My name is Iris Joan!

Iris is a sweet and energetic 6-week-old female Australian Shepherd Mix puppy looking for her forever home. With her soft, fluffy coat and endless cuteness, Iris is sure to capture your heart from the moment you meet her. Iris is playful, curious, affectionate, and attention-seeking. She enjoys cuddling up in a person’s lap or with another dog.

Iris would make a wonderful addition to your family having so much enthusiasm for life. She gets along well with other dogs so can be a second dog in the household or be the only dog. She is still very young, so she will need a family willing to help her learn the basics, such as house training and manners, with patience and positive reinforcement. Iris is eager to please and responds enthusiastically to gentle guidance.

• Toys and Chews: Anything that squeaks or rolls instantly captures Iris’s attention. She loves plush animals, especially the ones bigger than her. Teething is a new adventure, so puppy-safe chews are a necessity as she explores the world through her mouth. Iris has a very short attention span because she’s a typical puppy. She starts playing with one toy then suddenly sees a different toy or sees something else going on and forgets about the toy she was playing with.
• Napping: When Iris decides she is done playing she takes a short nap wherever she is including behind the sofa or on the floor next to a person sitting at a computer. Heads up – she does snore a little!
• Outdoor Explorations: Outside in the yard becomes an exciting outing as Iris sniffs every blade of grass and dirt. Occasionally, she’ll try to eat a leaf but will stop when foster mom says “no”.
• Feet: She likes showing her affection with gentle, playful nibbles on toes. And watch out not to trip when you are walking because she is right there walking with you.

Iris has initial separation anxiety when being left alone in the crate which causes whining, howling, and constant movement trying to get out then will calm down after about 15 minutes. Iris was very calm in the crate when another dog was in there with her (she has always been with her siblings until now). Being a puppy who gets into everything (fyi - she loves electrical cords) she needs to be kept in a crate for her safety when no one is home. Iris has had a lot of changes recently and at the permanent adopter’s house she should feel more secure and hopefully become more comfortable in the crate by herself.  

Due to being a puppy Iris was never exposed to walking on a leash therefore the adopter will need to help her become comfortable with a collar and leash on.

Iris likes going potties outside in the yard and will go a few times when she is let out there. But she will sometimes go potties in the house since she is still learning how to hold it for periods of time. The foster family is proud of the progress she is making with potty-training and with her new family keeping up with the same instructions and routine she will easily become housebroken. 

Iris and her three siblings (Ivy, Callie, and Bernie) came into the 4 Lucky Dogs Pet Rescue at the same time and are all very happy living in foster homes. The owner that surrendered the puppies told us the mother is an Australian Shephard mix but did not know who the dad was so 4LD is unsure how big Iris will get – just see that she has large paws so are expecting her to be a large dog.

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Iris will need to have the remainder of shots that are required for puppies. She also needs to be spayed before the adoption can be considered as final, which follows the rescue organization’s guidelines. The adoption fee covers puppy shots, rabies shot, dewormer, microchip, and spay which will be completed over the next 3 months.

She can go to her permanent home now, but the adopter must be willing to take Iris to one of the rescue veterinary clinics for the remainder of her vetting. Our facilities are in Riverview, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota so her new owner will need to live close to one of those locations (adopter’s choice) and plan to travel there a few different times.

With rescue organizations the adoption is not considered complete until all the puppy vet needs are done so that is why she is considered as “pre-adopt”.

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Iris’s adoption fee is $620. She is currently being fostered in the Plant City area.

The average lifespan for this breed is 15 years. Therefore, Iris’s adopter will need to be prepared to care for her for that amount of time so she will not have to move to a different home.

***We are a foster-based rescue with no shelter or facility to view our dogs, and our address is a mailing address only. Please be patient as we are an all-volunteer rescue, and our rescue dogs are in various loving foster homes throughout West-Central Florida. As a general rule we try to limit our adoptions to within the state of FL. If interested in one of our dogs, please fill out a foster or adoption application at www.4luckydogs.org, and we will contact you by phone/text if we feel your application is the best fit out of the ones received.***