Mumu ::ADOPTED::
In March of this year Mumu was found abandoned at a subway station near Asan, South Korea. She was left in a tattered, cardboard box at just a few months old and as people walked by she remained curled up, frozen in fear. We came across Mumu’s intake photo and instantly fell in love. She was too young to fly to Wildhearts and had to spend the next few months at the high-kill, local pound. A wonderful foster family offered to care for her in late May where Mumu finally felt the warmth of a loving home and got to be a puppy for the first time.
In August Mumu moved to a new foster home in South Korea and fell in love with the children in the family, especially the youngest. She overcame a lot of fears with the young kiddo by her side, but some other fears were heightened in this particular home. Mumu has a lot of walls up and isn’t very trusting of adults, especially men.
To have a kid-friendly dog prior to a flight is always such a plus so, to keep her transition as smooth as possible, we paired her with a foster family in Portland with a similar household environment. She’s had a great time with her adoring Portland foster family and is living the doggo dream *but* Mumu is consistently struggling with her foster dad and seems to have a lot of fear with men. Sadly, this doesn’t seem to be an issue that time will solve despite our efforts because her foster dad doesn’t work from home and can’t bond with her on a daily basis.
For her next transition we are offering a slow “warm up” adoption in Portland so we can guarantee it’s an amazing, forever fit for her. We hope to find her a femme household with no children and no cis men/folx presenting masculinely or we’d be open to exploring a family with masculine folx who work from home full time so Mumu has a lot of exposure to build trust. She’s great with children but thinks it’s her role to guard and protect them, even from their own parents. She’s a tricky pup but is such a silly, loving gal when in the right environment! Check out Mumu’s foster journey in South Korea on our Instagram here!
A FEW THINGS we love about Mumu FROM Her FOSTER mom…
Mumu is quick to adapt, intuitive and affectionate. She has been with us for only 6 weeks, but you would think she has been with us her entire life. When Mel brought her to our home straight from the airport, Mumu was understandably afraid as she flew across the world and everything was foreign to her. One thing she immediately identified with was Love. She has been absolutely immersed in our children’s daily schedules, and has seldom left my side.
She immediately bonded with my 3 year old son, and took great joy in playing fetch with our two daughters. Mumu is a protective dog, and began to protect the children and house whenever there was a visitor by physically standing between them and the approaching stranger.
Mumu identified only with our family members, and seems to be very cautious with other adults. She allows other children to pet her within minutes of meeting — but not so much with the adults. I appreciate that very much, as it adds to a level of safety wherever we went. We took Mumu everywhere — setting up a bed in the back of our SUV. She accompanied us to drop off the children every morning, grocery runs, church — and I would take her to stores that allowed leashed dogs with their patrons. She did extremely well, even next to the shopping cart.
At first, we had her on a leash at all times, even inside the house. Because we live in a rural area, she became comfortable of our property, and I began to let her off the leash in the back forest, which is fully fenced. It is there that Mumu quickly developed trust with our family, and would come to me on command. We are Korean American, so we mixed our commands with English to get her familiar with both languages. She takes great pleasure in running long distances and at high speeds — it is the highlight of our days to witness this unfettered freedom, to then obey a command and return into the house.
When we are walking on the leash, she no longer pulls anymore, and is quite mindful of my pace and specifically where the children are while we are out and about.
Mumu has had a few play dates with other dogs, both in our yard, and our friend’s property. She did extremely well, especially off-leash — as we were very careful of which dog we introduced. She is also very good with our barnyard cats, and their little kittens. She is very curious, playful and gentle with them. She has also met our hedgehog. That was not a positive experience, and we keep them separate.
A FEW THINGS Mumu IS WORKING ON FROM Her FOSTER mom…
I personally took Mumu to heart immediately, as she is still an innocent young pup who is seeking security and stability. She is a perfect fit for our family, except for one vital factor— she does not trust or bond with my husband. My husband has tried every effort to assure Mumu of safety — but she has some deep-seated issues towards men. It stands in the way of even my husband hugging our young children, as Mumu feels the need to protect them, which is unacceptable.
Mumu arrived absolutely hating the kennel. In fact, the first night she bent the wires on the door in efforts to escape it. For a few weeks, I had to sleep next to the kennel on the couch so she could visually see and smell me for comfort. For some time, every time the children would be getting ready for bed, Mumu would participate by laying at the feet of my son’s bed and would guard him from my husband! If I tried to tuck in one of my children, she would even growl at me. When we put her into the kennel, she would cry for the children because as soon as they would appear to check on her, she would be consoled.
Now, she goes into her kennel when she is afraid, or if I am not home and she is with my husband. Of course, she always prefers to go in the car with us, even to music lessons.
She has made great progress with my husband who is the only one to give her designated treats, and feeds her when he is home. Sometimes they will actually be bonding with petting and gentle words — but then he leaves the room and when he returns — she growls and barks at him as if she has forgotten who he is.
She does not sit on command, but is familiar with the word. Overall, Mumu chooses when she wants to listen and will need continued obedience training.
Mumu has been roaming freely in our home with at least one of our family members keeping an eye on her. From the first day, she made herself comfortable on our couches, and also the beds — so I dare say she didn’t have much discipline on furniture before arriving in the States. We are totally okay with this, but Mumu is absolutely obedient when we ask her to get down. She immediately settles at my feet, or near one of the children.
She loves to chew up socks, and quietly took my armchair cover and chewed a hole in it. She loves to chew pencils, markers and tear apart paper napkins. Other than those items, she is careful to ignore. Keeping an eye on objects available for her to chew will be important as she has puppy chewing tendencies.
When she is outside, she is very skittish of sudden noises but not of cars/trucks going by. She will literally bolt and come to my side, or seek out a quick escape. In our yard she loves to hunt for field mice but has yet to catch one.
When I bathe her, I hold her in the shower in my arms, and she melts like a baby. When she feels betrayed, she will look away from me, and sulk in her own space until her attention is diverted. Upon returning from a potty break, she absolutely hates being dried off with her towel, nor does she like getting her paws wiped/touched.
THE IDEAL FAMILY FOR Mumu WOULD HAVE THE FOLLOWING:
No cis men in the home or a cis male who works primarily from home.
No young children in the home.
Another friendly, older, & already trained dog in the home or access to friendly dogs for frequent playdates.
A fenced yard.
Patience, time to train, consistency, and lots of love!
Mumu’s Details:
Breed: Jindo Mix
Age: 10 months old
Sex: Female
Size: 30lbs
Color: Beige/White
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Microchipped: Yes
Vaccinated: Yes
Medical notes: N/A
Housetrained: Yes, but has had a few accidents inside when under stress
Site: Wildhearts Rescue
Location: Foster home in Portland
Intake Date: 09/15/2021
Good with cats: Yes, with a slow introduction
Good with dogs: Yes, with a slow introduction
Good with children: Yes, but due to her guarding of kids and training needs we are seeking a childfree home or a home with older children
Good with adults: Yes, female presenting folx along with a slow introduction. We feel she’s capable of bonding with a cis male if they worked from home full time