River

My story

There's nothing quite like young dog sweetness and silliness, and then they put their beautiful heads quietly on your shoulder breathing their warm breath. These loving pups are so vulnerable with their whole lives lying in front of them that it's unbearable to think of them homeless and alone or in a high-kill shelter scheduled for euthanasia due to lack of space. River is a sweet as can be 18 month old, 16 lb Australian Cattle Dog (with a bit of Chihuahua in the mix that resulted in a smaller sized dog) who is just waiting to be the love of a special family's life. Farfel's can't swear to the accuracy of this breed mix as a DNA test wasn't done. It was the opinion of New Mexico veterinarians and we're going to stay with their educated guess. The following is the assessment of River by his rescuers: Meet River, an 18 month old, 16lb Blue Heeler / Chihuahua mix (with the most stunning markings ever) with a big personality packed into a tiny frame! This sweet, spunky little guy may be small, but he’s overflowing with love, charm, and tail-chasing energy. River absolutely loves people, gets along great with other dogs and has the cutest zoomies you've ever seen! Whether he's chasing his tail or playfully going after a leash, he’s always ready to entertain and make you smile. When River first arrived at the shelter, he was a bit unsure of his surroundings—but with time, patience, and a lot of love, he’s really come out of his shell and blossomed into a confident, affectionate, and joyful little guy. River is starting out with great energy. While initially a bit shy due to all the changes in his life, this sweet guy is blossoming in his foster home. Now at 18 months old, River's self esteem is growing every day as he learns that he's a very valuable guy that has so much to offer a dog-loving family. River's coat is currently a bit shelter-sad. This gorgeous guy's forever family will need to make a lifelong commitment to periodic baths/brushing and excellent nutrition (5 star food and a daily salmon oil supplement are perfect lifelong protocols for general longevity and coat care) to keep River's hair super-healthy, shining and cottony soft. River is appropriately playful and inquisitive for his young age. He's also very loving and cuddly once comfortable in his environment. This snuggly little guy would be very excited for a game of fetch or a long hike through the stunning Colorado trails. And then at days end, snuggling with his favorite people is absolutely perfect. it's clear that this pup is SO smart and sweet - very typical of both the Cattle Dog and Chihuahua personalities. Some would say these two breeds are among the most loving and cuddly in the dog world. Since River is a young guy, he's a blank slate just waiting for a kind and patient human to show him the way. He has all the potential in the world to be an awesome and loving best friend. Sweet River will form firm bonds with his family and learn socialization skills through virtual or in-person positive reinforcement / force-free Obedience Classes. These classes will make a profound difference in a young dog's ultimate behavior and in his relationship and bonding with his people. It does take time and commitment, yet pays off a thousand times over when you have a dog that can accompany you out in the world with excellent behavior. Farfel's Rescue feels very strongly that every dog deserves the opportunity for formal virtual or in-person positive reinforcement / force-free training classes. We therefore aren't willing to adopt River out to a home that doesn't choose to offer him this training opportunity. Farfel's is happy to provide a list of approved virtual and in-person force-free trainers in your area. Farfel's is open to River finding his forever home with an active retired couple or individual with lots of energy to train and enjoy a silly and super-smart young dog. A younger family that works from a home-based office would also be a great choice for a pup that would love nothing more than getting loved up periodically throughout the day. River enjoys his relationships with all humans. We would prefer, however, to place him in a home with older kids (tail pulling or rough treatment by very young kids will create a dog that's fearful of children). Older kids can also be active participants in a training regimen and friendship that's so important in a dog's development. River will be up to date on his vetting/vaccinations to be in line with our commitment to only adopting out healthy dogs. He has also been neutered to support zero population growth in the canine population. River will be arriving on transport in Boulder on Wednesday 4/23/2025. Applications are currently being accepted for this sweet as can be pup. An adoption application can be found at http://farfels.com/farfels-rescue/adoption-form/. If interested, please fill out completely and submit. **PLEASE NOTE** If you're truly interested in adopting River, please be sure to fill out our Farfel's Rescue adoption application found at the link above or at farfels.com. Adoption site applications such as Petfinder and Adoptapet don't provide enough information and therefore aren't useful. Our Farfel's application is the only initial tool that we have to determine a great match for this very deserving dog. We're sorry, but in many cases, we're unable to get back to those that don't submit our Farfel's Rescue adoption application. Thanks very much for choosing rescue.

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