SQUEAKERS - Mutt Female Dog For Adoption in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Dog Breed: Pit Bull Terrier (medium coat).

We would like to introduce a very special girl, Squeakers! Squeakers arrived at TJO severely emaciated, but with no shortage of love to give. As with any puppy, she has quite a bit of youthful energy and will happily learn how to live in a home with positive reinforcement. One of the first things you would've noticed about Squeakers when she first arrived was her posture and back legs. As she has received care during her time at the shelter, and while in foster, her legs have grown stronger. We've been very careful about intense physical activity- now that the vet has cleared her for physical activity we are slowly increasing her exercise and playtime to gradually improve stamina and help her legs gain more muscle! To keep her legs working well her weight should be monitored to prevent stress to the joints, and exercise should be slowly increased to help her build strength. Squeakers is a young girl, under the age of 1 yr who will benefit from learning all about living in a home with someone who is experienced with positive reinforcement, or willing to learn, and loving guidance. She will need regular exercise, combined with lots of mental stimulation such as food puzzles, sniffing time, games, and learning fun tricks, all to create happy experiences while bonding with her family and building confidence. It is safest to avoid things like repetitive requests for ‘sit’ to prevent aggravating her hind legs, but she is inquisitive and thoroughly enjoys interactions with trusted people, and is loving the increase in physical play! Sweet Squeakers was interested in meeting other dogs, but she can be anxious if they are too pushy. She would likely do well in a home with a similarly sized, well socialized pup with the patience for a youngster. A dog meet n’ greet with a resident pup is required. While she has the normal energy of a puppy, she should be supervised during playtime to be sure it doesn’t become too rough or rowdy. While in foster she has enjoyed being social with her foster, including sharing space with both a dog and a cat. (Slow introductions will help keep everyone safe and comfortable). Squeakers is very excited to meet new people, and she can sometimes jump to create the connection she craves. She has also shown some mild signs of resource guarding--eating faster when she's approached--and will likely do best around older kids (15+) that are able to understand how to interact with her, learn how to read body language (link under ‘resources’ on our website), and when to let her have her own space. Interactions with minors should be actively supervised for everyone's safety and comfort. When it comes to resource-guarding, it’s safest to ‘trade up’ by tossing something of equal or higher value off to the side before removing food or toys. This will teach any dog they don’t have to lose favorite items, and our approach won’t mean we’re taking something away. Angling out body slightly when a pup jumps up as we wait for all paws to be on the ground, will teach an excited dog the happy interaction will continue when our clothes don’t have paw-art. Interested in meeting this amazing girl? Please come to the shelter on Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday from 12N-3:30 pm, or Saturdays by appointment.