Dog Name: Pouloma
Breed: Terrier mix
Sex: Female
Age: 3 years-ish
Weight: approx 25 lbs
Medical Needs:
Due to the neglect she received in her previous life, she has chronic dry eye. She receives drops once a day in each eye, and will need these continued for the foreseeable future. These cost approximately $50 every two months.
Pouloma received HW treatment 10/24/23. She will need to be retested in April; upon testing negative she will need to be scheduled for a spay appt. Keeping the appointment once scheduled is a condition of adoption.
Adopters must either live in DE or within 1 hour of where the appointment is, and must agree to keeping the appointment prior to a meet being scheduled.
Housebroken: NOPE. She is absolutely terrified of the outside world. Her foster mom takes her out twice a day, hoping that one day she’ll feel comfortable enough. It hasn’t happened yet. Pouloma uses pee pads in the house. Upon adopting you will have to figure out where she is most comfortable peeing, and place the pee pads there. It will not work the other way around (she does not recognize the pee pad as a potty spot).
Crate trained: when you first adopt her she will probably never want to leave her crate. You, her adopter, will have to force her out of the crate twice a day for “sunshine time” and she will slowly warm up to you and venture out. Her crate is her safe space and she should always have access to entry. Currently, she LOVES her soft bed that is next to her crate, and only goes in her crate when incredibly overwhelmed by loud noises or strange people.
Good in the car: her foster mom has taken her to two events and countless vet appts, and Pouloma has JUST stopped peeing in the car. She was so terrified of the outside world that she would pee in the car. We would put a pee pad and a towel down on the seat to accommodate her accidents.
Good on a leash: she freezes in the outside world, so leash walks are a thing of the incredibly optimistic (or delusional… we haven’t decided which we are yet )
Energy level: she will stroll through the house when you’re asleep, or not looking. But other than that she is curled up on her bed staring at you.
Dog Friendly: yes
If yes, does your foster need another dog in its adoptive homes? ABSOLUTELY. Pouloma will NEED other dogs in the home. Although she will not be your dog’s best friend (at least in the way YOU imagine it), she needs other dogs to make her feel safe and comfortable. She will give nose boops and wander around to check on our residents, but does not engage in playtime.
Cat Friendly: yes, she loves her kitty friends and supervises their play from her throne.
Kid Friendly: no
If yes, what's the youngest child you'd recommend they be placed with? Pouloma is scared and timid, and needs a LOOOONG time to get used to a home. Rambunctious noisy children that are running around all the time will set her back, not help her move forward. She will also howl if someone is raising their voice too loud/angrily.
Special traits that make your foster special or that we need to know about them:
If you’ve made it this far in her bio, thanks for sticking around! You may wonder why she’s even adoptable, but keep reading!
Pouloma became a #GRRgirl in July 2023. She was brought up from down south, seized in a hoarding situation. Her other housemates have since been adopted out, but poor Princess P has been so scared and shutdown that she’s taken a lot longer. Chronic dry eye, scruffy skin, HW+, underweight, and saggy momma titties all tell a story of neglect and abuse that we can barely even imagine. Her eyes showed that her soul had given up hope a long time ago. She shakes like a leaf at any given moment, waiting for the abuse to come.
Now that she’s in rescue, her old life is slowly disappearing. She receives loving pats every time we walk by (whether she wants them or not ) and kind words regardless of where she goes to the bathroom or what she does. In turn, she has VERY VERY SLOWLY grown into a quietly curious girl who gives every new foster a nose boop through the kennel. We have a shelf full of “dog towels”, and she loves creeping over to pull Every Single One off the shelf when you’re not in the room. We come in the room to see her on top of her towel throne. Treats have to be placed in a container in a cabinet because she will scale an open shelf or cat tree better than the foster’s own cats do.
We love seeing her personality blossom, and the little tail wags when we approach mean the world to us. Having her accept a treat from your hand makes all the pads and poop cleanup SO worth it.
Pouloma will need an adopter that is willing to continue her growth. Twice a day trips outside to sit on the step, once a month car rides to get treats or pup cups, even if she doesn’t initially want to go. She’s been in her foster home for SEVEN MONTHS and is just now feeling bold enough to walk around the house while making eye contact.
Please do not apply for her looking for a companion that will give you butt-wiggles and jump off the furniture when you get home. Your reward will come from watching the light slowly enter her eyes, the small tail wags when you come inside, her lowkey mischievous antics (like catching her climbing the cat tree).
Pouloma has a long road ahead of her and what she is now might be her “normal”. While she waits for her perfectly patient person, her foster home will continue to show her how wonderful the world can be and celebrate her brave accomplishments.
Fosters Location: Dover, DE
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) —
##1784436##
