Happy Gotcha Day Kiwi!
 
MEET KIWI!! This beautiful girl just came to LFS yesterday. Turns out she is not a lab/weim mix; she appears to be a purebred Weimaraner, but we made the commitment to save her, so here she is! She was found roaming the streets as a stray, and sadly no one came to claim her at the shelter. Kiwi is about 2 years old. She is a sweetheart who is understandably very scared and timid right now. When she is frightened she will crouch to the ground, crawl, and do her best to become invisible. It took a while to get her into the car for transport, but once she was settled into the back, she seemed to relax and even took some time to explore and look out the window during the ride to the vet. Kiwi appears to be food motivated and takes treats gently. She seems to be interested in other dogs, and despite being scared, she has been sweet to every person she’s met so far. She will probably be more comfortable in a home with another dog and with a fence. But we know that with patience and a lot of loving care, this beautiful girl will start to come out of her shell. 
 
Kiwi will be spayed and updated on her vaccines in the coming days, after which she will need a quiet foster home to start learning what the good life is all about. At this time, she would do best in a home without small children, as loud noises and fast movements scare her. If you’d be interested in fostering for LFS, please go to labradorfriends.com/how-to-foster to fill out an adoption application. Email labfriendinfo@gmail.com if you’re already approved!
 
If you’d be interested in adopting Kiwi when she is ready, please go to labradorfriends.com/how-to-adopt to fill out an adoption application. If you’re already approved to adopt, email labfriendinfo@gmail.com with your interest. Thanks!
 

KIWI UPDATE 5/23/20!! When we first saved Kiwi, she was so nervous and anxious that she would immediately hit the ground and refuse to move. She slowly started to improve and learned that the leash wasn’t so bad, and with the help of her doggie foster sister, she started to come out of her shell more. We realized that Kiwi’s anxiety was leading to some inappropriate behaviors at home, so we enlisted the help of our wonderful trainer. For the past couple of weeks Kiwi has been enrolled in a training program to work on gaining confidence, improving socialization, and curbing anxiety. As she has continued with training, we have learned that she is a very smart yet sensitive dog who is going to take a bit longer to become the dog we know she can be. That said, Kiwi likely will not be ready/available for adoption until later this summer. When the time comes, she will need to go to a home with an experienced dog owner, a fenced in yard (physical fence; non-electric), another dog in the home, and no small children.


Update from trainer: As I discussed when you came out I started her on hand feeding and this seems to really helped her. She is a lot more relaxed and accepting touch a lot better than before. She will come to me when I call for her now and will hang out with me rather than come and then retreat. She is much more relaxed in an indoor setting when we are working than outside. I can put her on a lead inside and bring her to me without resistance while when we are outside on a lead she is looking for a place to retreat. As you know she loves other dogs so I have allowed her to have a lot of playtime. There have been two times that she was in play with another dog and stopped playing and went up to person she had never met and touched their hand. This is huge for her.  Although she may have been looking for a treat, the fact that she voluntarily went up to them was huge. This is going to have to be a slow process. She is so smart that if I go too fast I feel like we will be right back where we started. So we will continue to work and I will keep you updated.

As for a proper forever home, Kiwi is a special dog. She will require a person that is very experienced in handling a girl like her. I have evaluated Kiwi with people, males and females, and other dogs and have not seen even the slightest sign of aggressive behavior. She is very animated when she is around other dogs but it is excitement. Her big movements and vocal sounds that she makes could easily be mistaken. Kiwi is very intelligent and responds to my body language and tones. In helping her to become a more confident dog, I have really had to be connected to her reactions to be able to know when she can handle the next paces I am about to put her through.

If I was to describe her at this time I would say that she is a beautiful, silly girl that has a lot to offer but needs to be built from the ground up. 

 
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