Tasha

If you want to get acquainted with every neighbour and person/dog you meet on walks Tasha just may be the girl for you. Tasha is a 6 year old 10 ½ pound Bichon Frise who came into our care from a puppy mill where she spent her time breeding for profit.  She has soft wavy white hair that turns into little curls down her legs.  Tasha must have had some positive interaction with people since she was definitely not as shut down as many mill dogs are.

Tasha entered her foster home with confidence and immediately started exploring her new surroundings. She is very curious. On our first walk together, Tasha again displayed confidence and showed no fear when she met my neighbour and his 2 dogs.  Her first walk on leash was hilarious but she quickly learned how to walk properly and is a joy to walk now.  Tasha is very bright and is responsive to positive reinforcement when expectations in training are met.  We continue to work on the sit and come commands

On her first night with me after our bedtime walk Tasha fell asleep in my lap for 2 hours.  She craves physical contact with her human.  When crated the first night she whimpered for 5 minutes and then quietly slept through until morning.  At night Tasha now goes quietly and willingly into her crate with a treat, settles in and sleeps soundly.  She was not disturbed by a recent thunder storm. 

Tasha’s tail rarely stops wagging. She literally bounces down the hall.  She has become a bit of a tease recently.  She’ll do zoomies and then come up and give me a quick bark inviting me to chase her.  It took her a few weeks to interact with toys.  She now sleeps on some of her larger toys and has found a favourite small toy to chew.  Tasha still hasn’t shown interest in playing with them yet.

In the house Tasha likes to keep me in sight.  She will curl up on one of her dog beds or a rug while I am busy.  She does not get underfoot.  If I’ve ignored her for too long, in her opinion, she will come and put her paws on my leg telling me it’s time to pay her attention.  When I do my morning yoga practice Tasha will sometimes lie quietly on her nearby dog bed and watch or occasionally lie on my stomach or play with my stretching band.  In the beginning of her stay with me Tasha attempted to join me in the bathtub.  She has since decided to lie quietly on a nearby bathmat until I come out.  At night when I watch tv Tasha loves to come up on the recliner with me and after a quick cuddle she positions herself between my legs, bum facing me and falls asleep.  She just wants the physical contact.  After an hour or so she gets down and curls up on her nearby dog bed.  I have trained Tasha to use dog stairs to join me on the living room couch.  She usually prefers to jump up but will use the stairs if directed to do so.  Tasha easily navigates the basement stairs and likes to join me when I do the laundry down there.  She does not like being left behind and will whimper if I close the basement door denying her access.

When Tasha was spayed a tear in her eyelid was successfully repaired.   She is currently at a good weight but attention needs to be paid that she not lose weight.  Tasha does not eat much at one sitting.  She is very slow and deliberate when eating.  She will take one kibble at  a time, take a step or 2 away from her bowl and chew it thoroughly before getting another.  If wet food is added she will eat it first and even lick it off each piece of kibble.  She will eat when she’s hungry but occasionally skips a meal entirely.  Currently I’ve cut back to only feeding her morning and night to establish a good routine.  Her bowl is nearby where I eat and this seems to encourage her to eat  when I do.  She adores her treats but they should be limited during the day so she will be hungry at mealtimes.  I give Tasha treats during training sessions and whenever she’s crated.

Tasha is one of the most outgoing, social and loveable fosters I’ve had in my care.  She loves to be near her human and craves body rubs and cuddling as often as possible.  When I open her crate in the morning she walks out quietly and waits patiently while I give her an all over body rub. She then runs to the front door or does zoomies until I join her to get our walking gear on.  On walks she makes a beeline for any person or dog we encounter.  She is always gentle and respectful and does not jump up but waits for the person to lean down to pet her.  Tasha loves her walks especially our long early morning walk when the weather is cooler.  She sets a pretty quick pace and only stops to pee or sniff.  We easily do a 30-40 minute walk and can cover up to 2 km.  Tasha usually goes for 4 more shorter walks when the temperature gets too hot. She is fully toilet trained and has had no accidents indoors. She has enjoyed being on long line while I work in the garden.  Recently she has shown interest in passing chipmunks, foxes and birds and will pull a bit on leash because she wants to meet them.

Tasha is not a fan of being put into her travel crate.  She whimpers for the first 5-10 minutes and then settles quietly.  I take her on 1 or 2 trips a week of varying distance to get her used to travelling in the car.

Tasha is fearless for such a small dog.  She has met 2 of my neighbours friendly very large dogs nose to nose with tail up and wagging.  We have been on several pack walks with a neighbours 2 doodles as well as a 5 dog pack walk with other fosters.  I took Tasha to my friend who has 2 cats.  Tasha was respectful and just followed and gently sniffed them.  

She would be fine in a home with a dog savvy cat.  Tasha has shown no jealously when I have paid attention to another dog. She would probably be okay having another dog in the family to keep her company as long as she got lots of cuddles. She would really like being the only dog though and getting all of the attention.  Because she is small older children, over 8yrs of age, who would be aware and not accidently step on her would be okay.  Because she is a mill dog the energy and noise of younger children will be too much for her to live with in a forever home. 

 Tasha does have an issue with separation from her human.  When I crate her to leave the house she will cry.  I have checked with neighbours and at the beginning of her stay with me Tasha would cry or bark the entire time I was gone.  Lately it lasts for 10-15 minutes and then she quiets down.  For that reason, Tasha would not be a candidate for an apartment or condo.  She will need a family who will be home most of the time and not leave her for long periods.  

Tasha is a little dog whose whole being revolves around being loved and cuddled and being with her human.    She has such a positive sweet nature with a nonstop wagging tail.  She is eager to please and responds well to quiet gentle praise.  Tasha has shown me a dog with spirit, spunk and lately a bit of sassiness and teasing.  If you’re that person or family who wants a dog who will happily lie in your lap or beside you for long periods of time and join you on walks to meet and greet everyone, then please consider Tasha as your forever dog.