Special Needs Dog: Professor Edgewood
Welcoming a special needs dog into your life can be rewarding and at times offer the only lifeline available to these dogs. Special needs dogs are often overlooked because of their age, medical needs, or behavioral issues. They require special adopters who can manage their unique circumstances and in return they will give you endless love and devotion. These dogs are able to adjust to new homes and lifestyles once they are given the chance.
Get to know Professor Edgewood!
The Basics:
Suspected Breed(s): Dachshund / Beagle mix Gender: Male Age: 3.5 years old Weight: 35 pounds |
Loves:
Edgewood is adorable and playful with his family, and once he loves you, he is an extreme cuddler and is very gentle and loving. He will never pass up the opportunity to snuggle up next to you on the couch and watch TV. Loves other dogs and will do best with a dog companion in the home. A quiet suburban or rural yard for play time and sunbathing. Predictable, quiet environment. |
Other Attributes:
No kids. Kids are too unpredictable make him too nervous. Would not do well in a very social household with lots of people coming and going. House Training: No accidents. Crate Training: Does well in his crate. |
Special Needs:
- Understanding of fearful/sensitive dogs (this means they realize they are getting a homebody, rather than an outgoing dog to take to soccer games, open air concerts etc…, and will not try to force the wrong lifestyle on this dog or continuously put him in high pressure situations, unless they are actively working to counter condition him)
- Quiet suburban or rural home in a neighborhood where walks are peaceful and calm, not an endless stream of overstimulation
- One or more existing dogs in the home (young or old, big or small, male or female – Edgewood is good with all of them, but small dogs are preferable to large and females are preferable to males) who are confident and very people-oriented so that they can role-model desirable behavior for Edgewood. (Note: Edgewood sometimes exhibits resource guarding of bones and other high value items with other dogs; new owners need to be aware of that.)
- Older children only (if at all), preferably nice calm ones that don’t throw huge parties; a small family is preferable to a large family caught up in their daily hustle and bustle
- A secure fenced-in back yard (no invisible fence system), since Edgewood will be over-stimulated in a front yard facing the street and all sorts of pedestrian activity. The back yard will also be a very comfortable area for him to use for toilet purposes in bad weather.
- Experienced or at least open-minded adopter, who will follow a trainer’s recommendations and who is eager to work to help Edgewood continue to improve
- Primary care person should be a woman; there can be a husband as long as he understands Edgewood is in no rush to make friends
- Willingness to provide Edgewood with a safe, quiet place in the home near the other dogs, where he will not be disturbed so that he can sleep without fear for the first 3-6 months (Edgewood sleeps in a closed crate at night, and in the daytime he has access to his crate if he feels insecure for any reason). Once he has adjusted, he may want to sleep on a couch or bed with his family, but there should always be a crate or x-pen set up for management purposes during periods of stress (Thanksgiving visitors, plumbers, housekeepers, etc…).
Additional Information:
Edgewood continues to charm his way through the world. He is a lovely little dog, who is tremendously loyal to the people he loves. He has learned how to make friends with new people, primarily women, but it takes time for him to warm up to new people. Professor Edgewood is a small beagle mix who has been looking for his forever home for a while. Edgewood wants a quiet suburban or rural home with a secure, fenced-in yard and one or more other dogs for company. He prefers quiet walks in parks to noisy soccer game outings, so a busy family lifestyle would not be appropriate. He enjoys outings and will jump eagerly into the car for a spin if invited. |
|
Edgewood is adorable and playful with his family, and once he loves you, he is an extreme cuddler and is very gentle and loving. He will never pass up the opportunity to snuggle up next to you on the couch and watch TV. However, he is shy and it takes him a while to warm up to strangers. Edgewood will need his new family to work together with his foster to develop a transition plan so that by the time he arrives at his new home, he will settle in quickly.
When he is outside, Edgewood takes his job of keeping the squirrels off the backyard bird feeders very seriously! Although he dreams of chasing the cats here, he knows that’s not done because the cats are in charge. Edgewood is very comfortable with other dogs and enjoys romping with them outside in between patrolling his roomy yard. He would love to live in a house with multiple friendly canines. Please consider adopting this sweet little guy.
When he is outside, Edgewood takes his job of keeping the squirrels off the backyard bird feeders very seriously! Although he dreams of chasing the cats here, he knows that’s not done because the cats are in charge. Edgewood is very comfortable with other dogs and enjoys romping with them outside in between patrolling his roomy yard. He would love to live in a house with multiple friendly canines. Please consider adopting this sweet little guy.