Meet Dragonfly! This good luck charm was rescued from a high kill shelter in Texas and arrived to her foster in Virginia on 15 May 2021. She is estimated about 3 years according to her paperwork, but its likely she is a little younger (2 years?) due to her behavior and energy.
Good in the car - On her way home from transport, she stood for a bit before laying down and relaxing for the reminder of the ride. She rides will with her foster brother in the back seat of a Corolla and was an angel for two 3 hour+ drives with him.
Very friendly to humans - She is very friendly with strangers and on our walks she has attempted to walk over to nearby people to greet them. She also also met kids ages 3-10 and was on her best behavior, though due to her energy and mouthing she is probably better to have around kids 6 and older.
Dog friendly with proper intros - She met the 75lb resident GSD mix and within two hours they are the best of friends and LOVE to play. She has met a few other dogs like an older GSD and a Corgi, which was good after she had a little time to settle and get used to the dogs. When she is out on walks and those intros don't happen, she tends to bark and make a fuss (leash reactive like many dogs) BUT she has also been suddenly approached by an off leash dog (large male Golden Retriever) during a walk and she didn't react at all! Her reactivity is a work in progress, but with some proper training she should do much better.
High prey drive - She failed her cat test before transport, and growled at the neighborhood cat once at her foster. She tends to lunge at squirrels, chipmunks, etc. With some obedience training, she should be able to be redirected without too much issue but not recommended for people with resident cats, bunnies, etc.
Some basic training - She came to her foster seemingly knowing no basic commands and has since learned "sit", "down", "paw", "touch", "look at me", and "wait" (for food), and she's making really good progress with "place" and "wait" (at the door)!
Good in crate (mostly)- She has slept in her crate at night with no issue and even takes naps there throughout the week. If her humans are home, she will hang in her crate without any fuss, but if she knows you've left the house she will bark and whine for a while to let you know she's not happy UNLESS she is crated in front of a window, then she does just fine.
Isolation Distress - Dragonfly loves to be around her people and isn't a fan if her people aren't home with her. In the beginning, she would bark and whine fairly consistently the entire time her foster was gone and didn't settle easily even with the aid of toys, frozen Kongs, tv/radio, etc. However, once her crate was moved in front of a window where she could watch people, dogs, and other critters, she settled really well and only barked when it was at something specific like a squirrel (rather than just barking to say she was upset). While this has been a great way to manage her distress, it is preferred that she goes to a home where her human(s) are there more often than not as this will take time to work through with her. More about Separation Anxiety vs Isolation Distress: https://www.rover.com/blog/separation-anxiety-dogs-happen/
Heartworm positive* - Dragonfly tested positive for heartworms while down in TX and has completed a month's dose of doxycycline pills to help manage it. Once treatments begin, her physical activity will need to be restricted for a while. However, once she is HW negative, she will be a great running/hiking buddy due to her energy.
*Heartworm treatment costs will be covered by SSR at approved facilitates.
More about Dragonfly 1998
Not Good with Cats, Somewhat vocal
If you are an approved adopter and are interested in this dog, please let your case worker know. If you are not yet an approved adopter but are interested, please complete an adoption application!
If you are viewing this animal on Petfinder, please see our organization’s Petfinder home page, linked below (on mobile) or to the right (on desktop), to read about our adoption process and to start your journey!
If you are viewing this animal on Petfinder, please see our organization’s Petfinder home page, linked below (on mobile) or to the right (on desktop), to read about our adoption process and to start your journey!
