Peanut came to BTRC without much in the way of a history, except that she was a stray and had been picked up by a shelter north of Toronto. She was very anxious when she first came home with her foster parents, and had troubles going into her kennel without an argument, was still learning her house training, and was generally a little rough around the edges.

Throughout the last few months, she has become a wonderful member of her foster family, and all who meet her instantly fall in love with her. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and you can tell her mood just by looking into her expressive eyes. She is such an adorable little dog, with huge personality and a little bit of sass. She adores people and loves to be held, cuddled and snuggled, but is also content to sleep the day away on her favourite perch on top of the couch, or in her kennel. Peanut loves almost all toys and treats without discrimination, but goes crazy for her Kong with filled with doggy peanut butter, or rope toys that she can play tug-of-war with.

Peanut loves to go for walks, and is learning to walk quite nicely, although she will pull a bit at the beginning of her walk. She also loves to go for rides in the car, or just sit outside on the patio with her foster parents on her blanket, with a few toys. She has good doggy manners overall, is not too vocal, and will only bark or growl if she hears a strange noise, or if someone comes to the door.

She knows basic commands like sit, lie down, no and “go kennel” when it’s time for bed. She is perfectly house trained and can be trusted to roam the house if her foster parents are out for about 4 to 5 hours; she does not bite, chew or scratch at any of the furniture and is very well behaved on her own. Because her foster parents are able to work from home several days a week, Peanut is not used to being left alone for full days, and is quite a bundle of energy, waiting for her walk when you return home.

Peanut is very quiet at night, she has no problems sleeping in her kennel, and occasionally she will sleep in the bed with her foster parents, burrowing under the covers near the foot of the bed, and she won’t wake up again until the morning.

Peanut has a few personality quirks that still need to be worked through, although they are improving. She is not keen on having her kennel door closed on her, and will put up a snarl and a fuss until you leave the room, although this usually only lasts a few seconds. Treats really help with this issue. She is still not comfortable with other dogs, although now she is able to walk by other dogs without much issue, when playing or interacting with dogs she can become aggressive quite quickly and has nipped and snarled at other dogs. Peanut has not been off leash with other dogs, and would need patience and firm guidance when interacting with other dogs to overcome her anxiety.

Peanut has also nipped at her foster parents a few times, either when she has a treat or bone and you try to take it from her, or if she is frustrated at being told what to do. Her foster parents think that she might be a bit territorial, as she is not used to sharing with other dogs or people. Peanut needs a forever family that understands her behaviour, and is willing to help her work through it with professional training and guidance, as her foster parents believe that Peanut will grow out of her bad habits with time and love. For this reason, however, Peanut would be best suited to a household with no children or other dogs.

Sadly, Peanut also suffers from juvenile cataracts, and will likely have to undergo surgery when she is older to help correct her vision issues. She requires two different kinds of eye drops to be administered twice daily, to help with her eye issues, and the canine ophthalmologist said that his will be a life-long commitment for Peanut, at the cost of about $80-$100 per month. Peanut’s forever home family will have to commit monitoring Peanut’s eye condition and cataracts, as this condition could worsen without proper care.

Peanut is an amazing dog, filled with an abundance of love and personality, waiting for the right family to provide her with the emotional support and medical attention she will need as she matures.