Rose 09-279 [1]

Introducing Rosie Kyla Tallulah O’Malley! Why the big name? Let me explain:

Rose (the name she was given by the wonderful people who rescued her) Kyla (a name meaning “strong yet understanding, thoughtful, and kind hearted”) Tallulah O’Malley (because a great foster once told me that if you give your dog a good, strong name, they will live up to it!)

As you will learn as you read about Rosie, the “strong yet understanding, thoughtful, and kind hearted” describes her in a nutshell. She is a 25 lb. little peanut, estimated to be around 4 years old. In the short 1 ½ weeks we have had her she has made remarkable progress.

Rosie came from a difficult situation where she did not have much contact with people, so we weren’t sure what issues might surface. When she first came we saw a little food and attention guarding. When dog lives in a situation where if she doesn’t protect her food she won’t eat, it takes time to learn that meals aren’t something they need to guard anymore. She has made progress on this already, and I’m betting after a few months it will disappear altogether. I haven’t seen attention guarding (not wanting any other dogs to come near when she is getting attention) since the first few days, so I think that one is disappearing already.

Right now Rosie is listed as unavailable because she has a knee issue called “bilateral luxating patellas.” She is going to see a specialist this week to determine if surgery is needed. We also want to keep her in foster care just a bit longer so we can continue to watch for any issues she may have that haven’t come to light yet, and to help her become more confident before moving her into a new living situation again.

A quick summary of her personality: Rose is a sweet little snuggle bunny who is just full of love. As she gets braver she may have a few bad habits to get rid of (namely jumping up). She loves people, and luuuuuuuuuuuvs kids. She does well with cats, but is a bit afraid of them as one of the bullies in my house ambushed her a few days after her arrival. We are not sure what she is a mix of: every few days we come up with a different theory – Sheltie? Pomeranian? Let’s just say she has a very “rich” heritage. I am amazed at her ability to love and have faith in everyone she meets. She might be afraid to meet someone, but her desire to be their friend is stronger then her fear - and soon she's trying to put her paws up and kiss the new person's chin.

I’ll continue to update you on what new things Rosie is learning now that she’s being pampered and loved up at her foster home.