Piper

My story

Piper is a special needs dog, not because she has physical or health impediment, but because she has had a hard past. In the beginning she was afraid of us and our dog Ginger, so she kept trying to avoid us and moved as far away as she could every time we moved.We feel Piper makes the perfect house dog. Piper is very happy, and content to be at home with her pack, alert and always guarding and protecting her home. Piper is house and potty trained, she doesn’t get up on the furniture or anything that she shouldn’t, only bites and chews on the doggie toys… however, she will eat cardboard sometimes or the occasional napkin, if any ends up on the floor.We feel it could be better for her to be with another dog, but they would have to be properly introduced and she would need time to feel comfortable and gain confidence with the dog, it took about two weeks to interact with Ginger.She loves to go on walks every day, she used to react to all the strangers she passed and dogs on a leash, as well, not anymore , she is getting so much better, she loves to do head rolls on the green grass, she plays rough, makes rough sounds and likes to jump up and down like a little goat when playing.She came to us as Sombra on February 14th 2022, recently changed to Piper as the trainer recommended, any name but Sombra.Even though she couldn’t share with us in words, we knew by her behavior how scared and withdrawn she was. She got so very scared, so easy, outside and sometimes even inside the house. Her reactions, which were based on fear told us what we needed to know.We regret the fact that we didn’t take videos of the “before and after” so that people could really see how much she has changed. She changed from Sombra to Piper!After several months we saw and felt how she had changed and keeps changing for the better, trusting, playing and looking for affection, it was much faster with Ginger, who gave her the space and the time that she needed. After two weeks or so, Sombra started interacting and playing with her, Ginger gave her and gives her confidence.Piper is still afraid of strangers, so needless to say it is better to keep her at bay to avoid accidents.You need to be aware that when somebody that is not part of her pack visits her home, she gets very protective/aggressive, so is better to put her on a leash or in a different room, we are working with her.When she is in new places or environments she gets defensive or scared and tries to hide away.We discovered that she forgets her fears, when there is a tennis size ball for her to fetch and play with, she is so happy, a very sporty dog. We haven’t tried a frisbee, yet. However, the ball does magic for her! Most of the time she jumps and catches the ball and brings it back to us, all her focus is in that ball. And she will keep on playing until we take the ball away.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Piper, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.