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Hello world, this is Lian! (pronounced Lee-Ann)
Lian is a lovely dark grey and white, 13 pound shih tzu. I chose her name since shih tzus originally came from China and Tibet, and Lian means lotus flower in Chinese.
Lian is an endearing mix of independence and dependence, sometimes cuddly, sometimes aloof but she is always curious, happy, intelligent, and spunky! She is also occasionally a little stubborn and loves to tease her foster mom. She came into our care from a mill where she spent her first 6 years breeding for profit. Lian has made amazing strides since coming into foster care and she is looking for a home that will allow her to go forward at her own pace. Please read her bio carefully to understand just how far she has come and what she will need in her new home and family to continue her positive journey.
Lian was shut down when I brought her home, completely overwhelmed. When I carried her into the house, she didn’t move for quite some time. She eventually walked around a bit, and her tail started to wag at me from a distance. When I picked her up, she was wooden. I kept Lian on a leash for several days indoors as she skittered away when approached and still tends to do so. She ate a bit of wet food the first night before being put to bed in her crate. Lian slept quietly through the night for 8 hours.
Day 2 was the start of positive progress and the beginning of a more normal dog life. Lian baulked at going through the front door and sat without moving on the lawn for a full 3 minutes before she started to explore the yard and even did a few short sprints for the next 15 minutes. Her tail was wagging. Back indoors Lian ate her first full meal in the afternoon. She spent much of her time exploring but followed me and kept me in sight at all times, prepared to skitter away if I approached. Lian was curious but cautious. We took a walk off property a few houses away and she was beginning to accept the leash.
Day 3 Lian made great strides. On our early morning walk she ventured several blocks from home and sniffed and explored for 40 minutes before heading for home and breakfast. She began to show some interest in people and dogs but kept her distance, cautious and wary. She had no reaction to cars passing by but became skittish when a large noisy truck passed us. Lian is being fostered in a quiet rural community with very little traffic.
Lian did not like being crated for the first week or so, but this is normal for a dog who had never seen a crate before. She would skitter away and I had to carry her to put her in. She still scoots away when she senses crate time during the day and goes to the sunroom, sits with tail wagging, teasing me until I escort her to her crate. Lately at night after our special bedtime routine Lian heads straight to her crate, puts herself in and waits for me to bring her a treat and close the door. What amazing progress!
In the morning Lian comes out of her crate, stretches and starts with her tail wagging, happy for her day to begin. She behaves like a silly puppy who wiggles and bounces her way to the front door where she sits patiently for me to get my shoes on, and our first walk of the day begins. Lian loves being outdoors and is eager to go for her walks or wander on a long line in the garden. Lian has recently discovered the joy of rolling herself silly on the grass.
She is a delight to walk. I take Lian for 5 walks a day. Her first walk of the day is in the cool morning and usually lasts 30-40 minutes where we cover 2 km. She currently needs this long in order to do a her complete bathroom duties. Lian always pees every time she goes outside. Later walks can be anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on the temperature and how far she wants to go. With the cooler temperatures lately, she’s enjoying longer walks. She now makes a beeline to a person we meet and likes to quickly sniff their outstretched hand and sometimes give it a quick lick before backing away, no longer avoiding people. Lian is always aware of her surroundings and will pause to figure out an unfamiliar sound or movement. Recently we went to a local conservation area and Lian managed a full 3 km walk, came home, took a nap and a few hours later was eager to go out for another walk! Children on bikes, skateboards and scooters can whiz by us now and Lian simply moves out of their way and shows no fear or concern - I am so proud of her. As with most mill dogs, Lian reacts to loud noises and sudden movements. She is getting better when trucks and motorcycles go by and will continue to improve with time and encouragement.
When Lian went to the vet for her spay surgery they remarked that she was very sweet and a perfect patient. At her vet visit it was determined that Lian required a dental which has been done. They also discovered and removed some mammary masses which were sent away for examination and came back benign. She received all necessary vaccinations and was also microchipped.
Recently I have introduced a smaller quiet dog to Lian in our home who she met appropriately. She showed no aggression or jealousy when I paid him attention, and she quickly lost interest in him and walked away. Continued introductions to small gentle dogs may eventually help Lian interact with dogs or she may choose to remain indifferent to them. Lian would like to be the only dog in the home as she really isn’t in need of canine companionship. I have taken Lian on several pack walks with 2-4 other dogs where she tends to stay apart from them but shows no fear. On a recent visit to my friend who has 2 cats, Lian demonstrated her disinterest and preferred to explore my friend’s home and passed by her cats without incident.
Lian travels quietly in her crate in my vehicle. She now accepts the crate and waits patiently for me to take her out. Once out she’s curious and eager to start a new adventure.
It took Lian several weeks to show an interest in toys and now they are an important part of her day, she only likes soft squeaky toys right now. Although she has only managed to squeak one on her own a few times, she delights in me squeaking them for her. She then takes it from me and rehomes it in another room. She will continue this activity over and over. If I’m not available Lian will go to the toybox and take one toy at a time to her favourite sunroom. One day I counted 27 toys all over the house. She is very gentle with them and may chew a bit but not often or hard enough to do damage to the toy. Her interaction with her toys always makes me laugh and I love that Lian has found a way to amuse herself when I’m not there to help. Lian will partially shred a toilet paper roll, but when I dropped a piece of notepaper on the floor, she had that shredded in a minute and then looked up at me with what was I’m sure a look of mischief and satisfaction. She has never chewed on anything she was not given except that piece of paper. I have left her on her own in the house for short periods without being crated and she usually just curls up until I return and then expects to go for yet another walk.
Lian enjoys a game of chase around the house. This activity helps her with exercise on inclement weather days when long walks are not convenient. She has gone out in the rain but shook off her raincoat in less than 2 minutes.
Lian usually fully eats her 2 meals a day but occasionally skips one or only partly eats it. Occasionally she will spill some of her kibble on the floor but usually comes back to lick it up. It took a lot of trial and error to finally find 3 treats Lian likes and I have also found a chew stick she enjoys. Lian will accept a treat but prefers I place it on the floor in front of her and then she trots off to the sunroom to eat it in private. I introduced a treat puzzle to her, and she had one treat and then abandoned it. I left the room and when I returned, she had figured the puzzle out and eaten them all! She has such quirky little habits that suit her independent personality and are so uniquely hers. Lian is not food motivated and her training is being done with verbal praise. Lian will benefit greatly from obedience class training.
I had not heard her bark until a few days ago, when she barked and whined after I crated her and before I left the house. Overall, she is a very quiet dog. I request that my neighbours let me know if my foster barks when I leave the house and they report that she has started to bark in the past few weeks. For that reason, Lian would not be a candidate for an apartment or condo as she could disturb the neighbours. A home where she has easy access to the outdoors would be the best choice for Lian. A busy city environment with noisy traffic would also not suit her as she loves her peaceful outdoor walks. A quiet suburb or country home would be ideal and a fenced in backyard would be a bonus but not necessary as long as she has lots of outdoor time. She would be fine in a home with a dog savvy cat but at present needs to be the only dog in the home. Older children , over 10years of age, who would be calm would also be okay. Lian needs a family who will not be away for long periods of time and enjoy outdoor walks.
To read Lian's full bio please visit: pounddog.ca/adopt/lian
MATOR
Treeing Walker Coonhound
🇨🇦
Drumbo, Ontario
male, large, baby
Treeing Walker Coonhound
Drumbo, Ontario
