Persephone

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: Persephone! 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/. Persephone was named after the Greek goddess of spring and the Queen of the Underworld. We also call her Sephy or Seph for short. She is a silly playful girl who also loves to snuggle. Persephone is a 3yr old Bernese Mountain Dog/Poodle mix, commonly called a Berndadoodle. She is 45lbs and a gorgeous tri colour. Persephone came from a puppy mill where she was used for breeding. Although she sometimes seems like a normal happy go lucky dog, she does still have a lot of fear responses from where she came from. She is sound reactive and still feels like she is going to get into trouble for being a dog. She will need a quiet home and ongoing training to continue building up her confidence. Persephone does need to go to a house with a fenced in backyard. She loves spending time in the backyard to lounge in the sun or run around with a toy in her mouth. She does still need exercise beyond her time outside. She is an active dog who will need a minimum of an hour of walking a day. She would gladly go for longer and would make an excellent adventure buddy. She has been working on her loose leash walking skills and has been doing an excellent job. She will pull or get excited to see squirrels or other dogs but she is easily redirected. She is very nervous when passing other people and does not like meeting new people on leash. Because she is still sound sensitive, she needs a generally quiet home. She has gotten used to blenders and vacuums but will still have a fear reaction to any sudden noises or movements. Persephone does not do well in crowds or spaces with a lot of people or noise. Persephone has been a joy to have in the house. She loves her stuffies and will often be doing laps with a stuffy in her mouth when excited. She is even known to have a stuffy in her mouth while going potty outside. If she's not doing laps or going for walks, she is on the couch snuggling up with her foster parents or our Bernese. Because she is a doodle, regular grooming appointments are necessary (every 6-8 weeks) otherwise she will get matted. She has been a breeze with house training and has only had one accident while with us which was her first week of being rescued. She has never had an accident in her crate overnight or throughout the day. She has gotten a lot better with going into her crate with gentle guidance. Persephone is crated through the night with minimal whining outside of when she first goes in and when she hears us waking up in the morning. She loves having something in her mouth and does not always choose a toy (remotes, shoes, gloves, etc) so being in her crate when not supervised is necessary for her safety. She does fine in the car on car rides with no barking or whining. Persephone currently lives in a house with a cat and another dog. She has never shown aggression to our cat. She very much looks to our dog for guidance on how to be a dog. She would do very well in a house with a male dog but could be fine as the only dog as well. She has shown interest in squirrels and other dogs on walks but will not bark at them or fully lunge at them. She leaves them alone when redirected. Persephone can only go to an adult only home with one with quiet and calmer natured teens. She does not do well with loud voices or sudden movements and younger children would be too startling for her. She can also be chaotic herself and would likely knock down small children. Thought should be taken in considering visiting children as well; if young children visit regularly this wont be the right fit for her. Persephone has mainly been working on come and leave it and being well trained on her walks. She will need ongoing training to build up confidence. Persephone has been diagnosed with lyme disease. In the mill she wasn’t treated with 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 she is completely free of symptoms and is an otherwise healthy dog and Lyme disease is a very manageable disease. Persephone does not require any medication at this time as her protein levels are normal. 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. Sephy has no idea she has this disease and is in every way a happy dog. She has been cleared to be adopted as there is no reason to hold her back.. Our vet team also had a good look at her mouth when she was in for her spay. She doesn’t need any dental work now but she will need dental work in the future potentially. She has a few chipped teeth from her time in the mill. These teeth do not have any roots or nerves exposed so didn’t need removal at this time, but may in the future. She will likely need a cleaning in her future as well which is normal and to be expected when dogs age. Persephone is a loveable doodle who wants to play and snuggle up with her people. She will need a home that understands that she is still a traumatized dog who will need patience and guidance. She is still a flight risk and needs a home that will have a fenced in yard. She has so much life in her still and with good training and a lot of love, she will continue to grow and gain confidence. If you are looking for a dog to play with, go for long walks with, and watch Netflix on the couch- this is the dog for you! Name: Persephone ID # PDR1497 Age: 3yrs Gender: female Spayed: yes UTD vaccines: yes Breed: Bernese Mountain Dog/Poodle Colours: tri Coat length: med House trained: yes Special needs: yes, see bio OK with kids: teens OK with cats: yes Ok with dogs: yes Status: adoptable Microchip: yes Size: large Location: Kitchener Adoption fee: $800

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