Summer is listed on our website as a courtesy posting for her current owner. For all inquiries on Summer please contact her owner, Marian, by sending an email to mluft96@gmail.com

Summer is not part of RTAS and has not been evaluated by our organization.

Summer’s story

Summer is a sweet Bichon/Shih tzu mix who was adopted by her Mom on September 15, 2022. She was 5 months old then, and is now almost 3 yrs. Summer weighs approximately 13 pounds and is crate and house trained.

Summer was diagnosed by her primary veterinarian as being a fearful, anxious dog, having been traumatized before going to her current home. She was referred to a veterinary behaviorist for care. Summer is currently on two behavioral medications to help manage her fear and anxiety.

From Summer’s current owner:

Summer … my summertime girl

Summer is loving and caring. When I am sick or feeling blue, she will come over to lay down by my feet or snuggle with me on my bed. She also sleeps with me at night (on top of the covers).

Summer enjoys playing with stuffed toys, balls, doing her “zoomies” and going on walks. Routine is very important to Summer. She is insistent. When she wants something that you don’t understand, think about her daily routine – you will find the answer.

Commands we are working on

• Come (sometimes will come on command when we are outside w/o a treat). She usually comes. She also sits on the Come request

• Sit (she does this very well).

• Stay – not good at this.

• Mat (go to the mat) – a work in progress.

• Lay down – does this well on command.

Commands that work pretty well:

• “Leave it .. you can have it when we come in” works when we are going outside – sometimes has a toy or chew stick in her mouth. She’d rather go outside, and she gets it when we go back in.

• Also, “no”, “stop”, “enough” will aid in getting her to correct herself.

• “No-bark” works pretty well when she barks more than what might be okay.

Summer’s issues, likes, and dislikes

Issues

• Fearful of people and pets. She is getting much better with the addition of medications and promoting self-control to calming efforts made over the past year and a half.

• She is afraid of people, especially men. She is not keen on children yet, though she is okay when kids keep at a comfortable distance.

• She warmed up gradually to my sister and her husband to the point she was okay being with them at their home.

• My brother and his wife, especially he, were very successful in getting Summer to warm up to them in about an hour and a half – just by following one of the behaviorist’s recommendations. 

Likes

• Loves praise. You can never give her too much.

• Calm, relaxed voices and kind words. No YELLING or raised voice – scares her!! A firm word like “no” works if needed.

• Loves kisses.

• Routine. If I skip something, she lets me know. This is a BIG deal. She needs routine.

• To play. She will even go to her toy box and bring out a toy to play with either by herself or for us to play.

• Is receptive to training with treats.

• Summer likes to nap in the afternoon – on my bed with or without me or in her bed.

• Most importantly, she loves to be outside. We spend anywhere from ½ hour (bad weather) to a couple of hours outside every time we go out.

Dislikes

• Loud or angry voices, angry words, or gestures.

• Being patted on the top of her head.

• Wet grass – hard to get her to pee/poop; reluctantly takes care of business.

• Snow – if it impedes what she wants or needs to do (like poop).

• Will allow me to dry her feet and hair if needed when we come in but will take off running around the house (her zoomies) if she wiggles free.

• She will let you know it’s time to go in if she decides she’s had enough of the rain/wet/cold weather.

• Summer needs to be sedated for grooming. This sedation is in addition to the anxiety meds she gets in the morning.

  Thanks for reading about Summer, my summertime girl.

From Summer’s veterinary behaviorist:

Summer was adopted at 5 months of age from a puppy mill and has been averse to handling in other situations as well.  There have been bites related to handling, but primarily when in overwhelming situations and based in fear.  She is a sweet dog when she feels secure and not threatened.

I think the ideal home for Summer would be a middle-aged to older single person (female preferred) or couple where the husband is able to work with us to help her learn to trust him.

Another social dog who is dog-appropriate and polite could potentially be successfully introduced to her slowly but she has never lived with another dog so it would be something that we would want to expose her to with the right support and the right plan in place.