Dolee

**NOTE: Dolee is currently with a foster/trainer in North Vancouver. Applicants who complete a successful interview and applicable vet reference will be asked to attend a meet and greet with Dolee.

Dolee was found wandering in a park in Korea, scared and hungry when she was about 3 months old. After her rescue, she stayed with a foster family in Korea until she flew to Vancouver, Canada when she was about 9 months and has been staying in foster care.

When Dolee first arrived in Canada, she displayed a lot of behaviors which we had never seen before with her foster in Korea stemming from insecurities. She has since been in the care of and assessed by a certified professional trainer, who was able to identify her needs which previous caregivers sometimes had trouble with. She is now ready to find her forever home.

Having been a puppy trying to survive on her own, Dolee is very sensitive and highly aware of her body and surroundings, as she previously had to trust her instincts for survival. Now, living with humans and other dogs, she looks for a human leader who she can put her confidence in to protect and advocate for her. Once she has that confidence in her people, she is very sweet and eager to please, food motivated, and smart.

While she does have insecurities in the beginning, she is not too afraid to try new things and learn from them. Her previous caregiver had noted she was afraid of dogs who were bigger than her, but since coming to her current foster we have realized she wasn’t necessarily fearful, just unsure. Previously, when bigger dogs approached her she would react negatively to proactively protect herself (again, acting on instinct), but once she knew her humans would advocate for her, she became comfortable. One of the dogs she lives with is a Great Dane, and after encouraging her to approach and sniff, as well as “protecting” her by not allowing the Great Dane to play chase with her, she felt much more in her element and would allow herself to play. Eventually, she would go to the Dane to hide or seek refuge from others when playing with other dogs.

She is a very sweet and affectionate girl with humans, enjoying company and cuddling. Currently, she displays signs of anxiety without her humans around. In certain situations, she does need time to build trust, such as putting on her harness (She is familiar with the leash and harness, but won’t always trust the situation if she doesn’t trust her humans yet). She also gets excitable at times when playing, and is learning proper manners and how to control her energy when playing with people.

Her previous caregiver also noted she felt insecure with her food and would sometimes guard it. While she did attempt to guard her food from others in the early days with her current foster, she learned quickly after a few corrections and has not displayed behaviors lately. (To correct her behavior, her foster would make a sudden shish sound to get her attention and then remove the food. She sits, waits, and the food is put back down again, and she does not eat until she is given the go ahead). Again, Dolee needed the security of knowing her humans would provide for her.

Dolee does very well with other dogs, particularly outdoors and with dogs of a similar size. She loves to be outside and is very “in her element” on her walks. She benefits more from shorter, more frequent walks than long walks since she gets tired after about 30-40 minutes. She is house trained, sleeps through the night, and rides well in the car.

Dolee is also very smart and picks up on commands and routines very quickly.  Given her background, Dolee is used to trusting her instincts and making decisions independent of others, which she needed in order to survive. With time and trust, she learns that her humans will advocate and provide for her, and how to respond to situations in a healthy manner as a good canine citizen.

Her future family would be someone or a family who:

• An experienced, confident adopter with knowledge of dog behavior, body language, and root behavior/causes
• experience and understanding on how to “read” dogs and how to advocate for them in different situations
• able to provide a balanced leadership role so that she learns proper etiquette, but also gives her the freedom to try new experiences to
• build her confidence, and provide her with the encouragement to do so
• willing to put in the time to earn her trust through advocacy and leadership
• is home for the majority of the day, or has staggered schedules. When Dolee feels insecure, she develops separation anxiety until she
• has the confidence in knowing her humans will always come back.
• active and enjoys the outdoors. Dolee loves going for walks and being outside.
• has the knowledge on how to keep her mentally stimulated. Dolee is very smart and enjoys being mentally challenged.
• understands that Dolee may not always make the right choices in the beginning, and is still learning. This may lead to potential snapping, biting, etc.

Vaccination Details

DHPPL, Canine Influenza, Kennel Cough, Rabies, Corona, Heartworm test, Giardia test, Flea & tick & heartworm prevention are all done.