Dog Name: Valentina
Breed: Mixed breed
Sex: Female
Age: Somewhere between 5-7yrs old… it’s a mystery.
Weight: 50lbs, and working on a few more.
Medical Needs: Val has suffered with skin issues for several years and seems that they were never fully resolved and therefore recur easily. This time around, we are treating her skin infection with antibiotics and steroids and her skin is finally on the way to a full recovery. She was continuing to itch so allergies can’t be ruled out at this stage. Her itching was resolved with a cytopoint injection (on 2/12), but it is important to monitor her closely and have her re-evaluated by a vet if the chewing/itching returns.
Housebroken: Yes
Crate trained: Yes, is crated for up to 8 hours during the day a few days per week and sleeps overnight in her crate. She will paw/bite at the crate door at times but is easily verbally corrected and will settle.
Good in the car: She’s ok – sometimes she’s chill, other times she’s busy and climbing around. If your vehicle can accommodate a travel crate, that’s probably a better option (at least at first).
Good on a leash: Leash walks are a work in progress and will require continued practice (which we’ll continue doing as long as she’s here!) – she shows an intense interest toward other dogs on leash and will pull toward them when passing.
Energy level: Medium – she’s a playful girl who likes to walk, run & play ball but has a great off switch in the house.
Need a fenced in yard: Tricky question… Not if you’re willing and able to work on her leash manners and will adequately exercise her with walks. That said, if you plan to use a fenced yard for exercise, she is not to be left out unsupervised. Val has been thru the shelter system twice already, both times after being picked up as a stray… statistically speaking, as a black pit bull looking dog, it’s a miracle she even has this chance at a forever home so please understand the importance of keeping her safely confined.
Dog Friendly: Yes – Val currently lives with an older, low key male and a young, spunky female (both similar sized bully breeds). She is rambunctious with playful dogs but can be neutral around neutral dogs. She’s definitely a bit “frisky” with the males, if you know what I mean, so play should be supervised while she’s learning what’s appropriate.
If yes, does your foster need another dog in its adoptive homes? No
Cat Friendly? No
Kid Friendly: Val has had some exposure to kids in a previous foster home but no recent or first hand experiences. She is generally pretty gentle so I think she’d be ok.
If yes, what's the youngest child you'd recommend they be placed with? I’d defer to parents on this one.
Special traits that make your foster special or that we need to know about them? Valentina is like a cat with 9 lives – she’s escaped the shelter system twice now and we honestly can’t figure out why she ended up there in the first place. She’s super sweet, friendly, snuggly, playful and has the most soulful eyes that make you want to melt. She does these cute spazzy play bows when she’s excited about something and is so light on her feet that we joke she’s like a baby gazelle hopping around the house. She’s a little Velcro-like, but not the annoying kind. The kind where she chooses to quietly curl up under the desk as I’m working from home - even though she has free reign of the rest of the house - just to keep me company… or where she promptly hops up to follow if I peel away from our couch snuggle, even if just to grab a quick drink. Val’s ideal home is one willing to give her ample time to settle in… after all, she has been bounced around quite a bit in her life. We’re hoping to find someone(s) looking for true companionship, who will give her the time and attention she deserves. She isn’t a dog that wants to entertain herself, you can tell she genuinely enjoys the human connection. Canine friends are fun too, but just as a bonus and not as the primary source of attention. She takes direction extremely well, and it’s important that you give that to her to maintain her good behavior.
*When Val arrived, she was grossly underweight and in overall poor physical condition. It is not uncommon for malnourished/neglected dogs to display some level of guarding around food and/or high value treats/bones. Val is fed separately from other dogs in her foster home and should continue to be moving forward to avoid any potential conflict.
Fosters Location: Elkton, MD
Application can be found here: https://www.grrde.org/adoption-application (if you already have an approved application on file email GrassRootsDE@gmail.com and ask the app team to pull your app
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