Rica ::adoptED::
In January of this year Rica was rescued by our friends at @we.a.c.t on Ganghwa Island in South Korea. A good samaritan sent them photos of Rica, her brother Rico, and an injured cat. The puppies both had severe hair loss from demodectic mange and needed help. The older woman at the property was doing her best to care for the little family but after checking back in months later, they determined it was best to pull the rest of the animals as their health was deteriorating and there were reports of abuse.
After months of intensive vet treatment and loving foster care both Rica and Rico fully recovered. Her brother Rico is off to his new family in Spain while the rest of her family (Regal, Rike, and Ricky) are still looking for homes in South Korea and might be joining us in the coming months. We are obsessed with her silly, black snoot and lovely personality! To see photos and videos of her rescue and time with her foster family in South Korea click here.
A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE Rica THINGS FROM HER FOSTER FAMILY…
Rica is the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. After only a few days of settling in, she acts like she’s lived with us her entire life. She loves our dog and often follows him around. They have a very cute relationship and she is always so excited to see him even if they have only been apart for a few minutes. Her relationship with cats has really blossomed while in foster care. The first time she ever met a cat she was so confused and didn’t know what to do other than growl, but she quickly decided she loves cats after seeing how our dog calmly interacted with them. She has been trying to befriend our two cats ever since. She is very respectful and has never chased our cats, but when she’s feeling extra frisky, she will play bow at them and “talk” to them in an attempt to get them to chase her. Each attempt has ended with a hiss or face slap, but she still believes they will definitely play with her one of these days. Her confidence when meeting new people has grown a lot too. Instead of being shy, she can now walk straight up to strangers, wagging her tail. She is much more confident on walks now as well. I think a lot of her growth while in foster care can be attributed to having a confident dog to learn from.
Rica is very adaptable and enjoys the simple things in life. She is playful and loves small squeaky toys, but she also loves fuzzy dog beds and will happily spend much of her day relaxing. She isn’t very cuddly and she’s awkward if you try to hold her, but she is so affectionate when she can come up to you on her own. She loves to be talked to and is constantly wagging her tail. She will always be by your side and will nudge your hand with her nose if she doesn’t think you’re giving her enough attention. Neck scratches and belly rubs are her favorite!
She loves spending time outside. At least once a day she asks to be let out onto our back deck so she can lay in the sunshine and she is constantly gazing out the window, watching the day go by. She is a very curious, silly puppy who thinks she has to sniff every blade of grass or fallen leaf and if there is a hole in the ground, she will be sticking her nose in it. One of the silliest things she does is trying to bite bugs out of the air, but she has never succeeded in actually catching one. I think having a fenced in backyard would be a dream come true for her!
Rica is a very well behaved puppy. She will sleep soundly in her kennel all night long and willingly goes into her kennel at mealtimes. For the most part, she is also great in her kennel during the day if she needs to be left alone for a few hours although she will cry for a few minutes before she settles down. It seems like she relies much more on hand signals than words when learning commands. She has improved greatly on ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘wait’ for eating her meals or being let out of her kennel, and ‘yes’ as a release from a command. She is also fully potty trained and has never had an accident in the house.
Rica is one of a kind and whoever gets to adopt her will be so lucky!
A FEW THINGS Rica IS WORKING ON FROM HER FOSTER FAMILY…
Rica does not like water, even if it’s just dew on grass. She will be very stubborn about walking in wet grass and going potty, so the rainy season in Portland will likely be a tough transition for her. Another weird/interesting potty habit is that she rarely ever pees or poops on walks and will pretty much only go in our backyard.
Rica can sometimes be picky about food. I think the main issue with this is that she has a pretty small mouth for a 22lb dog and some of her large adult premolars have yet to replace her baby teeth that have fallen out. This makes it difficult for her to eat larger pieces of dry food, so she is currently eating very small kibble meant for tiny breeds. She really has to slowly crunch on treats too, so small and/or soft treats are best for training!
Rica’s walking skills could always use some more improvement. Even though she is small, she is solid and strong and will pull if she wants to smell something or if she sees a squirrel or rabbit nearby.
As Rica gets more comfortable, she is starting to find her voice and will occasionally bark at random strange noises like she’s a guard dog. She is a very chill dog the majority of the time, so this is a very minor issue at this time.
THE IDEAL FAMILY FOR Rica WOULD HAVE THE FOLLOWING:
A fenced yard.
Another friendly animal (confident cat or a well-mannered dog) in the home or regular access to dogs for playdates.
Patience, time to train, consistency, and lots of love!
Rica’s Details:
Breed: Jindo/Terrier Mix
Age: 10 months old
Sex: Female
Size: 22lbs
Color: Brown/Black
Spayed/Neutered: Yes
Microchipped: Yes
Vaccinated: Yes
Medical notes:
Rica was treated for severe demodectic mange and has a weak immune system. We recommend she takes probiotics long term for optimal skin/gut health.
Rica still has a few adult teeth slowly coming in making it difficult for her to chew regular sized kibble and treats.
Housetrained: Yes
Site: Wildhearts Rescue
Location: Foster home in Portland
Intake Date: 08/08/2021
Good with cats: Yes, with a slow introduction
Good with dogs: Yes, with a slow introduction
Good with children: Possibly, with a slow introduction
Good with adults: Yes, with a slow introduction