Featured Pet: Willow
After being adopted from a rescue in Minnesota, Willow was welcomed home by a lovely couple. They worked with Willow and gave her lots of training and care that turned her into one smart pup! Between plenty of exercise and enrichment, Willow flourished into loveable and loyal companion! As time went on, the couple’s home began to grow with another dog and their first child. Willow has never been a fan of small dogs, but having an equally-sized friend seemed to be alright with her. At first, Willow seemed to be handling this change well, but as her family started to grow more with another child, she was having a hard time adjusting to this new life.
Things were manageable, but the couple were worried they weren’t meeting Willow’s needs and weren’t giving her the home she deserved. In the midst of all this decision-making, an unfortunate incident occurred when Willow escaped from their yard and had an altercation with a small dog. Though she’s never liked small dogs throughout her entire life, Willow’s owners knew she needed more love and attention to prevent an incident like this from occurring again. They decided to place Willow in our Rehoming Program to find a better home that will help her thrive and give her the attention and care she needed. She was then invited to the Sanctuary to give her a safe place to stay.
Since her arrival in November, Willow settled in surprisingly well! Coming from a home, it can be a bit difficult for most dogs to experience more “dormitory” style living at the Sanctuary, but she truly loved all the exercise and attention from all of her new friends! Willow was already wicked smart and knew lots of skills, and loved showing off to everyone she met! She’s crate trained, but does well alone in her room too! Given the previous altercation, the Dog Team wanted to give Willow the tools to prevent another incident like that from happening again. Being so intelligent, Willow excelled with her new training and making sure to focus on her person, rather than other dogs. There’s many times she doesn’t even bat an eye at another dog and instead just happily enjoys her walk in the great outdoors!
The Dog Team also worked on muzzle training Willow! Muzzles certainly get a bad rap, but muzzles are a great tool to help keep people and dogs safe! You can learn more about the importance of muzzles here! Once again, Willow became comfortable with her muzzle (with the help of peanut butter, of course) which ensured her that she is safe and protected from any altercation from happening again. She can still eat treats, sniff, drink water, and breathe just fine while walking with her muzzle and doesn’t mind wearing it one bit! She’s just such a confident, smart gal!
At 9 years old, Willow just simply wants to be a wonderful companion! She has many friends at the Sanctuary and you’ll always hear the word “perfect” being used to describe this sweetie! She enjoys her daily walks, basking in the sun, sniffing all the interesting scents and taking in the fresh air! When inside, Willow can be quite affectionate! She loves belly rubs and butt scratches, and just wants to receive all the love and attention from her friends! She does have an independent side as well and loves her alone time on her bed, working on enrichment games or chewing on her favorite rope toy! Willow would truly appreciate a home with dog savvy people that can understand her and meet her needs. Willow would do best as your one and only furbaby and living in a single family home. A fence would be great, but it is not required.
There’s no doubt, this charming girl will steal your heart! To learn more about whimsical Willow, please contact our Helpline at 860-242-9999 or email [email protected].