make sure they are holding on tightly to the leash because if anything startles Enid, she will bolt. Garbage trucks, snow ploughs, and snow blowers are all things that scare her. She stops to look at anyone approaching or walking past and she is curious to watch children play but shows no desire to approach them. She will greet another calm dog appropriately. Our walks are not long, but she has already lengthened them while in our care, so her confidence is building!
Enid is a little charmer, with her big eyes looking up at you, she is hard to resist having her in your lap while you watch tv or read a book. She’s content to curl in close to you. If you are a patient person willing to put in the time to help Enid adjust to life in a home, she will become your most loyal companion!