Zippy - Puggle - male/neutered - young (3-4 years of age) - black short coat with white chest and white-tipped front paws - 17 pounds
Zippy is a big character in a compact package. His expressive face - big liquid eyes, furrowed brow, and a significant underbite have combined to create an appearance that is comical and incredibly endearing; his personality is curious, earnest, playful, and dedicatedly affectionate. Zippy has the capacity to bond profoundly with his human, and his willingness to be guided and to interact with a responsible human are touching. These traits may also reflect Zippy’s great relief to be in a foster care situation in which his care giver is responsive and reliable. Zippy was picked up as a “stray at large” and was never claimed at the animal control facility to which he was taken. This must have been very frightening for such a small dog.
However, Zippy is not a dog to let a setback keep him down. While he is still decidedly alert and aware of his foster mom’s whereabouts at all times, he is also confident and irrepressibly happy. He is not comfortable with sudden movements by people, and we are recommending that he be placed in an adult home, or home with older children. Zippy will flourish in a home in which there is order and routine. His foster mom describes him as a lovable goofball, and a bit of a clown. Zippy has exceptional balance and delights in dancing and walking about on just two legs. He treasures his stash of toys with which he plays zealously, especially the ones that squeak.
Zippy’s ambitions include as much lap time as he can arrange. His methodology ranges from the most direct approach - a deft leap into an empty lap - or his vast repertoire of pleasing antics and behaviors, which are pretty irresistible and inspire humans to want to cuddle with him. Zippy has mastered a way of cocking his head and regarding a human with intense focus and effort, conveying his great interest and admiration. At bedtime he will burrow deeply under the covers. Extremely tactile, Zippy is happiest in some kind of physically close proximity to his human.
Outdoors, Zippy revels in the opportunity to run. Although Zippy has been an apt student in learning to walk well on lead, he still has an occasional tendency to pull when something catches his eye. He is a young dog who requires exercise, and we would love for him to go to a home with a securely fenced yard in which he could run safely and freely.
Zippy is keenly observant and alert, and a very quick study. He is very treat motivated and is a joy to teach. Primarily a quiet fellow, Zippy only barks when he sees something he considers highly irregular - like a large building crane. He also voices when people come to the door. Otherwise, he may go for days without a peep.
Zippy greets new people with enthusiasm and friendliness - again - he shies back from strangers who approach him too quickly in their (understandable) desire to pet him. He is friendly and appropriately cautious in meeting new dogs, and has befriended a number of dogs in his foster neighborhood - his best friends tend to be dogs close to his own size with whom he can race and chase without fear of being injured. He is being fostered with two cats and has also learned to approach the feline species with caution and respect.
Zippy is house trained and rides well in a car.
Zippy will offer such a wealth of devotion and companionship to his adopter(s). He is a sensitive, honest, intelligent fellow who truly seeks a purpose and a committed relationship. He will continue to benefit from calm encouragement, positive teaching, and loving reinforcement, and and will give himself heart and soul to his forever home.
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