Cayuga Dog Rescue ~ Fonzie

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Fonzie

Hi! My name is Fonzie, and I am a very cute, healthy, housebroken, 4 year old, neutered, male Shiba Inu/Chihuahua mix! I was rescued from a puppy mill about a year ago by a great woman who runs her own rescue, and transferred into a fabulous CDR foster home this summer so I could get more 1-1 attention and help with my social rehabilitation.

I am SO glad I was placed in my current foster home, my "moms" are incredibly nice and are helping me learn to trust people like I never have before. I am completely non-aggressive and have lots of sweet and silly aspects to my personality.

Let me tell you a bit about me!

These are the things I like best:
1. Grilled chicken (dog food version or human version)
2. Long trail walks
3. Going out in the car (I am great in the car!)
4. My stuffed pink piggy (don't laugh! he's a special piggy!)
5. Salami
6. Bacon.

These are cute things about me:
1. Just look at me! I'm adorable!
2. When I get really curious about something (that I am not really ready to approach yet but am not very afraid of either) I always raise my left paw and hold it in the air, often with my head slightly tilted to one side, waiting for whatever I am looking at to make its next move. This "whatever" could be anything - the oven, a toy, a foot, a person...
3. I am very meticulous about cleanliness. Every time I eat, I clean my face, both my front paws, both my eyes, and the top of my head!
4. I am also very particular about bedtime. If you have to stay up late, okay, but I must go to bed at 11pm.
5. I like to collect moths and stockpile them in a corner of the house. Strange, I know, but I'm fascinated by them!

Okay, now, here are the things that scare me, and I must confess, the list is not short! I am afraid of just about anything with which I am unfamiliar--whether it be a thing or a person. I definitely come around if nobody threatens me or makes loud noises or sudden movements, but I need your patience and I need time. I'm more comfortable if people approach me sideways or backwards (straight on is the scariest), but I'm even more comfortable if you don't approach me at all, but let me approach you in my own time. My foster moms say that my ability to okay with direct eye contact is getting better and better every day, but it has been slow going. I still don't like to be petted or picked up (it scares me), but can enjoy an occasional chin rub.

I will however, quite happily let you pet me with your feet! I also like to sniff your feet a lot. I'm just a feet kinda guy! I know it sounds like I'm a super scared boy, but believe it or not, in just over a month, I have made a lot of progress which is indicative that I can make more. For instance, when I first came to my CDR foster home, the sound of the toilet flushing or the sound of any running water would send me bolting into a hiding pace.. Now I don't even give it a second thought. I also didn't want to be near my foster moms one bit, but now I really like to be near them.

My most hopeful asset is my curiosity. Unless I'm absolutely petrified, though I might stay away from a potentially scary thing/person for a while, eventually my curiosity gets the better of me and I investigate it. Overall, my foster moms think I am making steady progress in trusting and in gaining comfort with people and the world, and have every reason to expect this to continue.

I will of course need an adopter who is willing to be very patient with me, and help me keep making gains. I must go to someone who is home a lot of the time, so I get a steady stream of being in the company of a person or people. I will regress if I am left home alone for 8+ hours a day.

Of course I also should not go into a home with young children, as so many of the normal, friendly things that kids do (running at me, trying to hug me, trying to pet me, making loud noises) would absolutely terrify me! I am going to make someone a very special companion.

My foster moms want you to know that the little gains that I make--like when I first started following them around, or when I first played with a toy, or when I first made eye contact with them -- are incredibly rewarding and exciting! And there are so many firsts that I hope to have with my new family!

If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an adoption application today and live within 30 minutes of Ithaca, or very close to Syracuse, Owego, or Binghamton because we do home visits with all potential applicants, and can't travel farther than that.

Because of the high rate of accidents between dogs and young children, we rarely adopt out our dogs or puppies into homes with young children. If you think your particular situation might warrant an exception, please feel free to inquire with us.