Zoey

My story

Please note Zoey is being fostered in VT! Zoey is a 6 year old female spayed Beagle mix. She was purchased online from a breeder in the midwest as a English Bulldog/Beagle mix. I believe she is actually a Boxer/Beagle mix with a heavy emphasis on Beagle. Zoey’s first home was with inexperienced dog owners who did not take the appropriate training steps with a hound. They, unintentionally, set her up to fail in a variety of ways. They felt that she should be euthanized and that she was just a bad dog. A family member came to me (I am an experienced veterinarian with decades of experience with abused animals) for help and we decided to see if she was salvageable as a pet. Due to 5 and ½ years of no training, often starving and possible excessive physical abuse, there are behaviors that she needs to let go of. After fostering her and working with her for the past 3 months I feel that she is a good dog - very loving and cuddly - who also has some behavior issues that will require ongoing consistent rules in order to let go of those responses. I do believe she will let go of the behaviors she no longer needs as she learns that they are not necessary for her to be fed or loved. Her problem situations are very predictable and easy to control with firm, specific gentle corrections so she knows she is not in charge. When Zoey came to my home she was incredibly anxious and on the verge of fear based bad behavior (like biting). She has been on Prozac (Fluoxetine) for about 2 and ½ months now and it has helped her tremendously in adjusting to a changing life, with different demands. I would strongly recommend she be kept on this medication for another year while she transitions fully to her forever home. I believe she may not require it forever as time passes and she forgets her prior stressors. Slip leads versus grabbing her collar is essential. Something terrible happened to her having to do with her neck and collar area. As long as you slip a leash on her versus grab at her collar there is zero issue. I am afraid to think of what happened to her to make her this afraid. Whatever it was, was profoundly traumatic. Zoey’s Beagle background and history of starvation gives her an incredible nose and she can find a piece of food anywhere in a building, so her owners will have to be vigilant about controlling access to food both in the kitchen and in people’s backpacks, purses, cars, bags, etc. The Beagle in her also will sound the alarm if there is some small animal to chase. She responds to cats like you would expect a Beagle to respond to a rabbit - strong prey drive, baying loudly, would probably kill a cat if she caught it. The only way I can stop the barking is to bring her inside for a time-out for 20 minutes which she hates (I have not tried a bark collar due to her already neck sensitive issues... she may respond well to a citronella collar). She has evolved to sometimes being able to watch the cat without baying until it decides to leave or run. She should not live in a home with cats or have free access to cats. She lived several years with a little dog and seems fine with all dogs. Zoey’s ideal home will be able to let her stay outside for long periods enjoying herself. It would be really lovely if she had a fenced in yard so she can self entertain and keep her mind busy. She has the most hysterical butt-tucking crazy run when she is excited and happy. She loves being outside and would do that all day on a nice day. When the weather is bad though she is snuggling on the couch, chair, or bed and enjoys her comforts. Zoey would be an excellent hiking partner - she is active but stays near by and loves to run around investigating. She is a really good dog. She just needs limits, boundaries and basic rules to flourish. Zoey is being taken care of by a vet and her team in VT. She is not part of our program, but we are happy to help find her a new home! ♥

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Zoey, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.