Scruffy's Story

The policeman walked her through the front door, and Scruffy was growling at him.  His comment was that she didn't like him much.  He had to snare her to catch her, but it's part of his job to get strays off the streets.  We don't know how she ended up being a stray, or why no one came to claim her.  She was very scared and growled and barked at anyone who came near her.  She was elusive when it came time to put a leash on her to go in and out, and a couple of the employees at the office decided she had no chance at adoption and would probably have to be euthanized when her stray hold was up.  I hadn't been at the job very long and had been observing Scruffy's behavior.  I had seen many many frightened dogs that needed a little help getting past the bad experiences in their lives, so I started working with her over lunch when things were quiet and there was no one else around.   It took all of two days before she would allow me to pet her, put a leash on her, come when I called her, and then pick her up. She weighs about 20 pounds and if someone adopted her, they would definitely want to hold her in their arms. 

Scruffy made her debut as an adoptable dog right after that when I picked her up and walked her through he office.  Other employees asked if they could pet her, and she loved all the attention.  Attitudes changed and we kept waiting for someone to claim her.  It didn't happen.  Someone did express an interest in her, but said it would be at least three weeks before they could be sure. It fell through, and in that time two more strays were brought to the office as we are the local unofficial pound.  Space became a problem, as there were folks who wanted their dogs boarded over the Thanksgiving holiday. After almost six weeks at the pound,  Scruffy came home with me.

Scruffy is housebroken, crate trained, very friendly, loves attention, gets along well with other dogs, will chase a cat if it runs from her but will stop when told to quit.  She appears to be a shihtzu or llasa mix and could use a grooming.  When I brought her home, she curled up next to me in the car, put her head on my leg, and slept the whole way home.  She has obviously been loved and taken for rides in her past.  She appears to be around 3 years old.  She is current on vaccinations and will be spayed before adoption. She loves people and attention. 

Scruffy is being listed with Waverly Pet Rescue, Waverly, Iowa for adoption.  Please help me find a home for this wonderful little lady before Christmas!