ADOPTED
Hello everyone, please allow me the pleasure to introduce to you, Tuxy!
Tuxy is a female Cocker Spaniel and Poodle mix, approximately 2 years old. She is super fluffy with white and black spotted fur. She has just the sweetest eyes and peaks at you through the fur. She is full sized at a whopping 25lbs and is a nice sized medium dog. Because of her breed mix Tuxy will require regular grooming to keep her comfortable. Even though she has some Poodle in her, she is not a hypoallergenic dog although shedding is at a minimum compared to her fur-sister.
Naming her took a bit of creativity since all the typical black and white dog names were taken already. We found the name Tuxedo and thought it fit with her colourings, so we gave it a feminine touch and Tuxy was discovered! She came to Pound Dog from a pound in Quebec. She was surrendered there with a few other dogs, obviously from a breeding situation. She has definitely had puppies in her past, and she is very skittish, so sadly an unpleasant past may have been the case for her.
Tuxy has begun to get really used to our routine at home. She has really come out of her shell since the first days that she came to us. Tuxy gets regular crate time during the day and eats all her meals in the crate as well as sleeps in there at nighttime. She is not afraid of her crate and goes into it wonderfully mostly the first time that we say, “in your house”. She gets excited for mealtimes now, although we had some troubles with eating at the beginning. Now Tuxy loves to have her meals and gobbles it all up right away. Tuxy is calm in the crate when we are not home or not in the room. She will just relax quietly, which is perfect for anyone that has to go out of the house to work, or those that work from home. She uses the crate as her safe space and will retreat into it anytime when she is nervous or scared. A crate would be essential for her at this point in time to help her transition well, and continue to give her that safe space.
We would consider Tuxy fully house trained, as she has never gone to the bathroom in our home. She doesn’t have any bathroom cues that we have noted, we just take her outside throughout the day and that seems to help. But it should be noted that any transitional period with new home/surroundings be handled with care if an accident were to happen. She will last the whole night in her crate without accidents. She is not picky as to where she goes to the bathroom, in the backyard or on a walk – just depends on which comes first.
Tuxy eats her meals in her crate, as mentioned, with the door closed. She has free range to the water dish whenever she is out and about and has a healthy thirst. Be mindful that her furry chin/ears love to soak up the water and it can make a bit of a mess sometimes; or you’ll get a wet leg once she comes back for a pet.
Tuxy has had all her necessary vetting while in our care. There are some health issues that her future family should be aware of. She has grade 2 periodontal disease and will likely need a dental in the next 1 to 2 years. It wasn’t something that our vets said needed attention now, and with some good chew bones and toys this could be delayed even further, but it’s something that her adoptive family needs to be prepared for. Smaller dogs generally need dentals a few times in their lives so this is not something out of the ordinary. She has a small non-reducible umbilical hernia that did not require surgical revision, and grade 2/6 heart murmur that her new owners need to be aware of and have checked at her yearly vet visits. This is not a serious heart murmur and there is nothing that needs to be done for her at this time in regards to this. None of this hinders her quality of life and she is very full of life.
Tuxy loves to go for walks with her fur-sister, Sierra. She does not tire easily and even after a walk she will walk laps around the house or room we are in. Good enrichment activities would benefit her in the future. Although she hasn’t learned to enjoy toys yet, this may change in her future. Her adoptive family needs to ensure that her energy requirements are met…a simple walk around the block will not be enough for her. She requires a good, fast paced, longer walk or hike a day along with smaller walks, to be happy.
Tuxy does really well in the car now. Her first car ride in the rain was interesting as she was scared of the wiper blades when they swiped over the window. Since then she loves car rides, and they don’t bother her one bit. She doesn’t bark or get scared in the car anymore. We drive weekly to the trailer with her, so she has gotten really used to the car and the trailer. She rarely barks at the trailer, even when she sees other dogs on the paths or from our screen room. She does pace a lot there, walks laps around the screen room and has a harder time relaxing. But we are working on it and as she has more visits there she gets more comfortable. We can leave her in her crate in the evenings and go to another site and she will just sleep and relax – no barking.
Her future home doesn’t require a backyard, but if there is no proper fenced in yard, it is a requirement that she gets many walks and activities in her daily routine. A fenced yard would be a bonus to let her just go and run and play on her own, as she does seem to love to run around. She doesn’t bark much at all, only if she is very excited to start the day or when we get home after being away for a few hours. I don’t think a detached house would matter; I think any type of dwelling would be a good fit for her as long as her energy is expelled with walks.
Tuxy loves other dogs, and kids. We have two kids ages 8 and 11 years old, and she is comfortable with them and will lay around with them and let them cuddle her no problems. We don’t have much experience with cats, but I don’t think this would affect her in any way. She would do well in a home with respectful children over the age of 8yrs that isn’t too busy or loud. She would also love an adult only home or one with teens. She could do well in a home with another mature and calm dog or she could be the only dog and get all of the attention and love.
In conclusion, Tuxy would be a great family dog with or without children, any type of dwelling, lots of activity in her daily routine. Another dog would be a benefit, but
not required. But we did notice it helped her come out of her shell to have another dog to show her the ropes. We hope you consider adding this adorable pup to your home.