Shyla and Lyra

My story

Meet Shyla, black and tan, and Lyra, black with a bit of white! These adorable, young adult (estimated ~2-year-old), bonded girls - meaning they will be adopted out together - came from a hoarding situation, but have come such a long way from the terrified, very dirty and stinky state they were in when they arrived with RCHS. Lyra is the brave one - if she says something is ok, then Shyla, usually, will eventually follow. Both dogs are extremely loving once they feel safe. When they arrived with us, they really hadn’t been exposed to much of the world. Since then, they have learned how to navigate stairs and grass and now they absolutely love exploring the yard. However, as both girls are a flight risk when frightened, a fenced yard will be required. They LOVE sleeping in the bed with their person/people so they are hoping that their new family will let them do that. They are good with tolerant cats – they want the cats to play with them and let them lick them. They are currently being fostered with 3 cats. They snuggle with the one that has accepted their love and silliness. They are also good with tolerant dogs, but don’t seem to understand dog social-cues or respect boundaries. In this regard, they often act more like puppies than adults. As such, some dogs, even dogs that normally do great with other dogs, may not like them. Therefore, if going to a home with other dogs, the dogs must be of similar size. Older children (8 and above) are likely fine but, given their fear, an active household with frequent visitors or loud noises, would not be ideal. They are eager to please and are house trained now, but don’t know how to ask to go out. They are also pee pad trained and crate-trained (as long as they are crated together). However, they will steal each other’s food, so they must be fed separately. Their foster mom feeds one in a crate and the other outside the crate. Lyra appears to have some allergies. It is possible that these are seasonal. They are currently being managed with a monthly injection and antihistamine as needed. Both dogs are on once-daily antianxiety medication and this has helped a lot to make the world seem so much less scary, so it would be in their best interest if they stay on this medication long term. As yet, these girls (especially Shyla) have not adjusted well when separated, so they must be adopted together. If you are interested in adopting this dog, please fill out our application here: http://www.rchsks.org/our-animals/adopt-a-pet/adopting-a-dog. By filling out the application you are not committing yourself to adopting; it's a screening process that must be completed before you meet the dog. Please do this BEFORE calling. Our voicemail is only checked periodically and you can reach us much faster via dog-coordinators@rchsks.org. Thank you!

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