My name is Portia!

This beautiful dog is Portia, an 18 month old Boxer x Catahoula Leopard Dog. She is named after the car but we decided on the more feminine spelling to reflect the gorgeous girl that she is. She’s a red brindle with a white blaze on her chest and a couple of white toes. She melts your heart when she looks at you with her big brown eyes. In the dog world, she is a medium/large size dog, but has a very tiny frame. She is about 50lbs and is meant to be muscular and lean, like a true athlete.



Portia was abandoned by her owners (who probably didn’t want to spay her) and found at the side of a road. She has had pups, probably a few litters. We had her spayed so her days of making puppies are over and she is super happy about that. Portia is all about fun and play…she’s not big on responsibility. She settled into her foster home right away and became best friends with her foster dog roommate. They spend hours outside playing. She does laps around him, dives between his legs, leaps over him leaving paw prints on his back. She is very athletic, very agile, very fast. He is her personal pommel horse. She is his personal trainer. She gets along with other dogs, but would not do well in a home with a dominant female dog. She quite enjoys her male dog buddy though and a submissive female would be a good friend to her as well. Any dog she is to live with though must be playful and active and enjoy running and wrestling play as this is what Portia is all about. Portia would love to go to a home with another fun and playful dog, but if not, she needs to have regular play dates with like-minded dog friends to keep up her socialization. Portia has met a cat and pretty much ignored it but it was a cat that was accustomed to dogs and didn’t react to her. We think she would be ok with a cat in the home as long as it was a calm, non-reactive cat. A cat that hissed or ran from her would only elicit her desire to play and chase.



Boxers and Catahoula Leopard Dogs are very intelligent working dogs that need to be active both physically and mentally. She needs to be in a home where she will get lots of exercise. She is well suited to running with you. She would be a fantastic agility dog. As a minimum, she needs several long walks a day. She is a great hiking partner and loves exploring the world around her. She would also love to have a running partner if there was a runner in her new family. But if not, long walks and play time in the yard will suffice. Portia is active, but not hyper, and is nicely settled and calm in the house.



She is very trainable and sits beautifully. She can shake a paw, give you 5, do a down, retrieve balls, drop things on command. She has a big dog bark, much bigger than her size would indicate. She is a good watch dog and alerts you to people at the door or suspicious sounds. She can jump over baby gates with ease and without guilt. She doesn’t believe in taking stairs one at a time. She is the dog world’s version of Superman, leaping things in a single bound. She will need a big fenced back yard so she can race around.



She enjoys meeting people, but likes to jump up if she can sneak it in. We are working on this but she needs reminders to keep her feet on the ground. She’s good with kids, but may be a bit too fast and rough around young kids. We would be looking for a home without children for her, or with kids over 10 years of age. She likes to try and steal toys out of your hand and loves kids’ toys.



She is a tom boy and loves to wrestle and play rough. She instigates play sessions with people and other dogs. She could spend hours playing tug or fetch or chewing on something. She is a big fan of balls, ropes, chew toys, sticks, logs, anything that she considers a toy. She goes into the toy pile with a plan, rooting through the toys to find the one she wants, then entertains herself by tossing the prized toy around or teases us with it by bringing it to us or her doggie roommate and trotting away while looking at us out the corner of her eye and wagging her tail. She is a happy instigator.



She prefers having you with her. She does cry a bit when you leave the room or house. As she adjusts to her new home, she probably won’t cry as much. She is a counter surfer and has no qualms about putting her front paws on the counter to see what she can get. We are working on this as well and are correcting this behavior but it does take time and repetition. She needs to be supervised in the house if food is left out, or not allowed into the kitchen at all, as food is such a temptation for her. She was found in a near starvation state so we really can’t blame her, but as she is fed regularly now she needs to learn not to steal food. She is learning but this will need to be continued on in her new home.



She does pull on leash, but walks beautifully with a Gentle Leader training halter. She isn’t thrilled about walking in the rain, but doesn’t mind trotting through puddles or walking in the lake. She is a bit uncomfortable with thunderstorms, but you can probably work her through this. She will need a coat and probably booties to keep her warm in cold weather. She has a very short coat, just like the Boxer. She will shed, but not enough to knit you a sweater.



She loves car rides and going to new places. She is a good house guest. She likes to cuddle on the sofa; actually, she tries to wrap herself around or drape herself over top of you and be as close as possible. Sometimes she pushes in behind you. She also likes to nap in patches of sun. Her ideal nap would be on your lap in the sun surrounded by her toys.



Portia considers being petted the beginning of a play session; although, she does love having her back end pet. When she wants something, she looks up at you with those big beautiful eyes, often with a lip stuck to her teeth (very sweet). You can do anything with her – take her food away, put your hand in her food dish, clean her ears, check her gums and teeth. She’s very generous with her paws, giving them to you even when you might not want them. She offers her paws to be wiped after you come in from outside and stands patiently while you dry them off, unless there’s a good toy in her line of sight that needs to be played with. She loves being toweled off. Trimming her nails is a breeze



She is house and crate trained; however, she doesn’t need to be crated, unless you have food lying about that you plan on having for dinner. Portia is a delight to live with. Her love of life makes you smile and just feel good. She is a happy, vivacious, energetic girl with a twinkle in her eye, but don’t underestimate her need to be active, propensity for rough play, and big personality. She is VERY smart and needs a family committed to taking her to obedience school and bringing the best out in this girl. She will love the focus and attention she gets at dog school and the sky is the limit in what you can teach her. She has a type A personality and needs to be in a home that can keep her busy and give her lots of exercise. If there are other dogs in the home, they need to be good with her need to play a lot and boundless energy. She will expect to interact with them in fun wrestle matches and romps. She does respect when another dog puts her in her place and will try to make amends. This girl knows what she wants and works to get it. She will respect your authority though. This little girl will keep you on your toes and have you looking forward to your next adventure together. Portia has been a true delight to foster but it is time she found her forever home now. If you are looking for an entertaining, happy, goofy companion and are an active person or family then Portia is your gal!



All Pound Dog Rescue dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, de-wormed (if required), and microchipped prior to adoption. The adoption donation of $400 is applied to assist in the costs of veterinary care and the overall care of the dog. For more information and adoption applications please consult our website at www.pounddog.ca.