Zoey (adopted)

Adopted Small Donations NeededHouse TrainedSpecial Needs

Zoey Arrival

Zoey is a sweet little soul who is looking for a very special forever family. She is an adorable, far smaller than typical Cavalier at 7 lbs, and has significant behavioral and medical challenges. Please read her entire posting in detail before applying for her. She will continue to require extensive behavioral support and encouragement as well as long-term medical care and monitoring.

When Zoey came to foster care she was similar to a feral cat. If you looked at her or tried to approach her, she would run and hide. The only time she would allow anyone to touch her is if she was cuddled in a dog bed with one of her foster brothers. She would just sit frozen in place like a deer in headlights. It took about 3 weeks, but Zoey finally began to understand that human touch was a good thing and she would actually seek out some, limited, affection. If you reached out your hand, she would come up and give a quick kiss and then run away, just out of reach. Finally, after about a month, she was actually soliciting “hip scratches” from her foster mom. Now that she has been in foster care for almost 2 months, she is somewhat comfortable with the people in her life, but still has that flight response if you move to reach out for her. She is still very fearful of strangers and just freezes in place when approached, even while being held. Zoey does not walk well on a leash, but does follow the other dogs in our foster home around in the yard.

Zoey sees other dogs as her only source of comfort. She is not a typical Cavalier in that sense and strongly prefers the company of dogs vs humans. She will need to have at least one other affectionate dog in her home in order to follow their guidance and be reassured by their presence. There are 2 dogs in Zoey’s foster home and she almost always snuggles up to them in their dog beds for comfort.

Despite her fear, Zoey is a gentle soul and she has never exhibited an ounce of fear aggression. She just trembles and shuts down emotionally. Zoey’s forever home is going to need to have the time and patience to allow her to adjust to her new environment and not force her to move faster than she is comfortable. It is likely that she will regress emotionally when she goes to her forever home. She has a long ways to go still and It is impossible to predict if she will continue to progress or if she will always be skittish and distant.

Zoey has ongoing medical challenges as well. She suffered from a grade 3 luxating patella when she came to rescue and she has now had that surgically repaired. Her leg has healed well and she is learning to trust and walk again on all four legs. Zoey is also anorexic and has developed a behavior issue of refusing food. Because Zoey is so little, it is absolutely crucial that she eat 3 – 4 times a day or her blood sugar will drop too low. She has had 2 grand mal seizures when in foster care because of hypoglycemia. She needs a home that has the time and patience to work with her on her eating, a flexible schedule to feed her throughout the day, and a willingness to syringe feed when necessary. She is currently on an appetite stimulant and it is helping. We anticipate weaning her off it soon and that she will need that stimulant from time to time in the future. In spite of how hungry she may be, she will still sometimes refuse food and she will have to be force fed. If she does eat on her own, it still needs to be given to her out of a human hand or placed directly on the floor. 99% of the time she will not eat out of a bowl. In order to maintain her blood sugar levels, that often involves syringe feeding.

Zoey is such a gentle, sweet girl and she deserves to have comfort and love in her life. She needs a calm, quiet family with a lot of time and patience to maintain her progress and help her learn how to be the wonderful pet we hope she can be. Due to her skittish nature, and her reluctance to walk on leash, a fenced yard is required for adoption.

If you think you are the right home for Zoey, understand the commitment required for her in the years ahead, and have a another calm dog to keep her company, please fill out the adoption form online at CavalierAlliance.org and email us at CavalierHelp@CavalierAlliance.org to let us know of your interest.

 

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