Rory

MEDICAL CONDITION: Rory has a very low-grade heart murmur. She is NOT on medication and the only precaution we have been told to take is to make sure she doesn't get overheated. Rory is a young, small, and very strong pity mix. She is very eager to "work" and loves learning new tricks. She was brought to The Animal Foundation by Animal Control. After 2-3 days in the lost animal's department, she was transferred to the adoption department. We came across her profile the first morning she was made available and rescued her that day. They had performed a medical examination but had not done the behavioral assessment. She had never been brought to the shelter before, so they did not have any history on her. She was a bit underweight, but not emaciated. Also, she is not spayed. We are still waiting for the shelter's clinic to open... The Animal Foundation named her 'Pancake' because that is what she would do anytime she was approached by a person. That reaction disappeared almost immediately and now she only does it when she isn't getting her way. Rory has made great progress since we've had her. She now knows basic commands such as sit, stay, down, and off. She is working on leave it and stay. She was not potty trained at all when we got her, but now, she is 90% there. She only potties in the house when she gets excited (happy piddles). She is very quiet and only barks when she hears something that is definitely not right - she does not bark when the doorbell rings, or when the front door opens. She walks on a leash beautifully and she is crate trained. She needs to learn how to play appropriately. I do not think she had been introduced to play or toys prior to coming to us. We encouraged her to play and modeled play interactions for her with Rylie. She is catching on, but still needs quite a bit of work in this area, as she lacks impulse control and gets over-excited quickly, making it challenging to get her to settle down and listen to voice commands. She has not shown any aggression towards Rylie, who is a dominant, 25 pound Jack Russel mix who growls at her constantly, postures defensively, and won't let Rory near me. Rory will avoid Rylie as much as possible and vice versa. They roam the backyard together and take leashed walks together with no issues. We have taken them to the dog park together and they were totally fine. They are also fine off-leash in an enclosed, open field. But, at home, in Rylie's territory, it's a different story - but Rylie is the problem here, not Rory. My point is that I think she's perfectly fine with other dogs. She has a very low activity level and a very high cuddle level! She LOVES to be snuggled and cuddled! We have two guinea pigs in separate cages and they seem to ignite her prey drive. She watches them intently, eyes locked, ears perked to the max, licking her lips. If we would let her, she would do this, and nothing else, all day long. We do not take the guinea pigs out unless Rory is in her crate. This being said, Rory has absolutely no reaction to the dozens of rabbits or birds we see when we walk our neighborhood. She is not a fan of car rides, but I think with daily short trips she would acclimate quickly. All of the progress we made with Rory was prior to my surgery. Zoe has been doing her best but without my assistance, Rory is a lot for her to manage. Unfortunately, I do not know how long it is going to take for me to get back to normal, especially if I have to have further treatment. I believe Rory deserves better and Rylie seems to need his normal back.