Meet Dottie! This sweet, wiggly bean is estimated to be 4 years old and is likely a boxer mix of sorts. Dottie came to us from a local shelter where she was at risk of euthanasia. She arrived at the shelter as a stray, far too skinny and had a horrible skin condition. It was easy to see that her medical needs have been neglected for quite some time. Within 48 hours of coming into our care, we had Dottie at the vet where we created a medical plan. Within the last 4 weeks of being with us, we have made incredible progress with Dottie’s skin. She has gone from three medications to none, from two baths a week to one a week, and to no more itchiness! At this time, we are still determining whether her skin will need to be addressed long term, or if now that she has been treated, she will be able to transition to a petstore diet.
As we mentioned, it has now been over 4 weeks with Dottie and not only has she made improvements medically, but we have also seen her personality shine and confidence grow. When Dottie came home from the shelter, it was very clear to our team that she was in need of a confidence boost. Not only did she have accidents in the house for the first few days, but she was also sensitive to loud or random noises and was spooked by sudden movements. All in all, Dottie had a bit of a hard time transitioning from shelter life to home life. With his history being unknown, we do not know what her living environments were previously, but her transition to our care proved to us that she was definitely undersocialized and lacked joy and happiness in her previous life.
With that being said, Dottie brings joy and happiness wherever she goes. Although she is nervous to meet new people, she will happily trade her nerves for a treat and quickly a friendship will start. From there, you will start to see her break out of her shell, spread her wings, and show you how much fun she is to have around. It has truly been wonderful watching her go from the nervous girl she was when we picked her up, to the big, brave and boisterous girl she has become in just a few weeks!
Dottie has been crate trained since coming into our care and loves that it always means that food, treats or chews are coming. She is now house trained but her forever family will need to be prepared for some accidents as she learns her new home. The biggest thing that we are now working on with Dottie are her leash manners. From what she has shown us, she has either lived life without walks, or she was never asked to follow “rules” on walks. We are taking things slow and steady with her. While she has been doing great with her decompression walks, we cannot wait to show her how much more freedom there is once structured walks have been introduced to her.
So far, Dottie has been introduced to multiple respectful male dogs and although she has shown moments where she is unsure, she mostly prefers to just coexist and not be bothered. When it comes to females, Dottie has met a few balanced females and has done well but has been closely monitored. Dottie is looking for a home without another insecure dog; a confident, balanced dog will be best for her to grow alongside.
A note from Dottie’s foster parents:
“Dottie has been so much fun to have in the house! She has made us smile more times than I can count and has been absolutely hilarious even with everything she has had to deal with. When she came to our home, she was so swollen, inflamed, flakey and patchy. She has now been able to grow a beautiful coat and is honestly such a beautiful girl. With her medical needs simmering, we cannot wait to see her personality continue to come out and show us who she is and what she wants in life. I guarantee that if you give Miss Dot the chance, she will fill your days with smiles, snuggles and loads of adventures!”
DOTTIE
Boxer
🇨🇦
Guelph, Ontario
female, large, adult
Boxer
Guelph, Ontario