Iris was found by Animal Control in the northeast part of KC along with one other dog. Iris was adopted from the shelter by a family that ultimately had to return her because of breed specific legislation in Independence. She was then transferred to a foster home that already had a large number of dogs. Because she is still a puppy, she has training requirements that were difficult to meet in a household with a large number of dogs and a busy work schedule. Ultimately she was transferred to my care as I have fewer dogs and more time to spend with her on training.
Iris lives with two other dogs (both rottweilers, one male, one female). Chuck should probably not go to a home with cats. She has not been tested with them, but does show high prey drive toward vermin (mice, rats, squirrels) and it's felt she would be TOO interested in a cat, but she's also a big baby and would probably get beat up by a cat and then never mess with one ever again. But just to be on the safe side, it is recommended that she have a catless home.
She has not been around children that I am aware of, but at her current level of discipline, I wouldn't recommend she be placed in a home with small children. She's like a furry, enthusiastic bowling ball and could knock over a young child. We have a fenced yard, but we also go on walks and to the dog park. She behaved well at the dog park, showing healthy enthusiasm for playing with other dogs while never showing any fixation or dominance issues. She wears a prong collar on walks (she has been on two walks in the three days she has been here) and does very well considering she didn't really get walked much (if ever) before that I am aware of. We live on a high-traffic street in Midtown, Kansas City, where there are many sounds. Currently, the constant excitement of city life is a little scary for her, but she is also experiencing what I assume many shelter dogs experience - a fear of new surroundings, sounds, and objects. We are working on desensitization and opening her doggie mind up to new experiences. Today we introduced her to the kiddie pool. She was reluctant at first, but we put her toy in the pool and she slowly eased in to get it. Then she discovered that water "does stuff" and she spent about 15 minutes playing, pawing at, and biting at the water. I think that, given a few months, she will learn to enjoy new experiences as long as positive reinforcement is continued. The first night, she slept in our bed with us and the other two dogs and did very well. However, while she is very sweet and loving, she is a little stubborn, so last night we put her in her crate for bed time as we will be implementing some NILF training. She does very well in the crate and slept there all night, only whining a little when I got up to let one of my dogs out in the middle of the night.This dog would probably do best in a home familiar with the breed and able to implement consistent and firm training. Other dogs that are well-adjusted and physically capable of play with an energetic puppy would be fine. She gets along well with my two dogs, one of which is 3 and the other 7 years old.
She is very friendly with other people and likes children. She is kennel trained and house trained. She is very smart! She will be graduating from Obedience School on November 22nd. She knows "sit", "stay", "come", "up" (jumping through a hula hoop!), and "kennel". She could be a pretty good agility dog, but she also enjoys lounging around with you on the couch, chewing on her Nylabone, or just playing some tug of war with her best friend Mokey. She comes out to the farm with her foster family once a week or so and swims with the other dogs in the big pond. She is curious and has been known to jump chain link fences, so a home with a 6 foot privacy fence would be best (or possibly an active apartment household.)
Iris is rambunctious, but cuddly - a little unruly, but not destructively so. She sounds the alarm when visitors show up, but when you let them in and introduce them, she wiggles her whole butt with joy. She is fairly hyper. She settles down for 5-10 minutes at a time, and then is back up and about, looking for something to do. She likes people but seems to prefer women. She is a little more shy of men at first but warms up after an introduction. She is not super submissive but not dominant, so I guess she's in the middle. She will occasionally try to assert herself, but my two dogs politely remind her that she is a guest and not the ruler of the roost. She is not persistent with challenges or nor does she form fixations. Currently she's a bit of a scaredy-cat, but like I said - we are working on desensitization to boost her confidence when experiencing new situations. We'll see how that goes. She doesn't seem to display any abnormal or red-flag behaviors besides being a little stubborn. Not sure about prey drive.
Iris is friendly and hilarious when she plays with her stuffed toys (which she loves the best of her toys). She loves to cuddle with you and is excited about going places (in the car, walks, etc). Once she gets a little more confidence, I think she'll be a great dog to go on adventures with. She is also a very manageable size and has the cutest spotted belly!
For more info about Iris or to set up a time to meet her, please contact: email@petshalfwayhome.com . (816) 513-9850
While she currently lives with a male and female dog and they get along great, HHPA does not adopt pit bulls into households with same-sex dogs. Chuck could go in a home with a friendly male if owners have a good understanding of "Bully Breeds".
If interested in adopting Iris or to know her about her, please fill out MPR's application and contact us to make arrangements to meet her. All applications for Pit Bull dogs at the shelter must be reviewed and approved by Missouri Pit Bull Rescue.
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