Meet Theresa !!
Why is it always the tiny ones that think they are fearless guard dogs?!!! LOL. This girl is a really great companion, but she is, at least in her own mind, your loyal protector. She is also huge on cuddles with her chosen person and if you stop petting her too soon she will use her paw to pull your hand back over. Her life goals are to cuddle, protect, and repeat.
Theresa is an approx 2 year old female Chihuahua mix. She currently weights 10 pounds and is full-grown.
She will be spayed, microchipped and up to date on her vaccines as part of her adoption. She is heartworm negative and on preventives.
Theresa was surrendered by her owner to a full shelter. She was scared, shy and defensive in the loud surroundings. One of the employees saw through her facade and quickly earned her trust (it doesn't take much to earn her trust). That employee advocated for her when we were there picking up another dog and due to that extra effort, this sweet girl is out of the shelter and ready for a new home.
So the good stuff. This girl is pretty awesome as a companion around the house. First off, she is going everywhere you go in the house. You get up and she gets up. She is absolutely glued to her person. Every feel lonely when you have to poop? Hate to shower alone? She is ready to fill the void! She is, however, not to overbearing. When you sit down she jumps up and finds a spot to curl up in beside you. She loves to sleep in the bed with you or lounge on the couch as long as you want to.
Theresa is doing really well with all of her manners. She does fine on car rides. She is good with leash walking. She is crate trained and aside from a little whining when she can see you from the crate she is quiet. She currently sleeps overnight in the crate and is crated for an 8 hour work day without any issues. She has some spunky moments but otherwise is pretty low key with her energy needs. Usually its just the excitement of seeing you when you first return and then its cuddle time.
She is doing really well with potty training. She knows to go outside and has so far only had one accident. That was likely due to this little diva thinking her feet are too delicate to touch wet grass...... If you make her go out and stand there and wait she will eventually give in and potty in the wet grass. She will throw you some dirty “how dare you” looks in the process.
Theresa has been around multiple types, ages and sizes of other dogs and has had no problem with any of them. She doesn't care about them and doesn't want to play or engage with them but has no trouble co-existing around them and is not afraid of them at all. She has not been around cats in her foster home so we are not sure how she would do. She is a vicious hunter of flying insects though. She will lunge into the air like a ninja to snatch up a delicious sky raisin. If only she had the same energy for mosquitos we would be on to something.....
Explaining her personality is tough bc she is a super loving sweet dog but has stranger danger issues. It takes about 1-5 mins to earn her trust and be her bestie (whoever her current bestie is has to hand you the leash and leave and then she will decide you are okay). She will pick one person in the home that is her number one ride or die and everyone else is just okay-ish to her. She LOVES her foster mom, LIKES her foster dad, and is not sure why the fosters adult son needs to even exist LOL. She still wants to bark and growl every time he comes around but will take treats from him. She doesn't go after people, she just stands her ground and barks and growls to defend your honor (whether you want her to or not). New people ignoring her works well. She does best when she comes into a space people are already in vs people coming into her area.
She will do the same with strangers in public EXCEPT children, she runs right up to kids. She growled at the vet and at the same time walked behind him to happily greet his child as they entered the building. If you are play fighting or rough housing in the home she will start barking and getting upset from wherever she is. Basically, she's a mini guard dog with some little dog stranger danger issues.
So, is she good with kids? Yes but also maybe no. She seems to really like kids and we think she would likely do fine with kids old enough to properly respect a dog HOWEVER, the issue may be that she could be defensive toward your kids friends (AKA tiny strangers invading the home). She may also not like it if kids are wrestling or playfighting and may try to defend one kid from another kid. We aren't really sure but could see those things posing an issue. You really just have to evaluate your household and her quirks to see if you can properly manage it.
We think her ideal home would be an anti-social single human that will yell GO AWAY across the lawn as she barks at anyone that comes around. BUT, that is not likely a reality we will find. She can manage well in a home with multiple people as long as everyone knows to completely ignore her growl/barks until she gets over herself. She really likes treats and that does help tame her guarding behavior. She has not bitten anyone, but we are sure if someone pushes the boundaries enough with her it could happen.
A place without a lot of visitors would be ideal. You could also just put her in the kennel if you have people over. She is wonderful and easy going aside from her stranger danger issues. She would be fine for a senior or low energy home. She is very cooperative about going inside and outside and also going in her kennel. She will dart toward the door to go out with you or bark at a stranger but doesn't seem to be interested in actually running away. She loves to cuddle, get belly rubs and occasionally we see a playful side where she will jump around and play with your hands.
Theresa was skinny when she arrived and now has a huge appetite. She is defensive over her food when she is in her kennel or actively eating, otherwise she doesn't seem to care. It's best to just feed her in her kennel and leave her alone until she is done. She takes treats well and loves them. She knows she gets one for going into her kennel.
If you dont mind her mini lap dog guardian ways she really is an awesome and easy going dog. She listens well and loves hard. She is mostly trained and quickly figures out new routines and households.
➡️Vet and home checks required.
Located in Hampton VA.
(She will need to be adopted within a 2 hour drive radius)
‼️Please message VillageDogResource@gmail.com. For more pics and faster response visit our Facebook Page directly with questions or to get an application.‼️
ZIG
Husky
🇺🇸
Yorktown, Virginia
male, medium, young
Husky
Yorktown, Virginia
