My name is Meatballs!

Meatballs (aka Uno in my house) is a cute little energetic pup who is eager to please.  He is blind in his right eye-but that doesn’t hinder him one bit.  He LOVES going outside and exploring (even in the rain-but hasn’t seen snow yet!) -running from one corner of the yard to another smelling ALL the things. While he’s still working on potty training and needs a belly band when roaming around, he does well when supervised and taken outside regularly.

He’s very smart.  He caught on to his food placemat within one day (see picture). This is where he gets his meals.  He quietly, but impatiently, waits on the mat for me to serve up some grub.  He respectfully waits for his other 2 housemates to finish before checking if they have any leftovers.   

Uno is overall quiet and is not destructive.  He does have a lot of energy and runs wherever he goes. He does well in his kennel at night and quiets down in the morning after he gets a little energy out- making working from home with him pretty easy.  He is food motivated, so treat toys and bones are his favs and keep him busy.  He likes to be held and is just so sweet.  He gets along well with my 2 other small dogs.  I don’t think he’d have a problem with cats or larger dogs.  He needs slow intros with new people and kids would need to be respectful, especially with his blindside-but he is a lapdog extraordinaire once he's comfortable. He likes to play with the dogs but also keeps to himself and isn’t a pest.  He definitely needs someone who can exercise him once he’s done with heartworm treatments and can give him lots of attention.  He’s too adorable not to!?!

Watch this cute video of Meatballs!

Meatballs is an absolute trooper! Despite just starting his heartworm treatment yesterday and arriving in foster care the evening before, he’s already showing his sweet, resilient nature. He loves cuddling all night in bed, and there haven’t been any nighttime potty accidents.

This quiet, gentle little man with a heart of gold only barks when he sees other dogs leave their kennels without him. Otherwise, he’s calm and content. He greets strangers with quiet caution but warms up quickly, snuggling into their laps within minutes. Meatballs adores laps, blankies, and being close to his people.  He’s itty bitty … It’s such a rare treat to foster such a small, sweet, and friendly dog who loves everyone he meets.

Meatballs is from Texas. 

One big thing you should know is they are heartworm positive - but please don’t let that scare you away from adopting them! After they undergo treatment for their condition they will be completely healthy again, and heartworm is not a contagious disease.

Because they need treatment, they are available exclusively through Ruff Start’s Foster to Adopt (FTA) program.   Click here   to learn more about this program.

They will get heartworm treatment at Ruff Start in Princeton, so their foster will need to be comfortable getting them to and from the appointments. Treatment will consist of three injections: the first will be roughly 30 days after they enter rescue. Then, the second and third injections will happen 30 days after the first. When they are undergoing treatment, they should be on activity ‘restrictions’ which just means they should relax in their crate or cuddle with you.     Click here   to learn more about heartworm disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. If you are interested in getting to know this animal better, please fill out an adoption application. An adoption application is the best way to show your interest in an animal and is not a binding contract.

To learn more about Ruff Start’s adoption process and the care our foster animals receive, please visit our How to Adopt page.

If you are unable to adopt but want to help this animal and others in our care, you can donate to support the medical and veterinary needs of all Ruff Start Rescue animals.