WILLOW

Willow: age: 7 months weight : 8 lbs Location: Toronto Ontario Adoption donation: $450 Willow arrived at her foster home after a long day of traveling with a small group of her family. She was sweet and cuddly and shy. She quickly warmed up to her foster family and spent all her time cuddling her new foster dog brothers and mom. She tried to cuddle and play with the cat, but she prefers to admire Willow from a distance. As she very slowly explored her new digs it quickly became apparent that something was different about her. A trip to the vet confirmed the suspicion that she was visually impaired. She has severe retinal damage in both eyes. However, her pupils still respond to light so she can see lights and shadows. She has more than likely been blind since birth and this is just the way she is used to seeing the world. She has adapted very well, leaving many to doubt her inability to see. And then she walks into a wall. She slowly explores a new area and once she has it down the little daredevil comes out in her. She jumps on and off furniture, runs around with minimal bumps. She enjoys her daily walks and now that she knows her path she is confident enough to walk ahead and not between he foster mom’s feet. Her hearing and sense of smell are highly attuned and may be super hero level. There is no sneaking up on her or away. She is from a hording situation. So she is used to fighting for food and attention. We are working on her manners but she is very willing to stand up for herself. She is slow to accept new dogs and people and prefers to meet them two or three times before she is comfortable. She is very sweet and cuddly once she knows you, and enjoys naps on top of humans or her foster brothers. She was terrible in cars, until we found that a car seat is her preferred form of travel. This sweet pup has never been alone her entire life and has a bad case of separation anxiety. We have recently started her on medication to help with this. She is an escape artist extraordinaire. No harness, pen or baby gate can hold her. She will eat, take treats and sleep in her crate with the door open. But absolutely panics when the door is closed and had scratched her nose and bumped her head trying to escape her crate. She is also still a puppy and is exploring the world through her mouth. Leaving her loose is not an option. She loves to chew and we are trying to redirect that behavior to her toys. She is fine when crated with her foster brothers. House breaking is coming along. She is being trained to go outside as pee pads proved to be a nice snack and were quickly destroyed. We are working on basic commands, and “step” when she needs to jump/step down and “up” to jump up or step up. Willow new home must have another dog. Not only is she not used to being alone, but dogs with impaired vision do much better with a seeing companion. She is not a dog that will ever be safe to have off leash, or be left unattended in a back yard. She is doing very well in an apartment. She needs someone with patience, and hopefully some experience, to deal with her separation anxiety and the complications of training a dog with limited vision.