Size
(when grown) Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
Details
Not good with kids,
Not good with dogs,
Good with cats,
Needs special attention,
Needs experienced adopter,
House-trained,
Story
FOSTERED IN: Tinley Park, IL 60477
ESTIMATED DOB: 12/2013
WEIGHT: 19 lbs
KIDS: No
DOGS: No
CATS: Some
HISTORY:
Frankie came to us from a suburban animal control facility.
ABOUT:
Frankie is a special-needs dog who is looking for that perfect home who may have experience with anxious and quirky dogs.
Frankie is reliably housetrained. He hilariously chomps air-food while you are eating...in case you were wondering if he wanted you to share. For fun Frankie likes walks, car rides, and orange toys.
Frankie loves his car rides, but he needs to wear a doggy seatbelt or else he will sit in every seat in the car. He does need assistance to get out of the car, but usually not in. He walks well on a leash - except when he really wants to get to something like his favorite friends like the mail lady (More on that later!) He enjoys shorter leisurely walks where he can sniff every blade of grass. He loves to play with toys at home, but has an undeniable affinity for orange toys.
Frankie’s foster mom has put a lot of work into his training and he knows sit, tap, turn, and up - but he will 100% forget everything he knows if you don’t have a treat to offer. Nothing is free in this world. Frankie LOVES treats and food, so buddy is on weight management food.
So why is Frankie special needs? Frankie likely has anxiety that causes him to be reactive at times. He has been under the care of a Veterinary Behaviorist to help him grow through training, management, and medication. He doesn’t always love visitors coming to his house. He welcomes a gentle pet from a stranger outside, but if that person comes in his house it is stranger danger. Some days he doesn’t mind someone new coming in - other days he does. Frankie will do best in a home without a lot of visitors as this is a known stressor for him.
While he absolutely adores his foster mom she always gives him the ability to control their interactions. She does not force attention on him when she wants, but allows him to solicit it from her. The behaviorist believes that “trigger stacking” is a component of his behavior. If the garbage man lingers too long, and the mail lady sorts mail too long by the door - he might be more reactive that evening. I think we can all understand how anxiety builds.
When Frankie feels overwhelmed he will snap at people. So far, he has been fairly reliable to growl as a warning (never correct a growling dog!). But anyone who adopts Frankie must truly understand how important their responsibility is to keep Frankie happy and healthy. He will need to be on a leash while visitors are over, and his adopter must recognize that sometimes visitors will be too much for him and he will react worse some days than others. As Frankie’s adopter - it will be your job to advocate for him and manage interactions with strangers, even out on the street. Frankie always gets to lead the interactions. He should only be pet if he is obviously asking for it. People can’t cup his face in their hands or loom over him. The same goes for an adopter’s interactions with him, “oh but he knows me” is not the right phrase for a dog like Frankie. He might know you AND love you, but we all aren’t our best selves when anxiety is involved.
Remember the mail lady? He LOVES her if he sees her out on the sidewalk on a walk. Absolutely cannot wait to see her. If she brings the mail to the house - absolutely hates her, she must leave now, how dare she deliver letters!
Frankie will do alert/alarm barking if he can see people outside or hear them, so he will do best in a detached home. He will also bark if he is left in his crate for too long while you are home. (“Hey, don’t forget about me!”) Frankie is used to being crated while his foster mom is gone and goes in willingly, although she uses a little treat trail to make it fun and easy. He seems to be very quiet while crated at home alone. Frankie’s foster works from home so he does not spend terribly long periods of time alone.
One of Frankie’s big modifications is that he is not allowed to look out the windows. It “seems” like he loves it - but it is actually an anxious alert behavior. He isn’t actually enjoying it - he can’t relax because he has to be on high alert.
When Frankie first came to Lulu’s he was experiencing something called “sleep startle” - this is when they wake up in a state of high alert and will snap at anything nearby. This is NOT a behavior to be trained out - it is a subconscious behavior that has been largely controlled with medication for Frankie. Even though this behavior has not been seen in a while - care must be taken to never touch or startle Frankie while he is sleeping.
Frankie is fairly independent and doesn’t demand much from his foster mom, outside of consistency and patience. He doesn’t need or want constant attention, but he will always be near you. He’s just a great little companion for a consistent, understanding owner.
As you can imagine Frankie should not be around children as it will be too difficult to manage both Frankie and the children’s unpredictable behaviors. We also know that he would prefer to be an only dog due to experiences in a previous foster home. That previous foster home did have a cat. He was curious and responded appropriately when he tried to sneak a peek of the cat on the bed - who told him to buzz off in no uncertain terms! He would likely do well with independent cats who like to sleep places he can’t be, and aren’t afraid to tell him to get lost.
A lot of Frankie’s behaviors are centered around the home, so he does very well at the vet, the groomer, and in boarding. Although Frankie cannot live with other dogs, he is indifferent to them in public. He might give them a passing glance on the street or in the vet or groomers office but does not bark nor choose to interact with them.
Frankie’s foster has really put her heart into Frankie and he has come such a long way. Before adoption we would schedule an appointment with the adopter and our veterinary behaviorist (at our expense) to make sure the adopter understands how to continue setting Frankie up for success.
More information and our adoption application can be found at www.luluslockerrescue.org.
