Marble
My Story
First off, this dog is amazing!!! Her personality has completely shined through over the 3 months we have had her thus far. She is goofy, sleepy, loving, mellow and perfect with my 4 residents, ranging in size from 13lbs to 55lbs. We have no children but I would be willing to say she would be perfectly fine with all ages. We have no cats, I feel as though she would leave well alone. For any potential adopter there are two crucial MUST HAVES – Patience and Physical Strength.
Patience – this sweet baby is blind (although I can be convinced she sees shadows at times) and is very scared of new places and new people. It took her almost 1 month before she would walk around our house on her own (follow this point up with physical strength below). It took another week or so before she would walk on the tile floor vs the carpet. The adopter must give her the time and patience and space she will need to trust the environment she is in, the people/animals around her. She has zero aggression when scared, truly just cowers in the corner. She stayed in my office for the first week or two. We brought her food and water to her (bring a towel, she is a messy drinker!). Each day that she would allow us, we slowly and with gentle praise guided her along room to room. Once she got the lay of the land, and felt safe and comfortable with us, she navigates the house all by herself now, with the occasional bump into furniture if she isn’t paying attention. We only live in one story house but have a room with two stairs, which she handles fine. She also handles the stairs on our back porch (3) fine. She has not been tested in a multi-level house.
Physical Strength – due to her initial fear, she will need to be carried outside for potty. You can try a lead, but we did not have much success with that, she seems fearful of things around her neck at first. When she came to us she was 65 lbs and underweight. She is up to 80 lbs of solidness, and she is tall. Someone must be able to carry her comfortably and SAFELY. She has never shown aggression to us picking her up, I think she secretly enjoys the ride.
We have a fenced in backyard. At first, she would lay down in the far corner of the yard. Again, we had to carry, or gently guide her body back to the house. Eventually, she will fully exit and enter the house on her own, and she really enjoys sitting outside listening to the world she can’t see.
She naps most of the day and is very low energy. When she finally got comfortable with my pack, and assuming if you have animals that are dog friendly, she will “wrestle” with our big dog for a couple minutes each day. It is more like swatting at the air and trying to find him, which is ridiculously adorable.She LOVES food and treats. She has not shown signs of resource guarding, and sometimes our little dogs try to sneak in her food bowl (I know, jerks who steal from blind ladies) and she has never reacted.
Thunderstorms or any loud consistent noises are a no-no. Since this lady can’t see and doesn’t understand she isn’t in danger, she will search for a dark room or preferably the room you are in. She will pant very loudly but otherwise is ok. If we are home, we will just pet her and it seems to help.
Until she is comfortable with the layout of the house, I recommend keeping her in a room or even hallway with a cozy bed or blanket. It isn’t necessarily to confine to a crate if you have an available space, we have not tested her in a crate. Now she has free range of the house and chooses her sleeping spot. It took a while but eventually she started playing with toys. She likes bones to chew on and recently started playing with a frisbee. Zero destruction, zero accidents, 100% perfect!! We cannot boast enough about this sweet foster of ours. Once she comes out of her shell and let’s her personality shine through, you will do nothing but smile when around her!
If you are interested in adopting this dog, please fill out an application then email mandy@bigfluffydogs.com.