23-085 Travis and 23-086 Taylor came to AGR as a pair that were found together as strays. They were estimated to be about 2 years of age. That’s all we knew about them, so we took them to one of our partner veterinarians. The vets and staff at this hospital not only do medical updates (vaccinations, heartworm and valley fever tests), but they also do some behavior analysis for us. The dogs were judged to be sweet with no handling issues. Neither was altered, so we got them just in time to avoid mixed-breed puppies, as Taylor was licking herself a lot and her hind end was quite matted. Taylor seemed to be very frightened and shy; Travis had a friendly disposition. Both were quite dirty, so we had them groomed. Since they were found together, we wanted to keep them together, but at first that was not possible. An adoptive couple in Scottsdale agreed to foster-with-intent-to- adopt (FWITA) Travis; Taylor was fostered by a foster couple also in Scottsdale. When Taylor was first with her foster, she noticed that her ears were always down and she looked morose. After just a few days, Taylor was romping with the resident dogs, walking beautifully, chasing bunnies running full out and jumping up on the couch. The adopter reported that Travis, who is very sweet but needy, exhibited signs of separation anxiety: When they had left the house, he went through several crates, ripped up and peed on carpets . They tried a couple of medications that didn’t work, but they eventually got him on trazadone, which seemed to help calm him. The AGR Health Care Director had suggested leaving the TV on and giving him a frozen Kong® with peanut butter. Travis, whose name was changed to Jake, had a live-in sitter while the family was away on vacation, but he apparently didn’t trust that they would return because there was some “acting out” even with the sitter there. Once the family returned, they decided that Jake really needed his former canine companion. So, they contacted Placement and requested that they be considered for adoption of Taylor also. We all thought that was a good idea, and so did the dogs. Taylor, whose name is now Maddie, was fine being with Jake again, but she established right away that she is a “passive alpha” by letting him know that humping her was not acceptable. He is now neutered, so presumably the humping will stop. Neither dog had an adverse reaction to the resident cats. By rolling over on her back Maddie let the family know that she loves belly rubs and, of course, they comply. The adopters love their redheaded dogs. They’ve said: 

Maddie is the perfect girl. We can let her roam free in the house when we leave, unlike Jake who must be confined. Thanks to AGR, we now have the perfect pair, the perfect vet, and the perfect resource in Liz [Health Care Director], who has been incredibly helpful with her wealth of knowledge . Our thanks to AGR for all you do with and for the dogs.