Spike

weight: 9 lbs estimated age: 5 urs This dog is in the KENNEL at Small Miracles, you MUST apply IN PERSON PLEASE READ INFORMATION BELOW: This dog recently arrived and is just settling in. If you are interested in adopting, YOU MUST COME IN PERSON during adoption hours and fill out an application. Adoption hours and address are viewable on the website at www.smallmiraclesrescue.org ---FAQ--- Is This Dog Currently Available?... This dog is available at the Small Miracles rescue facility in Ellicott City. To submit an application, please come meet this dog in person. You can bring your application with you, or you can fill one out when you come in. Dogs will be removed from PetFinder only when they have an approved application or more than three (3) interested applicants. Where did this dog come from?... We rescue dogs from 100% kill shelters in West Virginia and on occasion from Kentucky. On rare occasions we accept owner surrenders. Due to the nature of the shelters they were rescued from, we often do not know the dogs' history. How Old is this dog?... We look at a dogs' teeth to estimate its age, and then the age is reevaluated by our veterinary staff when the dog is spayed/neutered. If an age is not posted online, please feel free to inquire. Is this dog Good With Kids?... We occasionally know for sure if a dog is good with kids because it came from a home with kids. This is rare. We always suggest you bring your children in to meet the dog if you are seriously interested in adopting. Dogs may like some kids and may dislike others. Dogs are individuals, just like kids are. Is this dog Housebroken?... Advice from a veterinarian: Even if a dog is housebroken at my house, it does not mean that it understands not to pee at someone else's house. It ONLY understands not to pee at my house. Some dogs make the connection that they should only pee outside. Some must be retrained when they come home. All we can tell you for sure is whether/or not a dog's crate is clean when we come to walk them in the AM. All this means is that they are crate trained and waited to pee until we took them outside. What is this dog's Temperament?... We do not have a clear picture of a dog's temperament until we have allowed them to settle in for a few days. Even then they are living in a shelter environment with many other dogs and a lot of daily activity. It can be difficult to say a dog is "calm" or "nervous" when the shelter environment is playing a big role in that behavior. We only rescue FRIENDLY dogs who have no known bite history. If a dog is at Small Miracles, it likes people and has a good temperament. We always suggest you meet the dog to see if it is the right fit for your lifestyle. What are your Fees?... Base adoption fee is $375 for adult dogs and puppies. To this, we add a $30 microchip fee, which we register for you, and a 6 month supply of heartworm preventative. Heartworm preventative costs $40-60 depending on the weight of the dog. This means that a small dog will total $445.00 and an extra large dog will total $465.00. Why can't I adopt a FREE dog?... Our adoption fee covers many procedures which cost much more for us then the amount we ask for from you. We spay/neuter all pets, and we give them their first round of vaccines (canine distemper, bordetella, Rabies if age appropriate). At a typical vet clinic this would cost you $700 at minimum for the surgery, and each vaccine is roughly $50 each. Even if your adopted dog does not have all of its shots due to the mandatory waiting period between booster shots, we offer vaccinations at the low cost of $20/shot. We test all dogs for heartworm disease and tickborn illnesses such as Lyme. We never euthanize a heartworm positive dog, and treatment routinely costs us $3000/dog. We collect a fecal sample from every rescued dog and run a microscopic parasite test. Any parasites found will be treated with two rounds of the appropriate de-wormer. We treat all dogs for fleas and ticks with Advantage. If a dog has significant dental disease or "very dirty teeth", we will perform a dental cleaning when the dog has its spay/neuter surgery. A dental cleaning with extractions would cost you upwards of $400-600 at your local vet clinic. ALSO NOTE... Small Miracle is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We survive off of our adoption fees and donations from the community. We are a non-profit animal rescue and do not receive income from tax revenue as some county shelters do. For more information including Adoption Hours and Rescue Address, please visit our website at www.smallmiraclesrescue.org