Katie

My story

**IF THIS LISTING IS STILL POSTED THIS DOG IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. NO NEED TO EMAIL ASKING IF THE DOG IS AVAILABLE. PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS BIO THOROUGHLY AS INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY IS CONTAINED IN THIS LISTING** For Adoption: Katie! Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. We at PDR believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process. To apply for adoption and for more information on our process and requirements, visit our website at https://pounddog.ca/adoption-info/. This shy little girl is Katie. Katie is 4 year old English Bulldog weighing in at just over 40 lbs. She has a beautiful soft silky golden coat with a white patch on her chest. In typical bulldog fashion, Katie has a corkscrew tail and an under bite that makes her look grumpy. But Katie is far from being a grumpy dog. She has a lovely, sweet, gentle nature and loves nothing more than being cuddled and petted. Katie came into foster care with her breeding companion from a breeding for profit puppy mill operation. They were not producing puppies so they were discarded as they served no financial purpose. This worked out great for Katie because now she can find a loving family that will appreciate her for the wonderful dog she is and not just as a commodity. Katie has been a very easy dog to foster, she didn’t even bark her first nights here and she would indicate by whimpering and shifting on her feet she needed to go outside to the bathroom. Katie will need to find a home that will help her build up her confidence as she is very submissive and will has tendency to roll on her back when you touch her or put her coat on. She will also sit on your feet and push into your legs for security. That being said, this lovely girl is “move in ready”. She loves anyone who will pet her. And as an added bonus she is housebroken and is generally well behaved in the house. She bathes and grooms well and even enjoys the massaging feel of the spray nozzle. She is okay with the blow dryer too. Anyone adopting Katie should be aware that as part of the grooming requirements the folds of her face will need to be cleaned regularly so she does not get skin infections. She is good with this, but doesn’t like the smell of the face wipes. A soft baby cloth and soapy water would also work. Katie has a playful side and is all wiggles and bounces when you engage her in play. But when she is not, playing, wandering around sniffing things, or getting some love, she will sit or sleep quietly near you or in her crate. She walks beautifully on a leash and does not react to other dogs walking by. If they bark or lunge at her though she will hide behind your legs or move herself as far away from the other dog as her leash will allow. With more respectful dogs, Katie will air sniff and stand quietly if her foster mom stops to chat to other dog walkers. She would do well in either a house or apartment as her exercise need are minimal and she rarely barks. She may occasionally whimper when she wants to get your attention. She will let you know when she is out of water (she drinks a lot), or its getting close to dinner time. As mentioned her exercise needs are minimal, a couple short walks a couple times a day and she is happy. Potential adopters should know that bulldogs being a brachycephalic breed (short nosed) have difficulty breathing and prone to overheating, therefore overexertion and exercise in extreme heat and humidity should be avoided. Katie enjoys being a couch potato and so would love to go to a family or person that is not looking for an athletic breed. She is more of a “lets hang out and watch a movie” kind of dog. When Katie first came into foster care, she did not want to go into her crate as she was craving affection and just wanted to be near you. Now she will go in her crate on command, and often goes in on her own when she wants her quiet time. She will also sometimes put herself to bed at night and then if you don’t close her door, she will come out of her crate, look at you and then put herself back in the crate as if to say close my door please. She also crates well in the car and rides quietly. She will eat and drink both in or out of her crate. She finds her crate a place of comfort and will run in her crate if she is feeling insecure. As Katie is not dog reactive and does like to try and get her companion to play with her, she would also be okay with another calm male dog in the home with a slow introduction. A respectful male of similar size would be ideal. Katie will not be suited for a home with a female dog. Since Katie is a shy girl she was initially overwhelmed when the grandkids came to visit and would lay down submissively while being petted. But after a couple of hours she came out of her shell and would watch curiously from a distance. Katie would be fine with older less rambunctious kids ages 10 and up, but would prefer a quieter, less active home where she can be the center of attention. She LOVES attention. An adult only home or one with teens would be best suited for her, but most important is a quiet home as she doesn’t like a lot of commotion. It is not known at this time how Katie would react to cats or other small animals. Given her gentle personality she may be okay with them with proper introductions. Katie did not know any commands when she came into care but she naturally wants to walk beside you although she has not learned a command for this. She will stop when you stop and turn around when you do and she will wait patiently if you stop to talk to someone on her walk. She has since learned “sit”, “in your crate” and “ go” (meaning move forward as she tends to try and sit on your feet as your walking, “wait”, “lets go” , “outside (head to the back door) ” and “look at me” and “off”, as she sometimes will try to jump up on you . She is stilling working towards consistently following these requests. We are also currently working on the “stand” command as she likes to roll over when her winter coat is being put on. She also knows an informal “here” command and “up “(put her front feet on the bumper so she can be lifted into the back of the car. Katie would benefit greatly from continued and consistent training. Training helps to create a bond, build trust and provide mental stimulation and this will help to build up her confidence. It will be required for her adopters to enroll Katie in a basic training class. At the vets Katie is very docile and amiable to work with. She has recently been spayed and is now up to date with her vaccines and preventative medications. Katie has been diagnosed with lyme disease disease. Her previous owner obviously didn’t have her on the preventative which would have ensured she was protected from this disease. Lyme disease is a preventable disease that is spread by ticks. This disease is in Southern Ontario and we are seeing more and more of it as each year passes. We are a rescue that heartworm/lyme tests all of the dogs we take in for exactly this reason. The good news is that Kate is completely free of symptoms and is an otherwise healthy dog and Lyme disease is a very manageable disease. Katie is currently on a medication that will lower her protein levels in her urine and then doesn’t need any more treatments unless she has a flair up. We have had other dogs in our program that have had lyme disease and those dogs were managed successfully and all are living active and healthy lives. Katie has no idea she has this disease and is in every way a happy dog. Katie has been cleared to be adopted as there is no reason to hold her back. Potential adopters should take the time to research the bulldog breed. Bulldogs have been specifically bred with a unique physiology that unfortunately predisposes them to certain health problems. Anyone interested in Katie should familiarize themselves the health issues and the characteristics that are specific to bulldogs and be financially able to manage the needs of a Bulldog before making a commitment to adopt her. If you are looking for a wonderful companion dog to love and snuggle and that is easy to live with, then Katie may be the dog for you. She is very affectionate and has an amazing personality. She loves anyone who will cuddle with her. With a bit of confidence building she will be the best friend you can take anywhere. Who will comfort you on cold winter nights, whose big brown eyes will calm you and who will make you laugh with her little wiggles and prancing. Name: Katie ID # PDR1463 Age: 4yrs Gender: female Spayed: yes UTD vaccines: yes Breed: English Bulldog Colours: tan Coat length: short House trained: yes Special needs: yes, see bio OK with kids: older OK with cats: unknown Ok with dogs: yes Status: adoptable Microchip: yes Size: med Location: Guelph Adoption fee: $700

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