Hi, I'm Sapphie! I've had a pretty unique journey in my short life. Back in 2022 when I was a puppy, maybe 8 or 9 months old, I was abandoned at MaxFund with fractures in my leg and pelvis and a couple other medical concerns. I was sick...I was injured...I was in a lot of pain. You can imagine how scary that was for me! Thankfully, I've made a full recovery after receiving lots of TLC and medical care at the shelter.
Part of that TLC was realizing that I have some food sensitivities that were contributing to ear infections and sores in my mouth. I should be on a hydrolyzed protien diet from here on out to minimize these issues! After about a year of treatment and living in and out of foster care, I was finally adopted! I lived with my wonderful adopter for six happy months until their job required them to move overseas. Unfortunatey, with the way things worked out, I was not able to go along with them. They made the hard call to bring me back to MaxFund in late March, and I've been here ever since!
My previous owner had these notes to share about me:
"Sapphie is a very loyal dog. She's been through a lot, so it normal for her to take a few days to warm up to you, but once she likes you, she'll always be by your side.
She is very cuddly, loves to take naps together, she is very respectful and obedient. She won't climb onto the bed or couch unless you invite her. She loves walks, loves to play fetch. Her favorite toy is a blue & red ball.
She likes to hike although her paws are very sensitive, so they can get raw from the dirt and sand. Ideally the new owner should have her use boots. I've tried for a couple of weeks but she didn't really cared for them so I left it alone, but I think if the new owner persists she might come around.
She is house trained however she might have a couple accidents in the beginning since she isn't used to the new house, and please, I can't stress this enough, she gets very anxious and nervous when it happens. My guess is that her old owner used to beat her when she had accidents, so it is very important not to yell at her or reprimand her in a way that she feels threatened.
She does like to pull the leash, so I usually use the front clip on her harness to prevent that she pulls hard. Like any dog, she absolutely loves to chase rabbits and squirrels, I know she isn't 100% pitbull, so I think she might have some hunting dog genes in her."
As you can see, I've had a bit of a challenging life so far, so I hope that my next destination will give me a long life full of love, fetch, and snuggles. I hope my next family will be patient, encouraging, and gentle with me as I navigate my fear of strangers and grow my confidence! I have not yet been around children or cats, but I do get along decently with dogs my size. If you have other human or canine members of the household, please bring them with you to the shelter when you come to meet me to make sure we all get along. You'll probably have to come see me a few times before I'm entirely comfortable with you, but I promise it will be worth your while!
