Dakota

ADOPTED! February 7, 2017

Dakota is a pure bred American Eskimo. She was born in August 2013 and purchased by a family who raised her with their children. As she matured she was getting toy possessive and posed a risk to the kids so they surrendered her rather than euthanizing her (which was the plan until we intervened). Dakota has clearly been loved but has not been socialized properly from a young age. She has had little exposure to dogs so we are working through that at daycare and in a foster home. Dakota is very comfortable in a crate and tends to den in her crate to feel safe. She will require an owner who is patient and willing to work through her issues, accept her for who she is and not overwhelm her.
Dakota is up to date on shots, spayed and microchipped. We are screening applications and recommend a home without young children at this time.

FOSTER CARE REPORT

Although it’s only been a few days, here’s what I can tell you about Dakota: Dakota is an interesting dog, full of contradictions. She is usually quiet, although she will start barking occasionally for no apparent reason. She is house-trained, no accidents so far. She’s been sleeping quietly in the crate at night. She can be affectionate and sweet but is also often aloof and stand-offish. She can be ornery and very stubborn and won’t listen to even simple commands like “come” or “want to go out?” or “lay down”. A good thing is that even when I make her do something she doesn’t want to do, she hasn’t nipped or snapped once.

I started keeping a leash on her in the house so that I can get to her without having to chase her around. Her issues with Ric (mostly) and Rosey are based in jealousy. She likes to be “the queen” and can really over-react if she thinks they are getting too much attention. She will ignore them for hours and then have a fit out of the blue. She doesn’t know how to play without getting mad so she needs more socialization.  The leash is also helping me to control that situation better. She is not particularly treat-motivated so that doesn’t work. Rosey and Ric usually spend several hours every day keeping my dad company.

Dakota acts differently when she’s here by herself–calmer and more responsive. She has pretty much stopped the endless pacing and pillow humping. I guess at this point I would say she should be in a home where she is the “only child” and with adults who have experience with pure-bred diva dogs.

We are not a traditional shelter, we are a cage-free facility. All dogs are temperament tested and must get along with other dogs to stay here. Appointments must be made in advance to meet our Secondhand Mutts. Please call 216-664-9660 or email rescue@secondhandmutts.org to set up a time. We are closed on Sundays. We prefer to adopt to local families but will consider long distance adoptions.