Foster Update: Meet Rita! This girl is a Project Homebound graduate, and with that under her doggy belt she's ready to leave the shelter system!
Her foster says: Rita is the sweetest girl! She is very affectionate and bubbly. She has done so well in an apartment and is completely house/crate trained (she does extremely well in her crate). She can be energetic at times, but she can also be calm and will sleep through the whole night! She loves treats, toys, and being petted.
Here is some more info about her:
- She is extremely loving. She always wants to be petted and loves snuggling with people!
- She is house trained/crate trained. She will go right in her crate when you tell her to.
- She can sleep in a bed or her crate and does well in both, she sleeps through the whole night!
- She loves toys, especially her stuffed squirrel.
- She is good with people. Aside from two isolated incidences of being defensive towards guests, she has been great. She has never had an issue with ANYONE initially entering the apartment. She was able to quickly move past her defensiveness towards the individuals and loved being petted by them.
- She does great on a leash. Aside from occasional pulling or getting a bit worked up seeing other dogs, she is very easy to walk. I have not felt threatened at all on our walks around my complex and she listens to me well.
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Update: Rita has graduated from Project Homebound, the Jail Dog Program, and is ready for her forever home! She's spent the past few months being trained by inmates at corrections and knows all the basic commands as well as some other commands, too. She showed me how well she can sit, shake, lie down, and come. She'd also hop on the table when asked. Before showing me her skills, Rita had a good time playing with toys. She's an active girl and playing fetch is a great way for her to get her energy out. When she'd return with her toy, she was good about sitting and trading it for a treat. Rita is a happy girl and loves being with people. It was great being with her today, but I hope she finds her forever home soon. Upon adoption, she comes with two free training sessions from Bone-A-Fide Dog Training!
For more information about Project Homebound, please go to https://athenspets.net/project-homebound/.
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Rita is part of Project Homebound, Athens-Clarke County's Dog Training Program! For more information about Project Homebound, please go to https://athenspets.net/project-homebound/.
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Doggy-Day-Out update: Rita had a fun day out at Pittard Park today! We started with a brisk walk around the park; she hasn't had many (if any) outings since she came to the shelter, and she had some energy to work out! Once she'd settled down a bit, we met the other volunteers with Athenspets - GA at the Marigold Market. She was friendly when meeting both adults and children. She desperately wanted to play with the other dogs, and she enjoyed meeting them, though it wasn't an appropriate space for playing. She was already a superstar with "sit", so while we where there, I worked with her on lying down, rolling over, spin, up, and off. While she's not a pro at these after one day, she did demonstrate that she is very smart and eager to learn.
When the market was over, we took a surprise adventure - a train ride around town! I'm assuming this was a new experience for her, but she settled in easily and enjoyed the ride!
Rita
๐พ 2 yo, spayed, UTD on everything
๐พ Playful and fun
๐พ Smart and eager to learn
๐พ Friendly with humans of all ages
๐พ Desperately wants to play with new dogs; calm around them after introductions
๐พ Loads easily into car and rides well
๐พ Minimal pulling on the leash, but when she does, she's strong. She's easily redirected and goes back to walking nicely easily.
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Rita tested positive for heartworms upon impound but has been treated and is now available for adoption. To learn more about heartworms, including how to prevent them, please go to https://www.heartwormsociety.org/.
