May ::ADOPTED::
May (who we believe is the sister of Gizmo, AKA Pepe) is one of the 60+ dogs that were found locked away last winter in a hoarding situation outside of Asan, South Korea. Over the past several years the dogs were left to breed and their numbers grew into the hundreds. At least half of the dogs perished due to the horrific conditions they were forced to live in. Many died from illness, neglect, dog fights, and also from human consumption. The hoarders were reported to the city and slowly dogs are being pulled out and placed into the city shelter. May and 23 other dogs were brought to the city shelter in January.
May was placed in a foster home this August while she was treated for heartworm. Her foster dad didn’t give up on her, though stubborn and terrified May would have preferred that easy route. We teamed up to find the best way to get through to her. After nearly two & a half months she *finally* opened up to him and her guard came down. We knew then that it was her time to fly with the understanding that she was going to regress, and oh my did she! But instead of two and half months of waiting her out, her PDX foster mom implemented the feedback from her SK foster dad and it expedited the process.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE May THINGS FROM her FOSTER family…
May is such a joy. It took a while for her to come out of her shell, but after lots of patience, dedication, cuddles on a human bed, and treats, she became the most playful, spunky, and wonderful little cutie! May hasn’t quite found her voice yet and she has not made a peep outside of a few growls in the early days.
May is the queen of cozy! Her favorite spot is your bed, with the couch coming in at a close second. When she gets the zoomies, she’ll jump on and off the bed and sprint around like a little deer. She loves to play with her humans! When her guard comes down, the trust she places in you is heart-melting. She’ll be your best buddy, following you around everywhere. She’s also smart and is quickly learning “sit” and “stay.”
Her favorite thing outside of goofing around on a bed is playing with/chewing on socks!
A FEW THINGS May IS WORKING ON FROM Her FOSTER family…
Resistance to and fear of meeting new people & situations.
It took about two weeks for May to really become comfortable after arriving to our home. She has a stubborn streak, and she’ll need coaxing and dedication to her training in order to continue the work of bringing her walls down.
Nervousness when outside & in a car.
May is making progress quickly, and the more exposure she has, the more quickly she comes along. She is slowly bringing her tail up on walks! She enjoys sniffing around outside, but she is still cautious of the big world and of new people and dogs. Being in a car is still scary for her and she trembles, but she doesn’t get sick or cry.
May’s adopter will need to make sure she doesn’t develop attachment anxiety. Once May trusts you, she’ll follow you everywhere (especially if you’re headed to a room with a bed in it)! We’ve been working on “stay” whenever we leave the room, and on crate training during the night. Although May would love nothing more than to spend the night on your bed, we’ve been getting her used to sleeping in her crate at night to promote her independence and saving the cuddles for morning.
THE IDEAL FAMILY FOR May WOULD HAVE THE FOLLOWING:
- Experience with handling a fearful, stubborn dog.
- A quiet and low key household.
- A lot of patience and the eagerness to follow our protocol to acclimate her.
- Another gentle, friendly animal in the home.
- Patience!
May’s Details:
Breed: Terrier Mix
Age: 1 year old
Sex: Female
Size: 15lbs
Color: White/Brown
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Microchipped: Yes
Vaccinated: Yes
Medical notes: N/A
Housetrained: Yes, but could be improved
Site: Wildhearts Rescue
Location: Foster home in Portland
Intake Date: 12/02/2020
Good with cats: Possibly with a slow introduction
Good with dogs: Yes
Good with children: Likely older children with a very slow introduction
Good with adults: Yes, with a very slow introduction