Poppy and Bob came to NBGR from a commercial breeding facility in April.  Poppy is extremely dependent on Bob.  She is a very shy little 9 year old girl who spent her life prior to April producing puppies.  Bob is her security blanket!  Poppy is heartworm positive.  At the time we took her in she wasn’t in great shape so we opted for the slow-kill method to cure the heartworms.  She needs to be retested in about six weeks.  Poppy was spayed and had a dental performed in May.  She is clearly feeling much better and has come out of her shell.  She is 10-11 lbs. She loves her foster mom and tolerates her foster dad as long as he moves slowly.  This girl has come a very long way in the last 5 months but she has a ways to go.

Bob is a bigger and more confident dog  He weighs about 19 lbs.  Bob got neutered and had a dental in May.  His teeth were pretty rotten and many were missing – and now he only has one tooth left!  In Bob’s case the missing teeth are a good thing.  Bob would love to lay next to you on the couch and let you pet him all day.  BUT – he does not like to be challenged or ordered around and if he thinks you are doing that he will snap/nip at you – but since he doesn’t have any teeth it doesn’t hurt.  He doesn’t need to be punished – he needs someone to understand that spending 10 years of your life in a cage makes you a quirky guy – and he quickly calms down.  We were told that Bob is only 7 years old but we believe he is closer to 10-11 years old.  He can’t jump on the couch by himself – has some arthritis in his back – but he can go up steps and he takes joint supplements to help his back.  Bob also needs to be in a home without other male dogs if possible.  He was top dog for 10 years so he wants to be the boss.  He is doing better but cannot be left alone with the other male in his foster home.

Bob and Poppy have been working on housebreaking but they may never be fully housebroken.  They never poop in the house and if they are with you on the couch they would never pee on furniture – but even though they may have recently been outside – if they are running around playing inside their foster mom keeps diapers on them because they do make mistakes on the floor.  These two need a fenced yard for sure.

Bob and Poppy take heart worm preventative and probiotics and they are microchipped.

These two sweet dogs need someone who has a lot of patience and is kind.  Someone who will cut them slack because they spent all their lives in wire cages as breeders and they are just learning that life is better than it used to be.  Dogs with this kind of background have little breakthroughs and become more adapted to their new lives very slowly – but loving them is very rewarding.

Bob and Poppy are available for adoption.  They are being fostered in Mena, AR.  If you are interested in adopting Bob and Poppy please complete our adoption application at nbgr.org and contact Vicki at vboneill@optonline.net.