My name is Maria - Stratford!

Meet Maria, a spirited and loving large mix breed dog with a zest for life! Maria is full of energy and adores long walks, cuddling up, or playing at the park.

~ She's a strong puller on the leash and can be quite vocal, so she'll need an adopter who can keep up with her and work on her manners.
~ Though Maria lacks basic obedience skills, she's eager to learn and would thrive with someone committed to helping her become the best girl she can be. To set her up for success, Maria will need to be enrolled in one in-person positive reinforcement training class or receive a Goodpup scholarship.
~ Maria came to us as a stray with a severe ear infection that caused her ears to drop. While the infection has been treated, she remains a bit touch-sensitive, so a gentle approach is key. Due to her vocal nature, Maria wouldn't be the best fit for an apartment or shared-wall dwelling.
~ She would do best in a home with older, dog-savvy children who understand how to respect her space.

If you're looking for a loyal and lively companion who's ready to take on the world with you, Maria is your girl!

Regularly Exhibited Behaviours Noticed:
- High Energy
- Nervous/Shy
- Touch Sensitivity
- Barrier Reactivity
- Vocal
- Separation anxiety

Explanation of Behaviours:
- Maria is an active and high energy dog, her new family will need to provide her plenty of daily exercise, enrichment and training.
- Maria can be touch sensitive specifically with new people or when she is anxious/stressed. Her new family will need to slowly work on creating positive associations to touch.
- Maria has shown to be barrier reactive at times which results in her being vocal towards whatever is triggering her.

This dog would benefit from:
- Active but quieter home
- Older dog savvy children
- Lots of training and socialization
- Lots of time and attention
- No Apartments

Training needs/behaviours that need to be worked with for this dog:
- Basic training
- Basic manner (jumping up, pushy interactions and pulling on leash)
- Socialization
- Sensitivity to touch and new things
- Barrier Reactivity

**For more information on any behaviours stated above, please check out our behaviour fact sheet: https://kwsphumane.ca/BehavioursandDefinitions

**Please remember that animals are coming back from foster care to the centres for their meet and greets. They will be experiencing a new environment and meeting new people, which means they may not exhibit the same behaviours they did in their foster videos or while in foster care.

If you are viewing this through 24PetConnect by PetPlace or Adopt-A-Pet, please visit our website https://kwsphumane.ca/adopt/process to submit an application. Any applications submitted outside of www.kwsphumane.ca may not be received.