ADOPTED
Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. At Pound Dog Rescue, we believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, and 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 Gretchen, and yes, she’s definitely trying to make Fetch Happen with her new forever family.
Gretchen is a 5 year old Pug/Beagle with an extra dash of Pug. Her mom is a PDR alum and she was also a Puggle. Gretchen looks like a slightly longer Pug with a less squished nose so that bodes well for her respiratory health. Gretchen weighs 22lbs and is a muscular little lady; built for stability, not speed. She’s tan in colour and the best floppy ears that you can’t help but play with. Gretchen came to us from a sad life in a puppy mill but she is joyfully taking in all that life has to offer now and loving life as a house dog and cherished pet.
Unfortunately, Gretchen went into a heat shortly after she arrived to us and her spay surgery had to be delayed. Her heat is over now and Gretchen can’t be spayed until July but we didn’t want to hold her back from starting her life with her forever family. She will be adopted out on a contract which will require her family to return her to our vet in Cambridge to be spayed. This appointment will be made in consultation with her family but has to be done at our vet. Anyone interested in Gretchen must live within 45min or so of Cambridge to make this return for a spay feasible.
Don’t let her past cloud your judgement of her, she certainly doesn’t. This little girl is so easy going and willing to adapt to anything life brings her way. She’s taken to home life very easily and her only goal throughout the day is to find someone to scratch her back.
She taught herself how to perfectly walk on a leash after her first day with us, and walks perfectly beside us with a loose leash and occasional check-ins. She likes going for quiet walks in the field or to busy stores where she can meet new people and discover new smells. She has lovely manners in public.
We haven’t found a toy that she likes yet, despite our best efforts and offers of a wide variety – she’s much happier to entertain herself and just follow the humans as they putter around the house.
The most important thing we’ve been encouraging in Gretchen is self-soothing and she’s really starting to master it. Her first couple of nights, she wasn’t happy about being put into her crate at night. But now she trots on in when everyone gets ready for bed and she’ll sleep the night away until we all get up for pees and breakfast. She’s happy to be in her crate during the day as well, and will jump in at the prospect of a high-value treat. When I come home at lunch to visit her she’s usually made herself a comfy nest and is snoozing away.
The best parts of Gretchen’s day are after-breakfast-cuddle time and evening couch-cuddles. She can get a little over excited at first, but has learned to calm herself down and curl up with us for a back scratch and a nap.
Gretchen lives with her three foster siblings and a small flock of chickens. She has shown zero interest or aggression towards our chickens and backyard squirrels so I have no concerns about her having a cat-sibling. As for other dogs, she could take or leave them. She’s not one to cuddle up other pups or play with them, but she’s quite happy to co-exist with everyone.
Gretchen is quite smart and eager to please. I think she’ll be head of her class when she’s enrolled in obedience classes and it would go a long way to encouraging her ability to learn. I could even envision her doing well in more advanced classes or agility. Gretchen isn’t particularly food motivated, and we offer her a plethora of foods to discover, but so far, the clear winner is eggs; there isn’t much she won’t do for a bit of scrambled egg. Otherwise she’s motivated by her desire to please (and a back scratch).
Gretchen is mostly quiet, but will let out a couple of excited barks when she’s left alone in a new environment. Her new family needs to be aware of this for her first couple of weeks, but rest assured, once she finds her confidence in her new space she will relax. She doesn’t bark at the door and loud noises or storms don’t seem to bother her in the least.
She’s working on her car-riding skills. She’s unsure of the whole thing when she first gets in the car, and will whimper to herself in the backseat for about 15 mins, but once she’s got it figured out, she’s content to lie down in her dog bed. Luckily for everyone involved, she doesn’t get sick or drool in the car. She’ll only improve with more and more car rides to happy and exciting places.
We haven’t had a lot of exposure to children, but given how contend and happy she is, I don’t see her being a problem with dog-knowledgeable little humans in her new family. Any children in the home need to be of an age where they can ensure door and gates are not left open. As Gretchen came from a puppy mill, she is still learning the world outside and will be a flight risk so we cant take anychances that she could be given an opportunity to run off.
Gretchen is a great little dog. Some lucky person or family is going to get a dog with all kinds of comical personality, and an affectionate companion. She is looking for a forever person for family to live out her life with stability and the commitment to her well-being. If this funny little dog sounds like the perfect fit for you we would love to receive an application and see if this might be a love match!