Entered: 08/20/2016
Status: Adopted
Age: 8 months
Color: White Pomeranian
Weight: 7 lbs.
Gender: Altered Female
Location: King William, VA
Health: UTD, HW-, overall good health
Temperament: Vibrant with adults at home but ever-distant when in public, living well with elementary-age children, good with most other dogs but does better with males, good with cats
Update 10/11/2016:“Her foster family is a busy bunch and Bella has flourished in this craziness, oddly enough!”
Miss Bella…such a gem and so dearly loved by her foster family! She’s making great progress in their care and is loved dearly!
With consistent guidance, Bella is 90% housetrained and crate trained.
She is completely out of her shell at home now but, when away from home, she is a “disaster”…to say the least. .Her early life was in a rural setting. Try as her foster mom might to acclimate Bella to venturing from home and to socializing her, Bella does not seem to be one of those dogs that will embrace that. Bella literally becomes a different dog with a different personality when away from home. While she is vibrant and fun-loving at home, as soon as the car leaves the driveway and other cars start passing, she tries to hide in the floorboard. She becomes very distant from everyone and is an empty shell of herself once arriving at the designated destination. It’s almost as if she goes into a survival mode that basically consists of frozen fear. There is no getting her to interact or take part with new people. While she has gotten better since arriving, her foster mom is not sure that she will ever truly be the “take her everywhere” kind of girl.
In the comfort and security of her home, Bella is high energy. She has lots of playmates…children ages 2 through 10 and 7 dogs. She absolutely adores the children but her favorite playmate is an 80-pound boxer/bulldog mix, if you can imagine that. She will literally hang off of toys he picks up, dangling while trying to pry it from his mouth… As he shakes the toy and her, it’s truly a comical scene. She becomes very domineering with another foster, who is female, so should she go to an adopter with another female, that canine should be very dog-savvy. Bella may be little but she is mighty!
A proper home environment for Bella is going to be one in which she is able to get out and play in the yard. An apartment/townhouse community is more than likely going to be entirely too overwhelming for her. Though perhaps an appealing size, Bella would not be a dog for an older person looking for a companion, as she is a busy body. If she gets bored, her foster mom could see her turning to mischief!
Her foster family is a busy bunch and Bella has flourished in this craziness, oddly enough! Going forward, she would benefit from lots of exercise; a playmate that can hold its own with her would be great too. An honorary “Springer,” little Miss B is destined to greatness when she gets her adopting family. If she seems a good match for your pack, please ask about meeting her!
Original: “Although attached to her rescuer, she has begun to accept the other person in the home and will jump on the sofa with her to get a pat or try to play.”
Bella came to MAESSR when one of our volunteers found her with a Virginia family who could not care for her and offered them the option of giving this little girl a better life. So, Pomeranian Bella joined the MAESSR family and became an honorary Springer!
During her short life with her original owners, Bella had not been housetrained, socialized, or even taken to the veterinarian. Now in her foster home, all of these important steps have begun. She was a good girl at the vet’s examination and has begun her needed puppy shots. In the first week in her foster home, she has started coming out of her shell and has begun to explore her surroundings. Although attached to her rescuer, she has begun to accept the other person in the home and will jump on the sofa with her to get a pat or try to play. Play is another thing she is discovering!
Housetraining is a slow process, as it is with most little dogs, but she is beginning to get the idea and has had very few accidents in the house to date. She is very shy around new people but has shown no aggression when handled. Bella loves to be held and will lie in a lap for hours.
There has been a big change in this little girl since coming into foster care. Although Bella may not be the outgoing “Bell of the Ball,” she is a sweet, loving girl who will make someone very happy. Watch for more news about this little princess.