ADOPTION PENDING
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.
Meet Piccola! She is a 3 year old Shih Tzu/Border Collie mix. Her markings and head shape say Collie, her short and long stature says Shih Tzu. Piccola has a beautiful black coat, very soft and fluffy, with white markings, and adorable brown eyebrows. Weighing in at around 16lbs, this cutie will fool you into thinking she’s still a puppy. Her fun loving, cuddle bug nature will have your heart melting in no time.
Piccola’s name means “little one” in Italian. She came from the far north of Manitoba and is a rez dog, so it’s likely she spent a lot of her time outside, but we believe she may have spent some time in a home based on her ability to quickly adjust to living indoors. Right away, she had no fear of exploring anywhere in the house, bounded up the stairs without issue, isn’t bothered by loud noises, and took quickly to house training. She has had a couple of accidents in the home but she was also quite sick shortly after coming into our home so we think this may have contributed to it.
We feel Piccola will do well in any home environment…apt, attached home, or detached. She does have energy and loves to go for walks and runs but also loves to cuddle right beside you and chill. She doesn’t love her crate but will go in and settle quickly with a couple chirps or whistles…in fact, her little groan right before she lies down will probably make you giggle. She has taken well to our routine with her foster sister that includes a morning potty break first thing, followed by breakfast, then a walk or jog for 20-30 minutes, quiet time on their places or in crates if we leave the house. A late afternoon or evening walk for 30 minutes is followed by dinner, play time, and then cuddles on the couch until bed. She is great on leash and is quickly learning “heel”. Piccola has recently started to play with toys and loves to take one and bring it to every floor in the home before settling with it to play. She loves to roll on her back and squeal with delight. She will whimper or follow you everywhere if she wants you to give her attention. We have not noticed much barking after her first couple days in her crate. She does not bark at people at the door or at dogs outside, or on walks.
Piccola has been great with our 2 yr old Collie mix, and has been very well behaved with any dogs we see out on our walks. She does very well with meeting new people as well, in the home or out and about, even on shopping trips, she just wants to be everyone’s
friend and be loved. We feel she would do well with kids, although she can get excited and will occasionally use her mouth or jump up when playing, so small toddlers might not be a good fit. We would consider a home for her with kids over 5yrs of age. She definitely gets excited at dinner time and will stand on her back legs and do a dance for her dinner! She is still learning to take treats gently, but again is learning quickly.
Due to her long fur she may need more frequent brushing, such as every other day to avoid getting matted. She didn’t love the bath but is well behaved and puts up with it. Piccola is very quiet in the car, but she needs to be crated or tethered as she is very small and will try to crawl up into the front seat or get on your lap. With a tether though she quietly sits or lays on her blanket in the back seat.
Without any previous training, Piccola is starting to learn proper manners. We are working on threshold manners and she will wait until we exit the door first if told to “wait”, but will run out the door still if not properly instructed. She is learning to “come” when called, and learning to “sit” on command. As entertaining as it is to watch her dancing around, she is learning she has to sit still before she gets her food bowl. She will need ongoing training and structure but has shown the willingness to learn.
Piccola has been spayed and up to date on all vaccines. A few days after arriving she did come down with some sort of infection, so she may have picked up something on her flight from Manitoba. She was very good with the vet while being poked with multiple needles, and needed a fluid injection, and spent the next 10 days taking antibiotics (in pills which had to be fed to her at first when she didn’t want food, after a few days she would eat it with her food or with pb).It does appear that she might be missing a couple of her teeth.
Piccola will be a great companion for whoever adopts her, whether a small young family, a single person, or a retired couple. She can be goofy, snuggle up to you and lie on her back with her paws in the air looking for belly rubs, or sleep on her back all by herself for some quiet time. She has shown herself to be ready to adapt to anything life throws her way! She is the perfect little love bug.