Meet Madison, who should really be named 'Mo' for the distinctive and ever-present Mohawk on her head! She is a fully vetted, short-haired mini dachshund of 6 years, relatively fresh out of a puppy mill. Madison is searching for someone who has a heart large enough to be willing to teach this sweet girl all the joys of being a dog now that her mill life is behind her! She's currently learning how nice it is to sit on her human's lap and be pet, how tasty treats can be, and how incredible a walk and a car-ride can smell...it’s hard to believe that at 6 years of age these are all firsts for her!
Outside Madison has begun her orientation to 'walks' and is loving them! She's determined to walk right next to you and keeps her nose to the ground so she doesn't miss a thing. She does not appear to have a bark or hunter complex, though if another human passes you on the street she will stand still until the human has passed you. Madison is showing amazing progress in the area of trust, but still has a ways to go, like any mill dog. Madison will warm up to you fairly quickly but still cowers when you reach for her too quickly and feels most comfortable with resting in the absolute corner of the room where she can see everything, or standing behind you where she can always see you. Overnight she's most comfortable in her small crate; though it may seem counter-intuitive to return her to a setting that she was stuck in for so long, her comfortable crate makes her feel safe enough that she can relax and sleep
Madison appears to be extremely versatile in what type of future home she can handle, though there are several scenarios that would be ideal, including:
- she would be well suited towards a home with low-activity - she can handle boisterous activity, multiple dogs and children quite well, but she is also very content to sit still and observe all day long;
- she can handle living with other dogs; she's currently living with 2 other dogs (one large and one other mini dachshund); she'll ignore them as she chooses, but the mini-dachshund partner has been instrumental in teaching her some of the ways of being a dog. For down time, she loves to sit close with them and be part of the pack;
- she can handle living with many young children, however given her history with the mill and retained fear of humans, a home with humans who understand the importance of moving slowly with her would be better for her!
To help her with her house-training, Madison would do well with someone who doesn't leave her for more than a 5-hour stretch of time so she can be let outside; otherwise a space with designated pee-mats have been mostly successful if you need to be gone longer
Madison is a gorgeous, sweet and gentle gal! Her foster mom says it is virtually impossible not to fall in love with her! Could you be lucky enough to provide Madison with her first forever home?
