We took this lovely young mother in at the end of January. She was abandoned by her family when they moved and had her puppies on the street. She and her puppies had been rescued by another group, but they didn’t have a safe, secure place for her and the puppies wandered off or were stolen. Mama slipped out of her foster home’s yard and ended up back on the street.
We accepted her as she was clearly not going to come to a good end on the street. We took her in and changed her name to Pluma. She was shy of us at first but is a very sweet dog once she gets to know you. She is living on the porch with our senior sanctuary dogs and has started her training. Pluma is quite food motivated, so this is going well.
Pluma was very reserved and cautious of people for a couple of weeks after she came in, but Yancy and Canela quickly showed her that the hands attached to people were really good for delivering treats and scratches. She has blossomed and is much more trusting now. She is doing great with her training and now knows “sit”, “down”, has a short stay, and hand targeting. She walks beautifully on leash and has a good recall.
Pluma is now showing us her playful side. She loves to chase a tennis ball, barking gleefully and hopping like a rabbit. She hasn’t really gotten the “bring it back” part, but she really enjoys the chase! She loves to play tug, and is interacting beautifully with new people.
She has done well with all the children we have introduced her to (12 and up). She has not yet been tested with cats .
Pluma gets along with dogs she knows once she trusts them but does not encourage approaches from new dogs and will snap at them to make sure they keep their distance. Once she spends a little time with other dogs, she settles in and ignore them. Pluma would do well in a home on her own or with one or two other dogs. She seems to prefer having a few close friends rather than meeting lots of new dogs, so visits to dog parks are not necessary for her.
Her coat has grown in soft and shiny (and very curly!) Her tail looks like it has been over- permed! She has filled out and is strong and healthy now.
Pluma is a wonderful dog, very well trained and extremely affectionate. She is ready for a home of her own.
