For those who don’t know, I am a HUGE dog-lover. I grew up from a very young age volunteering in animal shelters and being the neighborhood petsitter. I now try to foster dogs when I can so that I can help get them out of the shelters and into loving homes. Ladybug is my current foster pup, and I’m absolutely obsessed with her. I want to thank the Athens Area Humane Society for pulling her from the shelter and getting her into my home as a foster. She is a 2 year old American Bulldog, and she’s probably the most well-mannered, agreeable dog I’ve ever met.
Here are some other things about her:
She’s fantastic at pretty much everything — leash walking, sitting, taking food gently, no barking, going into her crate, etc.
She’s house trained both bathroom-wise and destruction-wise (she knows the difference between a doggy toy and a human object and would never chew on the stuff I leave around).
She loves joining me on errands, and she is the best, most patient car rider out there.
Sometimes I think I should change her name to Lazybug. This girl’s absolute favorite thing is to curl up and snuggle/sleep.
She enjoys playing hide & seek around the house, and she absolutely doesn’t give up until she finds me.
I’ve never seen her jump. Ever. Other than onto the couch.
My favorite is watching her lips curl up into a smile when I get down on my knees and stretch out my arms for a hug. Her whole body wiggles as she walks toward me wagging her tail.
She was everyone’s favorite dog during her time at the shelter. The staff spoiled her and let her in the laundry room, where she made her bed in the inside of a dryer!
She doesn’t beg at all for food. In fact, I can eat right next to her and she won’t pay me any attention, but as soon as I say her name and offer her some scraps, she’s happy to gently accept them.
She doesn’t shed — this one is REALLY bizarre. But I swear, the blankets she curls up into have no dog hair in them. And she leaves no trace in my car, on my couch, etc.
She lets me give her endless kisses all over her face, which I’m sure is obnoxious but I can’t help it.
She’s pretty self-sufficient and more like an adult human. I’ve never had to scold her or teach her anything. While having some dogs is like having young children, having Ladybug doesn’t alter my life in any significant way, other than I get more snuggles than usual (which makes it tempting to keep her!)
Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the best past. She was picked up as a stray, and we learned that she spent months and months living homeless in the woods, eating rocks and other debris to survive. And if she did have a previous owner, I’m not confident it was a good home… Ladybug always hangs out with me in the closet when I change clothes, and when I grabbed a belt for my new pair of jeans the other day, she immediately winced and closed her eyes, fell to her side, and then cowered away. It happened so fast that it took me a second to realize what had even caused such a reaction. Because of her past, she’s still fearful at first of strangers, but after a minute, she loves everyone she meets.
My biggest dream is to find a forever family for her that will love her as immensely as I do and extend her grace/patience as she learns that not everything in the world is going to hurt her and those she loves. Loyal is one of the best adjectives to describe her, and I know she will be the best loyal companion to whoever opens their home to her.
Being as obsessed with her as I am, I just had to photograph her SPOTLIGHT-style. :) Enjoy!
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