ADOPTED
This is Winifred, a 7-month-old, 7lb ball of puppy energy and love!
Winifred is a Chihuahua mix with a mostly white coat with spots of jet black. She has a tail that won’t quit and a puppy zest for play that brings joy and laughter to our home. Her slightly floppy ears and sweet brown eyes make every puppy misstep forgettable! Winifred joined us right around Halloween so I gave her a very Halloween-y name inspired by a character from Hocus Pocus.
Winifred was surrendered at 6 months old with a badly broken leg. Two days after being rescued she had surgery to repair the leg that left her with pins in her femur. She was on strict crate rest for 4 long puppy weeks but she has recently received a clean bill of health, her leg is completely healed. Aside from a tendency to hold the leg up a bit when she’s standing still you wouldn’t know the surgery happened, she tears around the house at 100kms an hour, jumping over anything or anyone silly enough to get in her way. She is still rebuilding some strength but she’s well on her way!
Wini is a sweet and energetic puppy who would do well in any home situation. She has not tackled stairs yet but at only 7lbs she is an easy carry. She is not a barker and only makes whining noises when she wants out of her crate. She handled being in the crate for 4 weeks like a trooper but now that she has full run of the house she would prefer to be out running! Even these complaints calm quickly and she is learning that she needs to be quiet to get what she wants. Winifred loves her walks but is not a fan of the recent cold and snow. On those days she is happy to hit the yard, do her business, and get back inside to her bed and her blankets. She walks very well on the leash and is not reactive to people or dogs while we are out. She is easily redirected from anything she may encounter and is just mostly happy that she gets to run outside, too! On the days when she can’t get those walks in her family needs to be committed to helping Wini get her energy out in the house with some structured play. Winifred would also love a backyard that she can run around freely to build her strength and expend some of her energy. Wini is a dog who needs a strong leader as she learned some bad habits in her previous life. She came into rescue believing that screaming and mouthing could get her out of anything she didn’t want to do but she is learning how to be a calm and respectful member of the family. Well, as much as you can expect from a 7-month-old puppy! Wini will benefit GREATLY from training and we are looking for a family for her who will commit to several levels of training for her, not just a puppy class. With her recent show of athleticism, it looks like she would love agility. She is smart and full of energy to burn so she should excel, given the chance. She also needs a family that has experience with puppies and someone who understands how to set proper boundaries for our sweet and sassy girl.
Winifred is a loving and friendly puppy who is happy to meet any new people or dogs and will (eventually) settle in your
arms to lick you while you pet her. She wants to be a good girl and is incredibly receptive to commands and feedback from her family. She is trying to be a respectful foster sibling to the other dogs in the house but she sometimes needs a few corrections to get the picture. She would benefit greatly from a male dog companion of similar energy and size who is looking for a friend to play with. They would have to be puppy savvy and ok with Wini’s seemingly boundless energy. If there is no other dog in the home then she needs to be adopted to a family who can provide her with a proper playmate to continue to learn proper socialization and get some necessary exercise. To date she has not convinced any of the other dogs in my home to play with her but she is not giving up – today could be the day! Winifred does not have bad days and to watch the joy she feels just playing with a room full of toys is currently one of my favorite things.
When Winifred arrived she was not used to being in a crate but her time recuperating post-surgery helped her accept her crate as a safe and happy place. She is crated when I am not home or when I can’t pay 100% attention to her. Right now this means she is crated morning and afternoon while I am at work with a bathroom break at noon. As a puppy she benefits greatly from this schedule and we are looking for a family who can offer this at minimum. Winifred is house trained and has had minimal accidents in the house. She is still learning how to indicate that she needs to go out so she needs to be offered regular opportunities. Winifred also sleeps in her crate at night and doesn’t make a sound until everyone wakes up in the morning.
I’ve given Winifred a few baths since she’s been with me and although she is not a fan she was cooperative enough for it to be successful. I expect that further training and exposure would see her accept baths as part of life.
Winifred is interested in the squirrels that we encounter when to walking but she is easily redirected. Before she came into rescue she spent some time in a space with a cat and they happily cuddled in a bed. That being said, as she is a puppy, any cats in the home need to be dog savvy and they need to have a place they can escape to if the puppy energy takes over! Winifred has met some children and she was great around them, taking whatever bits of love they could offer as she ran around from toy to toy. I think she would be fine in a home with children who were taught how to handle her gently. As she is still a toothy puppy and a tiny one at that we would be looking for any children in the home to be older than 10 for everyone’s safety.
Part of Winifred’s belief that she can scream or mouth and get out of any situation means that she was less than cooperative at multiple different vet offices. Our girl is dramatic! As she grows and her training increases she will continue to learn that this behavior doesn’t work. Even in the weeks that I had to administer medication I found she got easier to handle as she learned that no harm was going to some to her and that her protestations made no difference on the outcome! She is such a sweet and loving dog, she just needs more positive interactions and positive reinforcement to guide her.
In addition to everything that happened with her leg, Winifred has also now been spayed and microchipped and she is up to date on all of her vaccines. She has all of her adult teeth now and at her age there was no need for any dental work.
Anyone interested in Wini needs to think ahead to the holiday season…are you travelling? Having large gatherings at your home? Then sadly this won’t be an ideal time to be bringing a new dog into the home. But if you have a travel free holiday season and will be mostly be spending quiet days and nights at home, then this would be a great time to introduce a new dog into the home. All new dogs need consistency and routine in the weeks and months following an adoption so we have to ask all our applicants to think ahead as to what the holidays realistically will look like before submitting an application for this pup.
Winifred is a joyful, energetic puppy. At a recent playgroup with other small dogs she ran around the space for 3 hours,
pausing to meet new dogs and try to get them to play with her. She greeted every person who entered and stopped to accept affection from many. She exuded pure joy as she tore around the room and she is going to grow up to be an absolutely lovely dog. She is looking for a family who is ready for her level of energy and who wants to be active with her – Winifred is no couch potato! Wini needs clear and strong leadership to help guide her into adulthood and a family who will enjoy training with her. She craves love and attention and a family who will make her a priority, always ensuring she gets everything she needs. Do you have some room in your schedule for some training? Do you have room in your heart to love this precious little girl? A bit of room on your couch? If you’re looking for the next great love of your life, look no further and fill out on application for Winifred!