DOMINIC & AMELIA - Please share their story with someone special you know who may be interested in adopting them!
Dominic is very intelligent and sensitive. He loves to play, but is very shy around new people he meets, until he gets to know them.
Our mother, brother and sister were adopted into great homes, but because of our shyness, no one seems to be interested in adopting either one of us. Please... won't you consider making one (or better yet both) of us part of your family?
Amelia is very shy, too, and it takes awhile for her to trust new people and new situations. But once she bonds with you... she's your friend for life!
Dominic is being fostered by a caring couple near Chagrin Falls who will be moving out west in the near future. We are eager for Dominic and Amelia to find their FOEVER home(s) with someone who doesn't mind their shyness. They are leery of strangers who approach them and of new dogs, but they both do fine when introuduced slowly. Dominic gets along GREAT with Amelia, so naturally... our dream is that they "might" be able to be adopted together, but if someone is interested in adopting just Amelia, or just Dominic, that's just fine. Please check out more on Dominic in S.P.A.'s listing of dogs.
Dominic can't wait to find someone to make him part of their family. Both Dominic and Amelia were born with docked tails and love to retrieve toys. Dominic (AKA Nicky) and Amelia would love to be reunited. They were together from the day they were born, and then had to be separate when placed in foster homes.
DOMINIC:
Dominic's current foster home's dog, Bugsy, has played a key role in teaching Nicky the ropes! Bugsy is the absolute best "teacher" a foster dog could dream of!
Here's an update just received from Karen, Dominic's foster mom:
"My husband and I and our senior yellow Lab, Bugsy, welcomed Nicky into our home on April 28th. Nicky is strikingly handsome with beautiful blackish/brown on white markings. He has a natural bobtail (adorable when wagging).
Dominic and Bugsy at play.
He was born on June 19th, 2011 and weighs 35 pounds. This young boy has been an amazing gentleman in our house from day one. Not one accident! He settles nicely in his crate when we are at work and gets along well with our laid back Bugsy, our pet sitter, and substitute sitters as well.
What a good boy!
Outside, he is full of still puppy-like energy and loves to run and use his busy nose to check everything out. He loves to retrieve, dropping anything you throw at your feet, waiting for you to throw it again.
Dominic is beautifully marked.
Inside, Nicky transforms into a gentle, affectionate lover boy who gives lots of little kisses and enjoys cuddling up with you at the end of a long day.
When he first came, though, Nicky was a pretty worried guy. We don't know much about his experiences during the first 10 months of his life, except that he was with his sister Amelia up until about one week before he joined our family. It must have been terribly scary to suddenly have to face a whole new world and strange new people without his only companion ever!
Dominic wants to trust.
Everything seems to have been new and scary to Nicky (noises, people, animals).
He is thriving on lots of love and patience, and we see daily progress as he continues to adapt and settle into his foster home. As his trust grows, his worries diminish, and his natural curiosity reveals itself.
Nicky now loves to ride in the car and sits quietly looking out the window at all the interesting people, animals, and activities along the way. He walks well on a leash, and we are improving on the "come, stay, down and "sit" commands daily (I think Bugsy deserves credit for that)!
Nicky and I have received 4 private lessons so far focusing on being around unfamiliar dogs. Once he is introduced properly, and feels there is no threat to him, he adapts quickly (as you can see from pictures of him with Bugsy).
Look me over... don't overlook me!
Nicky would be best suited to a relatively calm home with a securely fenced-in yard, with or without another dog as a play pal but probably no cats that he might chase, and with older children only, who would be able to interact gently and responsibly with him.
This athletic guy is also a fast learner and could excel at agility, or he could be the perfect jogging partner for an active owner. Or the perfect excuse to get out there and enjoy your daily walks, too, with a friend who will never, ever be too busy to join you.
Nicky will need someone who is a leader, patient and loving. He's come a long way but will require continue guidance and buckets of love."
AMELIA:
Amelia is very, very sweet, but is shy, just like Dominic. It would be a dream come true if someone with a securely fenced in yard could adopt both Dominic and Amelia. But they don't have to be adopted together. It's not a perfect world, right?
Amelia is being fostered by a couple here in Fremont, and she has been attending training classes to work on socialization skills. Amelia has made real progress, but in all honestly, remains shy by nature. She does fine playing with most other dogs, and is strongly bonded to her foster mom, Pam, as well as Pam's husband, Jerry. She is housetrained, and chews on toys Pam has provided.
Amelia and Dominic were born with docked tails. They're so cute when they wag their little stumps!
Although shy, Dominic and Amelia are not at all aggressive. Amelia looks up to Pam when someone comes to their house as if to say, "Aren't you going to protect me?"
Amelia is also very intelligent. She'd do best in a home with a fenced-in yard and gentle, patient loving humans, who will allow her to be a little frightened, at first, while she's adjusting to her new surroundings.
Both Amelia and Dominic have naturally docked, very cute tails, and are beautifully marked!
Amelia is beautifully marked. We have her DNA test results, and they will be given to her new forever family.
Nicky and Amelia are best suited for a quiet home with a large, securely fenced-in yard. Older children would be fine. They both love to retrieve (after all, they both are part Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever) and plenty of playful energy when outside. Both are crate trained, and both get along with most other dogs, but they need to be introduced slowly and properly. If you're interested in adopting Dominic and/or Amelia, please fill out an SPA Online Application Form by clicking ADOPT & FOSTER in the pink bar at the top of SPA's Home Page.
