Persimmon

My story

Meet Persimmon !! A very sweet and loving girl. She is one of the now 22 dogs we have taken in from a horrible hoarding situation. She survived being in a feces covered home during freezing temps with no heat, no water and no electricity for a very long time. She’s made a lot of progress but still has a ways to go. Persimmon is approx. 3 years old. She is a female Yorkie mix best guess. She weighs 11 Pounds and is full grown. She will be spayed, up to date on vaccines and microchipped as part of her adoption. She is heartworm negative and on monthly preventions. She is shy and submissive at first and takes time to adjust to new people. She becomes comfortable with women faster than men. It’s a process of building trust with a dog that’s been neglected like this. Persimmon has done well with other dogs of all sizes and ages but she can be shy and scared with them at first. She loves the lab in the house but otherwise is indifferent to having another dog around. She is not fostered with cats so we do not know how she will do but we suspect she would do fine. She is not fostered with kids but we think she would do well with calmer older kids. She will need kids and adults in the home to be willing to give her space and time to adjust to them and feel safe. As with any dog she would need any children in the house to be respectful and not treat her like a toy. Persimmon is mostly crate trained. She uses her crate as her safe place at times but can be whiny when locked in. She’s getting better about not going to the bathroom in her crate. She will try to alert you that she needs to go out, but you have to be quick enough. She has done very well on car rides and does not get sick. She had clearly never been on a leash before and was terrified of it at first. With the use of a harness, she has gotten better about it but still has a long way to go. She is terrified of baths and turns into a mini velociraptor. She will need work to feel safe at bath time. She is not fully potty trained. She came from a place where they were trapped inside and had no options for going anywhere else. She is doing better and bringing some treats outside helps her relax and feel comfortable doing her business out there. She is slowly figuring things out but her new owner will just need to be patient and understanding given her history. Persimmon had to fight for limited food in her last home and due to this she is allowed to eat separately here. Dogs coming from horrific situations like this may have lasting issues sharing food with other dogs. She is fine with people around her food and takes treats gently. She may end up able to eat around other dogs but she may not. She has not shown any signs of food aggression when other dogs walk by her crate when she is eating but that is as far as it has been tested. It is easy enough to feed her in her crate to allow her to feel safe and secure after what she has been through. She has a low energy level so far. We do expect when she is more comfortable that her energy level may increase. She has started to have playful moments now that she is settling in. Shes starting to enjoy getting attention and has started coming to us when called. Shes is very food motivated and we are using that to help her trust people. Overall persimmon is working hard to overcome a rough start to life. She is so sweet and really wants to trust and feel safe. We think she will end up being a cuddly little dog. If you are willing to help her learn the rest of her training and give her some time to trust you then you will end up with a great addition to your family. ***Do not apply to adopt one of these hoarding case dogs if you’re not serious about giving them time to adjust. It’s absolutely unfair to expect them to adjust in a day or two. We’ve had 3 adopted and returned within 24 hours of adoption for not being immediately settled and perfect in a completely new place. All returned for things we explained upfront about them. It’s completely unreasonable and unrealistic to expect that from dogs that have been through what they have. The last thing they need is to be shuffled around due to adopters not listening or being serious about their needs*** Vet and home checks required. Located in Hampton VA. (She will need to be adopted within a 1 hour drive radius) ‼️Please message us directly at VillageDogResource@gmail.com with questions or to get an application. For more pics and faster response visit our facebookpage.

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