Marsha-Mellow

Arrival Date: April 24, 2020

Breed/Mix: Maltese / Terrier Mix

Gender: Female

Age: 3 years

Size: Small

Altered: Yes

Location: Foster Home

Vaccinations: Up to date

Microchipped: Yes

Personality: Shy, Timid, Some Fear

Dog Social: Yes

Crate Trained: Yes, Protective / Guards

House Trained: Yes

Kid Friendly: Not recommended due to resource guarding

Cat Friendly: Yes

Intake Origin: Transfer / Owner Surrender

Adoption Fee: $200

Mellow lives up her name but has a side to her behavior we are working on. She was surrendered by her family due to her protective behavior guarding her crate and toys which were a concerns for the toddler who was just getting to learn the way around the house. Mellow has lived with another small dog and she is currently living in a foster home with 2 other small to medium dogs and doing well. We are not recommending a home with small children at this time. We are recommending a home that can provide her with patience and and understanding of dog language and willingness to work with a trainer to work through her problems.

Mellow is in need of a grooming service but given the situation with COVID-19 that will have to wait. She is a dog that will require grooming 2-3 times per year plus regular upkeep at home. Mellow would benefit from an owner with patience and a passion for understanding dog behavior.

Typically our dogs stay in a foster home where we can learn as much about them as possible to assist with our efforts for making the best match with a new home. The adjustment period for every dog is different while they are transitioning into a foster home as well as a forever home. Our foster providers send us their foster reports and the information received is updated on our website throughout the dogs time with us.

Our Foster Provider Program is an integral part of our mission to Respect the Dog. Without fosters, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. We are always actively screening individuals and families to provide our dogs with a safe, structured, foster home to give each dog the time, love and respect they deserve while they are in search of landing their forever home. For more information click here.

Foster Provider Dog Report

UPDATED (May 20, 2020) FOSTER REPORT: Mellow was returned after a week in a trial adopt home and is back in her foster provider home.

Mellow has a very loving and caring side to her. She loves to cuddle up to her person in the evening on the couch and especially in the morning with you in the bed.

She has no toileting issues whatsoever. I had to leave her for 6 hours, since she wouldn’t allow my sister to take her for a walk. (I should have had a meet and greet prior to that day!)

She eats all her food, after she takes multiple pieces of it onto the carpet. It’s quite comical.
She has her special toys and plays with them quite a bit by herself. When she began trusting me more, she would bring her toy to me for me to throw it.

She will become your shadow in every way possible. It’s almost like she is afraid you are going to leave her. Going to the bathroom without shutting the door, is an invite to her.

She’s a great watch dog! Any sound from the outside, results in her barking. No one could break in without my knowledge!

She goes somewhat ballistic in the car, although she always acts like she wants to go for a car ride. Spoke with a few friends who have the Maltese breed and they said their dog shakes the whole time in the car. It may be the breed.

She will go for a walk 10 times a day if you were willing and able. She pulls on the leash, so I would definitely recommend a halter-type leash. Once she has walked for 15-20 minutes, she begins to lower her pace. While on walks, she will bark, and try to go after other dogs, and men. She doesn’t see women or children as a threat while walking.

Her guarding issues are a problem. It usually happens when she is eating, or laying next to her toy. It used to be when she was near her bed, but I trained her from doing that and now she won’t even lay in her bed, and treats its more like a toy, tossing it around.

Only once did she go after my foot with her teeth, and that was when I got too close to one of her toys while she was guarding it.

Not knowing her total past, she has developed major separation anxiety and feels she has had it for some time. Even when I am leaving and go to shut the inner door, she comes after me barking. Once I get back, she becomes a “jumping bean”, until I take her out or pick her up.

Mellow is truly a sweet girl. She is going to need some major training, especially on her separation anxiety. I would even suggest a fenced-in yard with a lot of interaction, throwing her toys and letting her chase them.

INITIAL FOSTER REPORT:

Marshmallow is a very cute little white fur ball. She’s a stereotypical small dog with a big personality.

On the plus side, she’s cute, she’s smart, she’s house trained (mostly), she loves walks and does well on a leash(usually), and she likes to be a lap dog. She sleeps in her bed all night without needing to go out. She’s okay with other dogs once she knows them and I haven’t seen any food/treat aggression. She does bark but no more than my terriers do if something interesting is going on outside. I keep her confined in the kitchen with her bed and a few toys if I go out, which has worked out well.

There are some negatives that a potential adopter should be aware of. She’s not great with strangers and it takes her a little time to warm up. You have to be careful on walks or with people coming in to the house as she will react. She can also be territorial and jealous of her humans, her crate(which I do not use), and her toys. Her way of communicating is growling and sometimes showing teeth if she stubbornly doesn’t want to do something, if she’s being protective, or even when playing. I have never seen her snap or bite. We are working on this behavior and it has lessened but is still evident. We are also working on basic commands but haven’t gotten too far. More training and socialization would be needed. I have a fenced yard but I keep her on a tie-out because she immediately found the one area she could squeeze through.

All that being said, I think she would do best in an adult only home with people who are used to small dog antics and quirks. She seems to prefer women so a man would have to work harder to win her over. She would definitely be a fun companion and keep you entertained.

Meet-Our-Mutts

We are not open to the public. Our dogs are typically in foster homes. and therefore we ask that you not to come to our facility to meet dogs unless you have an appointment made in advance to do so.

Come to any one of our events featured on our events calendar page which are also posted on our Facebook event page. Event times and locations are subject to change.

We schedule in-store ‘Meet-Our-Mutt’ events twice a month held on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. The dogs are chaperoned to the event by volunteers and we typically have the arrangements for which dogs will be on site a few days prior to the event date.

To inquire about which dogs will be at an event send our volunteer in-store events coordinator an email in advance.

Private introductions with a volunteer or the dogs foster provider are arranged after we have received an adoption application.

The Adoption Application Process

Our dogs are not placed on a first-come, first-serve basis. We carefully review the applications we receive and place our dogs in the home that best matches what is needed for each dog individually.

We are a 100% volunteer operation and ask for your patience while our volunteers process and respond to applications.

Please research the breed or breed mix you are interested in adopting to understand the needs of the breed.

Please continue reading to understand our adoption application screening process.

If you need additional information about your application or our adoption process please email us at adoption@secondhandmutts.org.

Ready to adopt? Click here to learn more about adopting a Secondhand Mutt.

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If you are interested in adopting any one of our dogs please fill out our online adoption application. Applications are responded to with an auto-response message indicating your application has been received. Please check your Spam folder as our mail sometimes does not make it into inboxes due to spam filters. We are a volunteer run operation and we ask for your patience while processing and responding to applications. Please notify your references when you list them on our application and give your listed veterinarian authorization to release your current or previous animals records to our volunteers. If you have never owned a pet before please research the breed you are interested in adopting to understand the needs of the breed and list the name of the veterinarian you plan to use if you do adopt.

Marsha-Mellow

Foster Provider Dog Report

Meet-Our-Mutts

The Adoption Application Process

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