Hopper

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.                                   

Hopper is a two-and-a-half-year-old Coton de Tulear weighing roughly 13 lbs. She has a soft white coat with a little bit of grey on the tips of her ears. Hopper is a very curious dog which is how she got her name.  Always so interested to know what’s happening around her, she will often “hop” up and balance on her back legs to be taller and get a better look at what’s happening from across the room. 

Hopper came to Pound Dog Rescue having lived her life in a breeding for profit environment where she had multiple litters of puppies before being rescued. She lived most of her life in a barn, neglected and isolated with little exposure to the outside world. Having come from this environment, it has caused her to be timid and cautious, especially when introduced to new people and environments. In her foster home Hopper has already made significant progress and looks forward to having a new family with the patience to support her in building her confidence. 

Recently Hopper was seen by our vet where she received a clean bill of health. She was spayed, and microchipped, as well as receiving all the necessary vaccines.  Her coat is on the thinner side, which is likely the result of a poor diet and numerous pregnancies.  The high-quality dog food diet she is now on will help to improve this. As a non-shedding dog, Hopper’s new owner should also expect to schedule regular grooming appointments and multiple brushing sessions weekly to keep her coat mat and tangle free.  Coton’s are a high maintenance coat breed so if brushing and regular trips to the groomer aren’t your thing, this won’t be the breed for you.  

Hopper is very smart and is quickly mastering housetraining. She rarely has accidents inside the house but is very subtle when indicating she needs to go out. As a result, it’s important to pay close attention for her signals when she needs to be let out to avoid any accidents. She is also doing well with her crate training, staying in the crate to sleep at night or when left alone.

Hopper does not have excessive energy but does enjoy walks and has learned to walk well on a lead. The ideal home for Hopper would be a detached or semi-detached home with a securely fenced yard as she also loves to run around and explore in the yard. However, given her history she can be easily startled or skittish at times, so it’s important she be in a fully fenced yard or kept on a leash to avoid any unexpected escapes. 

In her foster home, Hopper lives with two other small dogs. She loves to run around and play with her dog friends, or she will entertain herself with a toy.  She could certainly do well in a home with another smaller dog that isn’t too rough or wanting to wrestle, but would also do nicely as the only dog in the home.   She hasn’t been around cats but would likely be fine living with a dog-savvy cat as she doesn’t have a strong prey drive. 

Hopper needs an adult home or one with older teens who can be taught to respect her boundaries. As she is still learning to trust people, she is hesitant to snuggle up right beside you or lay directly on your lap. However, Hopper likes to hang out near to wherever the family is, happily napping on her dog bed a few feet away.  She is a more independent dog, not a lap dog.  Over time as she has built up her trust with her foster family, she occasionally allows some pats or ear rubs at her discretion.   This will improve in time, and given this time, she will be more affectionate, but her forever family needs to understand that with mill dogs, and the neglect and abuse they received, it takes them a long time to trust people and this trust has to be earned.  It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but they all get there.  The dog she will be a year from now will be a much more confident and outgoing dog, she just needs the time to get there. 

Observing her personality in her foster home, she does appear to show signs that she is eager and interested in giving and receiving more attention but is still highly cautious at this time. Given the right family, with the patience and understanding to progress at Hoppers pace, it’s likely she will continue to become more affectionate as she grows her trust in people. Hopper is an absolute delight and while she hasn’t shown any serious behavioural issues, she would benefit greatly from some basic obedience training to help in building her trust and confidence.

Overall, Hopper is a charismatic little dog looking for her forever home that has the patience to continue to work on building her trust in people while she is still learning about the world around her. If you think this sweet and gentle little girl is the right fit for you, please reach out to us.