Foster Dog: Ginger
Foster Dog Location: Virginia Beach
Gender: Female
Age/weight: 2 years/57 lbs
Spayed/Neutered: Spayed
Basic intro/highlights: This adorable little lady went through quite a bit before coming to SEVA GRREAT. Being left alone in a home for a couple of weeks followed by several weeks in a shelter hasn’t changed her sweet disposition though. Once she decides you are her person, she will be your constant companion, most enthusiastic greeter, and absolute best cuddle buddy. Her adventures have left her a bit skittish, especially around new people (particularly men) and with new experiences. She is hoping for a family that will be willing to spend time helping her gain confidence and enjoy life to its fullest.
General Activity Level: Moderate. Ginger likes to do some running around and is finally learning to chase a ball. She loves Nylabone style chew bones and playing with (and eventually chewing up) softer toys.
Interaction with dogs: Ginger has had two canine siblings while in foster care and has done fine with brief interactions with a couple other dogs. However, Ginger may do best as the only dog with her forever family as she prefers to be the center of attention. I think she would enjoy visits from family and friends with dogs though.
Interaction with cats: Good. When Ginger encounters our cat, she just politely sniffs him and moves on.
Interaction with children: Good. She is very friendly with our 6-year-old and has met a few of his friends as well. She would love to have kids or grandkids around.
Physical fence required? Yes
Is physical fence an absolute requirement, or flexible? Absolute requirement. Until she becomes comfortable both walking on a leash and being out and about, she needs a place to safely run around and be outside.
How many hours are they able to be left alone? We have not left her alone for more than four hours at a time. She has free roam of the downstairs and behaves just fine. She initially would cry or howl when left, but she’s become a lot more comfortable and our camera shows her sleeping in her bed most of the time now.
Able to climb stairs? Yes
Health concerns: Ginger came to us with very irritated skin and a lot of missing fur. We found she has an environmental allergy of some sort. She is on monthly injections of Cytopoint and her skin is all healed with her fur grown back. We tried to wean her off the injections but her symptoms started to return, so her forever family will need to be willing to continue the injections long-term.
Ginger came to us disinterested in eating, but we found a combination of Science Diet wet and dry food that she reliably eats with just a little bit of encouragement.
What basic commands are known? Reliable or still learning? Other than her name, Ginger did not know any commands. She has gotten pretty reliable with “leave it” and we have started to work on “sit”, “down”, and “come”.
How does he or she walk on a leash, and what do you use (collar, harness, etc.)? We use an “escape-proof” harness with Ginger for safety reasons. She doesn’t pull but gets easily frightened and will resist going a certain way to the point of backing out of a traditional harness. We also have a tracking device on her collar just in case.
In need of obedience training? Unless one of her forever family members has significant experience working with dogs, Ginger could really benefit from professional training.
Personality and additional information: Ginger’s ideal family would have a relatively calm household with at least one member’s usual routine keeping them at home much of the time. She is never happier than when she is next to you, whether that is lying by your feet at the table or snuggled up on the couch with you. If you let her get up on the bed with you, she will gladly let you hug her the entire night.
Ginger has soft and beautiful fur and loves to be petted to the point that she will nudge your free hand or mouth your arm to remind you. (We’re working on discouraging the latter.) She is starting to enjoy being brushed, which is good as she does need the long fur around her ears combed to avoid mats. She has also been good with ear cleaning and a little nail trimming as long as you don’t try to restrain her.
Ginger likes to spend time outside with her family too, joining in yardwork, gardening, or any other activities. Ironically, she is not afraid of the electric lawn mower or leaf blower.
While she rides very well in the car, Ginger can get a little anxious about where you’re heading with her. She is not at all used to being out and about and her forever family will need to give her lots of time to become comfortable anywhere outside of her home.
Ginger fancies herself to be a watchdog and will notify you of any suspicious sights or sounds, which she finds quite frequently. She will need some patience and training to learn what is and isn’t ok to bark at and when to stop.
Ginger is going to make a wonderful dog for the right family. While she will need a little extra help getting settled in, she will absolutely reward you with unconditional love and devotion.
