The status of Erin was

last posted on 04/07/24 by

Worthy Dog Rescue

Female Dog, Dachshund

Dachshund / Mixed (Short Coat)

Description:

Meet Erin. Erin was rescued with her mom and siblings from a heartbreaking scenario in Chester, SC. Their owner, grappling with the loss of her husband to deportation and facing severe flooding on her property due to excessive rain, found herself unable to care for her pets. Sadly, the dogs were being kept outside in a pen that became submerged in water and debris, The owner called Animal Control for help and 9 dogs were removed from the property. With local shelters already overwhelmed, multiple rescues stepped up to help and Worthy Dog took Erin and her sister, Kira, into our care. Both pups have settled into their foster homes where they are experiencing the comforts of home for the first time. From cozy beds and nourishing meals to daily walks and human companionship, these girls are fully embracing home life. The pups are only about 7-8 months old and are adapting quickly. They are quickly learning new skills like navigating stairs, mastering crate and house training, and reveling in the delights of toys — simple pleasures they had never experienced before. Erin is being fostered in a home with her foster mom, Cari, and three small pups. She has done amazing with training and we’ve learned how smart and motivated she is. Like all puppies, she has spikes of energy and playfulness, but she does very well with structure and direction. We checked in with her foster mom, Carrie, for an update: FOSTER MOM UPDATE - 3/15/24 “After only two weeks, she fully understands the ‘sit’ and ‘wait’ commands, and we are working on the ‘down’ command. She goes quietly into her crate every time, and has started to voluntarily go in to take naps, and will lay in there quietly while I’m working/on calls. She has really learned that crate = relaxation and downtime, not punishment and me leaving. She’s improving with her potty training too. She understands that she should potty outside and has a favorite spot, but will sneak off and go inside if you’re not paying attention. Considering her age and having zero prior training, she’s way ahead of what I would expect. When she first arrived, I noticed she was protective of her food and space around the other dogs when I fed her in the crate. We made some adjustments and I stopped feeding meals and high-value treats in the crate and she stopped protecting the area. I started making her sit for her food bowl and not releasing her until it touched the floor. I also practiced touching her and interrupting her meals to make her sit again to have her food back. I also would like to stress that the aggression was never once directed at me. This has worked wonders and she can now eat with my dogs near her dish and she doesn't react at all. I think it was just a reaction from being housed with so many other dogs and having to battle it out for meals. She’s young and quickly worked through it. Erin has started to find her voice and will bark at my pups if they’re not playing with her. She loves to go and do. I took her on a little hike at Lake Norman and not only does she love a hike, but she was such a brave girl and got into the water! We also went hiking with a couple of friends and their big dogs. She was nervous at first about their size but warmed up really fast and was leading the pack by the end. She loves to hide her favorite toys in random places - in blankets, behind pillows, behind the blinds, and, my least favorite, in the water bowl. ‍♀️ Overall I think Erin leans more toward the submissive side and is very much a people-pleaser. She takes correction extremely well from both me and my dogs. For her age, she is a great balance of fun, playful, and full of zoomies but then will settle down and take a nap on her own. She can be a bit silly as well. She's also pretty brave. We joke that she's really into parkour because she will jump from one end of the couch to the other, to the ottoman, off the side of the couch, run into the other room, back, and repeat lol. She's not lacking it's personality and her family will have so many laughs and fun times with her. Erin’s favorite things include quality time with her people and adventure. She loves to snuggle with her human on the couch after a big outing or some playtime. I think as long as she has these 2 things, she will be a very happy girl. She is also an absolute HOARDER not just with toys, but anything left on the floor. No sock, shoe, or slipper is safe, but surprisingly she hasn’t been destructive with them. She just likes to have them This girl needs an owner with an active lifestyle. I wouldn’t place her with young kids because she is excitable and does the playful pupping nipping/mouthing and has sharp teeth. She's been great with dogs of all sizes and would love a playmate to entertain her, but I think she could also be ok as an only dog for an active family. She has been able to learn independence way better than expected given her background. I think Erin could be a great candidate for somebody's first dog because of her personality and trainability. She really is one of the best puppies I've fostered. Coming from her situation, I was expecting a dog who would struggle to be alone and would be a little trickier to do basic training with, but she surpassed every single one of my expectations. She brings me so much happiness and so, so many laughs. I can't wait to see her as the center of somebody's world and she absolutely deserves to be that. She is going to bring soooo much joy to her future family!” ****** Need a little puppy fun in your life? Erin is your girl. She's done great with training, is a wonderful pup companion and pack member, and will be a fun, loving addition to your home. Apply today! BREED ESTIMATE: Dachshund Mix GENDER: Female APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: ~ 10.5 lbs APPROXIMATE AGE: ~ 7-8 mos old COAT TYPE: short ADOPTION FEE: $425 OTHER INFO: utd on shots/spayed/microchipped FOSTER LOCATION: Washington, DC (NW) FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application. You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application. Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.