Poppy is a roughly 3-year-old mixed-breed dog who originally came from Front Street Animal Shelter. Her DNA results show approximately 37% American Pit Bull Terrier, 20% American Staffordshire Terrier, 7% Chow Chow, 6% German Shepherd Dog, 6% Chihuahua, and several other breeds.
Poppy is an incredibly sweet, affectionate dog who loves to snuggle, receive belly rubs, and spend time with her people. She is house-trained and knows several commands, including sit, stay, leave it, and come. She has no known food allergies. Poppy is also highly energetic, excitable, impulsive, and protective. She has bitten members of her household on multiple occasions, although the bites have not broken the skin. These incidents appear to occur when she becomes overstimulated, especially during fast or unpredictable movement such as running, jumping, dancing, or rough play. She may interpret this behavior as an invitation to play, but her biting must be taken seriously.
Because of her bite history, Poppy should be placed only with an experienced adult adopter in a child-free home. She needs someone able to provide careful management, consistent structure, appropriate exercise, and professional positive-reinforcement behavior training. A secure yard would be helpful, but she would still require supervision and continued work on impulse control, arousal, and bite inhibition.
Poppy also experiences urinary leakage. She currently wears diapers most of the time and handles them very well. This issue has been explored to some extent, but she has not yet received a second veterinary opinion. Her adopter should be prepared to continue investigating and managing it with a veterinarian.
Poppy has many wonderful qualities and is very loving with her people. She may be able to improve with the right training and environment, but she needs a knowledgeable, committed adult-only home that fully understands and is prepared to manage her bite history. We have a crate and a bed for her as well as treats, poo bags, leashes etc.
