- Breed: St. Croix Island Dog
- Gender: Male
- Age: 3 months!
- Size: Currently 20 pounds, maybe 50 – 60 full-grown?
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes!
- Cats? Not yet tested
- Kids? Not yet tested
Hi! My name is Monkey and I am such a happy pupper!
History
Monkey came all the way from St. Croix where he was a homeless pup, living in the end of a pipe at a dump. No Mama Dog was seen with him, we don’t know how he got there or what his history was but we are pretty sure it was sad. Some dogs are dropped off at the dump, some find their way there with other dogs, some are born there. He just showed up one morning, in that pipe, barking at anyone who came close to him. He was clearly scared and trying to protect his space. Two wonderful Dog Rescue folks, Katie Nelson of “Ruff Start STX” and Papito were feeding him regular meals and began socializing him, leaving food near him so as not to scare him off.
Then his current foster mom, who is a Board member of “Ruff Start STX” and goes back and forth between Ithaca and St. Croix learned about him and spent a weekend patiently encouraging him to leave his pipe. Miraculously, she was successful and she was able to rescue him and get his new life started!
First a trip to the Island Vet, then 2 airplane flights, and 1 very long car ride and he was finally in Ithaca in early December, and thus began his new life!
Personality with People and Other Animals
Though Monkey has had an astounding number of obstacles and changes in his young life, he has handled them with an amazing amount of resilience and good nature. He is a very good little guy!!! We are really impressed with how hard he is working to adapt to a completely new life—living indoors, meeting new people, learning new routines, getting familiar with a new landscape and climate (snow??!!), adjusting to new food, new expectations, learning to walk on a leash and “hold it” when he is indoors, as well as learning some new words, and meeting some new dogs (and soon cats and children)! Wowza, that is A LOT for one little puppy in a short period of time!
And given all of the above, it is not surprising that he is shy and somewhat timid in new situations and with new people. When he first arrived, he would tremble for 2-3 minutes when meeting a new person, but we are happy to report that his comfort has increased enough that he is no longer trembling. Still shy for sure…when meeting a new person or when in a new situation, he will hang back shyly, but if you give him some time and don’t push him (e.g., let him watch from a distance, wait to do introductions until he feels ready and comes over and initiates), he does well. He just needs time to get comfortable, so needs adopters who will understand this and let him take things at a nice gentle, slow pace. Once he spends time with you though, he will remember you and not be nearly as shy at your next visit. And by visit 2 or 3, you are likely to be greeted with a big waggy butt wiggle!
And when he eventually really feels safe with someone…then he is SO HAPPY!! He will snuggle up next to you on the couch, and is happy to get your kisses, attention, and pets! So far he is not much for giving kisses, but he sure likes to be near to the people that he trusts. His foster mom says that now that he is super comfortable with her, he is a wonderful couch cuddler!
Monkey LOVES other dogs and plays well with a wide range of ages and types of dogs. He seems to get a lot of confidence from being around other dogs, and so will be happiest in a home with other dogs.
He loves his crate and is sleeping through the night in it without needing to go out and potty (as long as you take him out to potty right before you go to bed). He does well with daytime housebreaking if you give him regular opportunities to go out. He does not know to ask to be let out, so you need to just take him out every 2-3 hours and then reward him with yummy treats when he goes!
Thus far, he is a lower energy pup, but, that is likely to change as he gets healthier and more comfortable in his new life. He came undernourished and with parasites, which makes a dog feel yucky and tired, and shy dogs can also act quieter/lower energy when they are adjusting to a massive number of life changes. We are guessing he will be more of a moderate energy dog once he is fully healthy and fully adjusted to his new life, which means he’ll need some good dog-dog playtime and some nice walks or playtime in a fenced yard most days.
He is getting his series of needed vaccines, and now that he has a few under his belt, he can start socializing more. He’s already been to 3 Puppy socialization classes and is doing great there! The vets say that he is doing great, is growing stronger and healthier with all the good, consistent nutrition he is finally getting, and should be in tip-top shape soon enough.
Summary
He’s ready to find his special forever home! Please apply if you think you might be the perfect match for him, and him for you!
If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca, Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers.
