ADOPTED
Nessa is a sweet and precocious 3-year-old Cockapoo. Part cuddle bug, part adventurer, and part best friend, this girl loves life and will add sunshine to your day! Nessa spent the first 3 years of her life as a breeding dog at a puppy mill. Even though she is a mill dog, she still managed to eat well, probably by stealing food from the other dogs and has some weight to lose! Since coming into PDR, she has lost about 5-6 lbs, with weight loss food, lots of walks and limited treats. She is currently 29lbs with a few more pounds still to lose. Her ideal weight will be around 25lbs or so.
This sweet girl is a joy to foster. She is smart, food motivated and takes gentle reminders well. She can be very stubborn, so she will need someone who can set boundaries and stick to them. She loves everyone and every dog she has ever met so continued socialization and training will be important for her so she can thrive and be the dog she wants to be.
Play time is a great time! Nessa loves to play with toys both on her own and with her foster mum. She loves squeaky balls and stuffed toys; however, the stuffed ones don’t last long, Nessa can destroy a stuffy in 7 minutes! Nessa loves to be outside exploring or running around with a ball, so she hopes her forever home has a backyard. Though she is a smaller dog, she absolutely loves to exercise; her walks are her favourite part of her day. She also loves being a part of everything that goes on in the house and wants to be where the action is. This girl is an excellent supervisor and will watch what is going on from wherever she is; usually under foot; so, we are working on the ‘place’ command right now! She also loves to watch the world go by out the front window or screen door; she has yet to bark at anyone or anything; she’s just Nosy Nessa!
Due to her experience in the puppy mill, Nessa does not love her crate and doesn’t mind vocalizing her opinions about it.
Her crate training is going well, and she has made great strides, there are moments, like at bedtime and meals times where she is better than others – she has adjusted much better in a wire crate, so its suggested her furever family use one. Nessa is fed in her crate, so she is learning that good things happen in her crate too! For that reason, Nessa might not be the best dog for an apartment or condo.
Nessa will require plenty of exercise and stimulation during the day to get all her fun energy out and keep her mind engaged. Currently she goes out every 4 or so hours for a walk or exercise in the backyard. There is plenty of play time with toys and Nessa’s leash training is going well. While on a walk, she is easily distracted by those around her but with encouraging words and a gentle pull, she is back on her way. Nessa is a smart but stubborn girl and advanced training will help this wonderful girl flourish and engage her mind so her new family needs to be committed to ensuring that she can get these chances and be set up for success.
Nessa has been on many car rides, while they aren’t always her favourite, when tethered she just lays in the backseat and waits until she reaches her destination and she loves wherever that may be, so it makes the car ride worth it.
Her house training is going well, she hasn’t had an accident in her foster home since the first week; however, when adjusting to new environments she has had several accidents, so will need constant monitoring in the first couple weeks of going to her forever home.
While Nessa is assumed to be 3 years old, she is still very puppy like so she needs a family with children 8 years of age or older who can handle puppy like antics, be careful to close doors, understand that whatever is left on the floor is free game for her and her destruction antics! Nessa quite enjoys other dogs and would love to share her home with another dog that would enjoy her companionship. She can also be a lone dog though and get all the attention for herself. We don’t expect she will be an issue for cats either as Nessa seems to enjoy all people and animals she meets.
Nessa just wants to be close to her foster mum but doesn’t over crowd or demand attention. She would like her people to be home more than away and wouldn’t enjoy a home where she is left alone for a full workday. She loves to play and literally gets into boxes, laundry and toy bins. She has a quirky, fun personality and will make someone or a family very happy!