Maya
catahoula cur/rat terrier Mix | Female | 11 months Old | 27 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with kids! ✔️ Housebroken! ✔️ Can free roam when alone!
Updates
Maya found her forever family on April 22!
Maya wakes up and goes out to potty first thing in the morning. If she needs to go out before you're awake, she will try to get your attention with kisses and cuddles, escalating to whining if you're not careful. Good communicator!
After her quick bathroom break, she gets breakfast and then 30 min. later she gets a little more time in the yard for a longer potty break.
Most of the day is spent napping, chewing on a bone or raw hide, and occasionally begging for pets. She's starting to come out of her shell and has shown increased energy, more requests for pets and more people watching out of the living room window, yet naps are still a big part of her day.
Maya is timid and takes time to warm up to new people (including me when I brought her home). She likes to come on her own terms - ignore her and she will eventually come check you out and probably nuzzle you for pets. Don't try to pick her up or command that she come to you - that will have the opposite effect. She needs to build trust and familiarity, but once she has decided you're part of her pack, she is so incredibly loving and sweet.
Although her current foster home has no children, the neighbors next door watch their small grandchildren (ages 4 and 6) who are allowed to come to the fence and try to give her treats. She will come near the fence and doesn't bark - she seems curious but won't take a treat from them (yet). If they throw the dog biscuit out into the yard and step back slowly, she'll get the treat from the ground. She has not barked or growled at the little girls. And, honestly, anytime she's ever put her mouth on me it has been incredibly soft and not with any biting or sharp teeth involved.
Currently under restricted movement, vet's orders, as she recovers from heartworm. The first five days in her new foster home meant she slept a lot. Maya’s heartworm rest ends on April 20 and then she’ll be ready to go home with her adopter!
Now she is coming out of her shell somewhat and does want to prance and run around the house and yard. She is very good - when I say her name to calm her, she immediately stops the high-energy movement and comes slowly over for pets and gentle comforting. Current foster home has a fenced in yard and she goes outside throughout the day. On nice days, she can stay in the yard longer, with a water bowl and supervision, and she often finds a warm spot in the yard to curl up in and nap.
Although her current foster home has no dogs, the neighborhood dogs have walked by the fenced-in yard on a leash. When dogs have walked by or even come up to the fence, she is curious and also hesitant. She often barks, and also backs up and wags her tail from a safe(er) distance.
No exposure to cats in Madison; previous foster in another state listed that she was good with cats.
She whines when I leave and comes to the door to greet me when I return. It seems like she mostly sleeps, though the meds have caused a little distress and the only times she's gotten sick have been while she was home alone. Maya is fine to leave home with free rein of the living room and kitchen (though I do close the doors to all of the rooms).
Overall, she is sweet and cuddly. Her timidness and fear seem to lessen each day and I do believe that if she is allowed some freedom and given patience, she will learn to trust new people. When I have guests in the yard or when the two people who are allowed in my home visit, she does warm up within the visit. She clings to me somewhat but gets more and more comfortable with others over a short period of time (like one visit). She is not food motivated (likes treats and mealtime, but doesn't rush to eat and won't compromise her hesitancy for food).
She is very gentle and a huge cuddle bug. She is house trained and good at communicating when she wants to go out, when she wants pets or attention, and if she is stressed about something.