Lady

Hoover, Alabama
Female Age: 4 (DOB 2/22/2019) 21# Healthy! Adoption donation: $500
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION 🏡 Someone home at least part of the day 🌱 Safe and secured fenced yard 🐶 Canine companion of similar size & temperament 💜 Older, gentle children okay 🛑 If you do not check ALL of the above requirements, your application will not pass the screening process for consideration. We do not compromise on these requirements as we feel they are essential to a successful adoption with Lady. MEET LADY 🐶 Back in May we welcomed beautiful 4 year old Lady (DOB 2/22/2019) into our care after her owner/breeder retired and released her. Sadly, Lady had not been well socialized and so we've spent the past few months slowly and gently introducing her to this big, new world around her. While new things are still scary, she has now reached a level of comfort and security in her foster home and is beginning to let her guard down and is showing us what a sweet, cute little girl she is. In the right home and family, she will continue to bloom and embrace her new life full of freedom, family, and love! MEDICAL 🩺 We are so happy to share that Lady is a very healthy girl! She is up to date on vaccinations, spayed, microchipped, and on monthly preventatives. She received an excellent report at her intake vetting where we found her to be congenitally sound with clear eyes, knees, hips, and heart, and her skin, ears, and teeth are also clean and clear. Additionally, all of her labwork including her fecal test, heartworm and tick borne illness test, and bloodwork was normal and negative. She is not on any medication and does not require any additional vetting outside of regular wellness checks at this time. FOOD & POTTY HABITS 🥘 Sweet Lady arrived overweight but has shed several pounds in foster care and is now about at her ideal weight of 21 pounds. Her blenheim coat has grown in beautifully and her ears are getting so long and pretty. Like most Cavaliers, Lady loves her meals, gobbles them up, and always licks her bowl clean. She eats her kibble meals twice a day and enjoys treats in between for being the excellent girl that she is. While she is a very timid girl, offering her a 'cookie' is a great way to her heart ❤. She does need to feel somewhat safe and secure to want to eat and so a short hunger strike when transitioning into a new environment will be expected for her. Lady's adopting family must remain committed to continuing her strictly portioned meals, healthy treats, and daily activity/exercise to ensure she remains at her ideal weight, best health, and best self. Lady has been impressive with her potty training, having had no accidents in her foster home! That said, she is given frequent opportunities outside to be successful being taken out first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and every few hours in between, including immediately after meals. She is great about following the other dogs out into the safe and secure fenced yard to potty. She does like you to be outside with her - if she thinks or sees you heading back inside, she will forgo pottying to go back inside with you. She is timid and hesitant with anything new and so she needs to be given ample time to get comfortable and explore her new surroundings. Initially, she may hold her pottying until she is comfortable enough to go. Because she is food motivated, a special yummy treat immediately following good potty behavior will be excellent reward and reinforcement for this clever girl. Please know that even though Lady is very reliable in her foster home, accidents are always to be expected especially as she transitions to another environment and routine. PERSONALITY 💕 Lady was very timid and nervous when she first arrived into rescue but has become quite comfortable in her foster home and with her foster family over the past four months. Now that she knows she is somewhere safe and good, she has been able to let her guard down and show her foster family what a sweet, fun, and snuggly girl she is! She will now ask for love and pets and it's obvious she enjoys being on the receiving end of human love, attention, and affection. She loves to cuddle up with her foster mom like a little snuggle bug and we just love seeing her so relaxed and comfortable! We have also seen her enjoy her outdoor freedom and come to life in the fenced yard where she may take off in a run and chase butterflies! We are seeing a more playful and fun side to her everyday as she gets more comfortable and learns how to just be a dog! She is just now starting to explore toys and engaging in play with some of her spaniel foster siblings. Once Lady gets settled and comfortable in her home where she feels safe and loved, she is very much a typical Cavalier at home, but understand it will take her quite some time to get to there - it is important for her family to give her this time and be gentle and patient with her while she adjusts. ROUTINE ⏰ Lady starts her her day being let out into the yard for pottying and then in for breakfast. On days where her foster family works outside the house, Lady has free roam of the safe and puppy proofed downstairs of the home where the stairs to the upper level is gated off. There she has plenty of space, freedom, comforts, and the companionship of her spaniel foster siblings. She does well left for short periods of time where she makes herself comfortable on the couch or the big bed until her people come home. She has not been crated or otherwise strictly confined in our care, she does not need to be, and we do not want her to be. When her foster family is home, they are continuing to encourage her to be in the same room as them. She is working so hard to get comfortable being in the presence of people and her first instinct is to retreat away in a room, so they know to keep the bedroom and bathroom doors closed to help keep her in the same area as them. This is so important because the more she can be among people and observe behaviors, the more comfortable and confident she will become. Otherwise, retreating in a room by herself does nothing for her socialization and rehabilitation efforts. Her family should be prepared to continue to make these easy and gentle efforts to help with her progress. In the evenings, she eats dinner and then spends time with her foster family in the yard before getting comfy on the couch for some quality cuddle and TV time. After final potty outside, Lady gets into the big bed where she sleeps with her foster family and spaniel foster siblings. She likes to sleep cuddled up with her foster mom where she sleeps soundly and peacefully all night. This time together in the bed is excellent for bonding and we are seeking a family who will continue to invite her to join them in bed. She uses pet steps to get safely on and off the bed and her furever home should have these for her. SOCIALIZATION 💜 Sadly, Lady was not properly socialized and so she is very timid, nervous and uncertain around new people until trust is built over time. Lady needs a family who will be very patient with her and give her the time, space, gentle love, accomodations, and encouragement she needs to start to feel safe and comfortable in her new home and among her new family. Quick and sudden movement and loud noises will startle and scare her and so she will thrive best, progress best, and be happiest in a more quiet, calm adult only home or a home with older, gentle children who can understand and respect her need for time and space and her to warm up to them on her time and way. She would not do well in a loud, busy home with a lot of noise, activity, or people coming in and out of the house. While we expect her to get more comfortable with more people over time, please understand that Lady is likely to not be a dog that will do well in public and social settings and will do best in a safe, small circle. While she has been introduced to a leash, it is new and she remains cautious. Because she is easily spooked by people and noises, it is not safe to have her on leash outside of a safe and secured area at this time. She does ride very well in the car, safe and comfy in a boosted car seat, which is a wonderful way to safely expand her bubble and expose her to more of the world around her. We will ask that her family get a boosted car seat for her. While interacting with people is new and scary, Lady has been well socialized with other dogs and does very well with her spaniel foster siblings and all other dogs she has met while in our care. She looks to her spaniel foster siblings for leadership to know what to do, where to go, and to see that everything is safe and good, but she also very much enjoys their companionship. She can often be found cuddled up with her siblings in a comfy dog bed and also playing chase with them out in the yard. We are seeking a furever home with another resident to show her the ropes and show her how to be a dog. Her ideal canine companion would be a confident, well socialized Cavalier or other dog of similar size and temperament that will engage with her and welcome her with open paws. She has not been exposed to cats while in our care so we are unsure how she would do with a feline friend. IDEAL FAMILY & HOME 🏡 Most importantly, Lady needs a family who has the time, ability, and desire to shower her with gentle love and attention, make her an included and important member of their family, and commit to continuing to help her bloom. She needs a family who can be with her at least part of the day for continued potty training, socialization efforts, and opportunities for activity, engagement, and plenty of snuggles. A safe and secured fenced yard is also a must for this girl for pottying purposes and so she can continue to enjoy her outdoor freedom - it is a joy to watch her run and play carefree! She'd also love a basket full of toys as she is starting to explore them, and a canine companion who may want to play chase with her in the yard and show her how great it is to be a dog! Lastly, she needs a very gentle, patient family who will move slowly with her and have realistic expectations for her transition into her new home, and for her continued socialization. HOW TO APPLY 💻 At 4 years old, Lady's life is really just beginning and she is just starting to learn how to be a dog. In her perfect home and family, she will continue to find her confidence, bloom, and come to fully enjoy her amazing new life of freedom, fun, and love! If you feel you’re the perfect match for precious and sweet Lady and meet all her requirements, please complete an adoption application found on our website (TheCavalierRescue.org) then email us at CavalierRescueAL@gmail.com to express your interest, letting us know why you feel you are a match with Lady. Lady is located in Hoover, Alabama, and travel there is required. Her requested adoption donation is $500.