Gigi has been adopted!
Sponsored by Toba, in honour of Toby and Penny. Every furbaby deserves a loving home and happiness
Meet Gigi! She is a Maltese/Bichon mix that has a lot of saucy puppy energy packed into 4 ½ lbs. Gigi was surrendered by her family in Quebec due to behavioural issues that are typical of not having had any structure or training. She will require a family that is patient and dedicated to giving her the time, structure, consistency and positive reinforcement training Gigi needs to blossom.
Gigi is in good health. She was recently spayed and fully vetted with updated vaccines and preventatives (heartworm, flea, tick, deworming). We noticed a cough after she drinks water or pulls too hard on leash. The vet believes she has a sensitive trachea which is common for small dogs so she will need to be handled carefully. Gigi will need to use a harness for walking as a collar puts too much pressure on her throat. Gigi will require daily brushing to prevent matting and cleaning of her eye area which is common with her breeds. She’ll also need regular grooming as her coat and nails grow quickly.
Although Gigi is mostly house trained, she does still have accidents in the house. She will use a pee pad but inconsistently. She’ll need a patient family that can make frequent trips outside to help complete her training.
Outdoors Gigi walks on leash with a harness, loves to put her nose to the ground to sniff her way through a walk around the block. She needs continued work to not pull and dart and tends to be unable to focus yet outdoors due to the number of distractions. Reacts with barking and excitement toward other dogs, escalates with larger dogs closer than across the street. With most small dogs she is inquisitive and friendly but needs work on manners when greeting, as her enthusiasm can be unwelcome by other dogs.
Indoors, Gigi is silly, curious, energetic and loves to play with toys. She is good at entertaining herself however she is mischievous when bored or wanting attention- redirection works well, giving her toys, tossing a ball or a stuffed Kong. She enjoys chewing on a pizzle but can suddenly start chewing on the carpet the pizzle is on. She requires oversight and redirection with reminders about what she can and can not chew. Her new family will need to be willing to remove and clear items from the floor area that are valuable or dangerous for a small dog. She still has lots of puppy behaviour and energy that needs to be channeled in a positive way.
Gigi is making progress learning about interacting with people, she is very excited to meet and make friends with all people, jumping up and dancing on her back legs and mouthing hands. Gigi is not aggressive but she does make growling noises when she wants down or doesn’t want to be handled. We greet that behaviour with a firm ‘no’ and try not to pick her up to move her. We believe she was treated like a toy previously which created a lot of stress for this strong- willed dog.
Gigi does not know many commands. She ‘comes’ inconsistently and lays down when asked to ‘sit’. She knows that treats come when she lays down and looks at you and waits. She is able to wait for increasing amounts of time and will need continued training work to help her control her impulses and understand what’s expected – she is a smart, enthusiast and energetic student.
She is too small to jump up or down from most furniture. She prefers to spend her time on the floor and have someone come down to her level to play.
Gigi is very alert and aware of her surroundings. Her excellent hearing can result in her barking and investigating noises in the house. She will hear sounds outside that also need a vocal warning. She will need continued work to reduce barking through prevention (distraction before the stressor is noticed) and correction (firm voice ‘no’ and spritz water). Gigi responds well and receives lots of praise.
Gigi is crate comfortable when left alone in the house for short periods of time to keep her safe. She can be mischievous and destructive when left unsupervised. She sleeps comfortably in a crate at night with few complaints. She loves to sleep on the floor beside your bed or is happy to sleep in your bed as long as you help her up and down.
Gigi is a good travel companion, she settles and sleeps in the car, is adaptable to new environments and locations. Gigi can be afraid and bark at new objects in her environment but with a little encouragement, a few treats and sniffing she quickly becomes familiar and comfortable.
Adoption requirements:
• Adult only home
• Someone with previous dog experience, ideally small dog breeds
• A home dedicated to providing Gigi with both physical and mental stimulation
• Someone willing to continue Gigi’s education using positive reinforcement techniques and
providing structure, rules and boundaries
• Someone able to ensure that Gigi is not left home alone longer than 3-4 hours per day (post COVID)
• Detached home where barking will not compromise her living arrangement
• Fully fenced, secured yard to run off energy
• Gigi may do well with a fur sibling of a similar size and energy.
*adopter will be required to provide proof of training registration to the rescue within two weeks of adopting
Gigi was lovingly fostered by Lisa
