Adopted: Libby

Quick Facts:

• Breed: American Staffordshire Terrier (Pit Bull)
• Gender: Female, spayed
• Age: 8-9 years young
• Size: 60 pounds
• Good with…
  • Dogs? Small ones! See Cohabitation!!!
  • Cats? Sorry, no!
  • Kids? Yes! 12+ years

Hello! My name is Libby and I am the sweetest pup you could ever meet!!

***Libby is not a CDR dog and has not been evaluated by CDR. This is a courtesy posting for Rainbow of Hope Animal Rescue (contact info: 607-562-8085 sford@stny.rr.com) who will make all decisions about her adoptive placement. Please contact by above phone or email to apply to adopt.***

History

My name is Libby! I was a homeless girl who landed in a high-kill shelter in the south. I was super skinny/underweight at 45 pounds (so hungry!), and also heartworm positive. Things were looking grim to say the least, but then miraculously, I was pulled by Rainbow of Hope Animal Rescue in Big Flats NY!! That all happened the day before I was to have been euthanized at the shelter, so you can imagine my relief and gratitude! Rainbow of Hope has been amazing! They arranged for my heartworm treatment and transportation to NY. Unfortunately when I arrived in New York, the woman who was to foster me could not do so, so now I’m staying with the director of the rescue in her garage (she has another big dog that doesn’t like me). They got me all checked out at the vet, found that I had a few small growths that need to be removed (Rainbow of Hope is working on that! Should be easy breezy!), and in taking some pictures of my lungs the vet found that I had previously broken ribs. And there are some scars on my face. This shows that I suffered some rough times in the past, but everyone assures me that that is all in the past, that now I am heading for nothing but a loving, joyful, safe and wonderful future! I’m so sweet and totally ready to start a new life with a new person or family!

Personality

Okay—let me be honest (it’s the way I am)…I am truly the sweetest, friendliest, most affectionate and joyful dog you could ever hope to find! It’s bonkers (they tell me) how sweet, gentle and friendly I am, given how rough my past life must have been, but, I really am!

I LOVE people!!!! When I see a person (for instance, if we are out on a leashed walk), I get so happy about the prospect of meeting them (I mean super duper happy!!)–my ears go up (“Lookee there! A person, yippee!”), my tail goes wag-wag-wag-wag-wag, and I turn on gobs of adorable charm so that the person can’t help but to come over and say hello, haha! I don’t pull too hard on my leash at first, but once I see that they are actually going to come and say hello (YAAAAY!!!), my excitement gets the better of me and my butt joins in to become a whole body wag! I quickly get the “Awwww, she’s so sweet” response from the humans and then we both move in for the “smushiness.” It makes everyone laugh! I am told that one of my many (many) endearing behaviors is that if a person comes over and kneels down next to me, I will often climb up and wrap my arms around them and give them a sweet hug and a kiss! I will bury my head in their chest sometimes too, like I’m trying to smell the very core of them, and it’s the loveliest thing on earth. Full disclosure…I’m also a little bit goofy, and sometimes a little clumsy and uncoordinated (haha!), and though I might not be the brightest bulb ever, I promise you that I am the sweetest. Like, I’m just learning the words “sit” and “down” but I am a natural lover because if you say “can I get a kiss?” you will get one from me! Believe it or not, I know the word “kiss!”

One of the coolest new things in my life is a Kong that is filled with treats and peanut butter!! Oh my gosh! Unbelievable! And my current foster mom gives me one every single day. I like almost all chew toys–soft furry ones and hard Nylabone types, and I especially like chewing on and playing with them when my person is nearby. I do not run after/retrieve toys if you throw them though–I assume that if you threw it over there, that’s where you want it to be! Unexpected noises (like a toy whistle) kinda scare me though if I accidentally step on the squeaky part!

I am very quiet in the back seat of a car. Partly that’s because I get a little off-balance when we turn or stop short, and I have to focus on trying not to fall over (haha, there’s that clumsiness)! I mostly end up laying down quietly, it’s really the best approach (but I have to rediscover this every time).

Now—let’s cover walks! I like ‘em slow and easy…Don’t rush me please! It’s the quality, not the quantity (and certainly not the pace) of the walk that matters! I gotta smell everything along the way, and ohhhh I love walks along a brook or a stream (haha or IN the brook or the stream!) or in the woods. Now that’s adventure and soooooo many different smells. Yummy! And uhhh, if we could avoid the rain, I would prefer that, I am not a fan of the rain one bit! I am a bit of a goof in that if I should walk on your left to avoid a tree, I might wander to your right, and if you are trying to steer me to the right, I might try to “help” by meandering left. Hahaha, it cracks everyone up, they say I’m a silly, goofy girl! I don’t need a walk every day so please don’t worry if you aren’t a walker. I’m just as good hanging in the fenced yard with you while you garden or sit on the porch!

Important for you to know that I am a bit “reactive” (aka excited/stimulated) when passing by other dogs when out on leash. If they are at a distance, it’s really no issue at all, but if they are close, I can get amped up, and since letting “amped up” dogs meet each other is unsafe, you should never introduce me to other dogs in this situation. Just keep us going, and if you can distract me with treats, I’ll be very happy. Because I am a little glitchy with large dogs and large females especially, I should never go to dog parks or with you when you go to visit your friends’ houses who have dogs. Ditto, when they come to visit you, please ask them to leave their dogs at home!

I am very curious! And not just about people…about things like how grass smells too! I do like to eat grass (it’s my “salad course”), which is perfectly fine as long as there is no fertilizer down. I am very food motivated but despite that, I take treats very gently! I truly am in my glory if I can be with my person, no matter where I am. I am trying so hard to find my next forever person. Please, please come and meet me! I want to love you all day long and share a life of joy and happiness with you!

Cohabitation

I love people! I try so hard to be loved by everyone! I am fine with children but because of my size (ok, and let’s be honest…my clumsiness) I probably should only live with children over the age of 12 so I don’t accidentally fall over them or knock them down while I’m trying to show them loving or if I get too excited.

My current foster mom has a cocker spaniel, a dachshund, and a shiba inu/pitbull mix and while I initially got a little over-excited to meet them, (same reaction when I hear them barking in the house), now I don’t really mind when they come out to see me in the garage. But she also has a very large female dog, and she and I do not get along. I would probably do best in a home as an only dog, or it may be possible for me to live with another smaller, mellow dog, but we certainly would have to meet first to be sure!

I am not good with cats (sorry!), so I need to be in a cat-free home.

Favorite Activities

I love:
1. Being with my person or people!!
2. Meeting new people and loving on them!
3. My Kong full of treats and peanut butter!
4. Meeting new people and loving on them!
5. My Kong full of treats and peanut butter!
6. Hanging outside in the fenced yard, sleeping in the grass with my person on the deck with me!

Why I am looking for a new home

I am here because my original human abandoned me. Didn’t care when I went missing, didn’t come looking for me at the shelter. The person that was going to foster me, changed their mind after I was already on my way up to New York. So right now I am living in a kennel in the garage of my new foster mom because my new foster mom has a big black dog that I don’t get along with. I hear her cry sometimes at night because I know she wants to bring me in the house and I cry sometimes too because I really want to be in there with her. I do feel grateful because lately there have been more and more people that come and take me out for little adventures or walks AND there is a really cool doggie day care place where I go some days. I go there on sunny days because they have a doggie door built in so I can go outside whenever I want and bask in the sun! But I am looking for that somebody who would love to make me a permanent forever part of their family (adopt me!) or even someone who doesn’t have another dog that could foster me in their home!

Medical

I was positive for heartworms, and received the full (imiticide) treatment. Wow. That was tough! It took months, involved some really painful injections in my spinal cord, and involved a lengthy recovery period. But guess what? I’m done with all of that (as of March 2020)! Post-treatment, it can take 6 or more months for follow-up tests to show “negative” but since the overwhelming majority of dogs test negative after the full treatment that I got, I’m looking forward that clean bill of health in the fall! I do have some residual lung inflammation from the heartworms, but the vets have me on some medicine that is helping with that!

I do have a little bit of a bad back, but it doesn’t slow me down other than I need you to scooch under my butt to help me jump into the backseat of the car! My little lumps/growths that I have are very solvable problems and are being taken care of fully now, and should leave me with no long-term effects. I am spayed and fully vaccinated and a healthy and happy girl otherwise!

Summary

I know that if you meet me, you will fall in love with me. I am classic pitty, sweet, loving, so oblivious to the prejudice that exists against me. I will be kind. I will be gentle. I will love you but will not impose upon you (well okay, I can be a little imposing but only in my desire to show you my love and commitment). Would prefer to be an only dog but I can probably also live with another dog, if it is just the right one! If you are interested in adopting me, please contact Susan at Rainbow of Hope Animal Rescue (contact info: 607-562-8085 sford@stny.rr.com) and get an application. My adoption fee is $275.00 and is non-negotiable.