Theresa

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 approximately 2-year-old, 10-pound female Chihuahua mix. She is full-grown and 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. That employee advocated for her, and due to that extra effort, this sweet girl is ready for a new home.

Theresa is pretty awesome as a companion around the house. She is absolutely glued to her person, following you everywhere. She's not overbearing, though; when you sit down, she'll find a spot to curl up beside you. She loves to sleep in the bed with you or lounge on the couch. She does well on car rides and is good with leash walking. She is crate trained and sleeps overnight in her crate, also being crated for an 8-hour workday without issues. Aside from some initial whining when she can see you, she is quiet in her crate. She has some spunky moments but is otherwise low-key with her energy needs, with her excitement usually limited to when you first return home.

Theresa is doing well with potty training and knows to go outside. She's had only one accident, likely due to her disliking wet grass. If you encourage her, she will eventually go potty in wet grass, giving you a look that says, "how dare you." She has been around multiple dogs of various types, ages, and sizes and has had no problems co-existing with them. She doesn't care about them and doesn't want to play or engage, but she is not afraid of them. Her reaction to cats is unknown. She is a vicious hunter of flying insects, though!

Theresa has stranger danger issues, but it only takes about 1-5 minutes to earn her trust. She will pick one person in the home as her number one, and everyone else is just "okay-ish." She loves her foster mom, likes her foster dad, and is still unsure about the fosters' adult son, often barking and growling when he's around, though she will take treats from him. She doesn't go after people; she stands her ground and barks to defend your honor. New people ignoring her works well, and she does best when she enters a space where people already are, rather than people entering her area. She behaves similarly in public with strangers, except with children. She runs right up to kids. She growled at the vet but then happily greeted his child. If play fighting or rough housing occurs in the home, she will start barking and getting upset.

Theresa seems to really like kids, and we think she would likely do fine with children old enough to properly respect a dog. However, she could be defensive toward your kids' friends and may not like it if kids are wrestling or playfighting, potentially trying to defend one child from another. You'll need to evaluate your household to see if you can properly manage her quirks.

Ideal Home

A place without a lot of visitors would be ideal. She would be fine for a senior or low-energy home. She is cooperative about going inside, outside, and in her kennel. She dart towards the door to go out with you but doesn't seem interested in running away.

Ongoing Health

She is heartworm negative and on preventives. She 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. It's best to feed her in her kennel and leave her alone until she is done.

Training & Support

She is pretty awesome as a companion around the house and follows you everywhere. She does well on car rides and is good with leash walking. She is crate trained and sleeps overnight in her crate, also being crated for an 8-hour workday without issues. She is doing well with potty training. She knows to go outside and has had only one accident. She is mostly trained and quickly figures out new routines and households. She listens well and loves hard.

Application Details:

• Applications start by contacting us through Wags.
• Vet and home checks are required.

Transportation

Theresa is located in Hampton, VA. She will need to be adopted within a 2-hour drive radius.