This week we’d like to feature a sweet, sensitive, small dog named Sheldon. Sheldon - Oregon Humane Society Sheldon is a chihuahua mix who is almost a year-and-a-half old and weighs 15 lbs. Shelter life is very scary and overwhelming for Sheldon, so during his time with Oregon Humane he’s been very lucky to spend his time in a loving foster home where he’s learning to be a more confident dog. He is nervous boy who hadn’t experienced being a pet before coming to OHS. We don’t know much about his history, but it is likely he had little positive human interaction before coming to us. He needs to find a home with a patient, calm person who understands and can live with his sensitive nature. Sheldon is looking for a quiet, calm, low-key adult-only home and a family who will be respectful of his sensitive nature. During his time in his foster home he has slowly been able to accept touch from those he’s familiar with, but he does not seek out that attention so he will not be comfortable in a home where he is grabbed, picked up, or forced to sit on someone’s lap.
While Sheldon is not a dog who desires touch right now, he very much wants to be part of the family. He gets excited when you come home, jumping, doing zoomies and sometimes letting out a little squeal. Sheldon will follow you around the house, watching what you are doing and will settle into a bed when you sit down. Sheldon would love to live with someone who spends lots of time in their yard, maybe a gardener who needs some help keeping the squirrels at bay. Sheldon loves to watch and chase them along the fence line.
Sheldon will do best in a home with a social, confident dog (or dogs). Large, rowdy dogs may make him nervous, but he enjoys spending time with other small dogs that fit his similar personality. Going to a home with a dog of similar size could help him open up and build his confidence. A pet meet is required prior to adoption to ensure that the dogs get along.
We expect that Sheldon will be overwhelmed by everything he encounters at first. While he has settled well into his foster home, new environments will likely take some time to adjust to. During the critical first months, his safety will depend on your good judgment and forethought. Sheldon also isn’t comfortable walking on a leash yet and will need to continue building confidence inside a securely fenced-in yard.
In his foster home he lives with two small dogs and enjoys their company. Here’s what his foster parent has to say about him:
“Sheldon is a very playful and goofy guy once he is comfortable. He loves doing zoomies around the yard and enjoys playing by himself as much as with another dog. Sheldon loves to chew and rip objects up. He has not done any damage to furniture or other large items, but if he is left unattended with access to things like shoes, cardboard boxes, books, plants, rolls of paper towels, etc, he will chew them to bits. That being said, Sheldon can't have enough toys. He will find all the toys in the house and bring them to his bed. At one point he had over 30 hoarded away, but you will know that he is comfortable when he starts leaving them outside of his safe space. Squeaky toys are his favorite to run around with, but he also likes to chew on hard plastic bones and rope toys. He is also a big fan of a cardboard tube filled with crumbled paper and kibbles, or kongs stuffed with food or treats. Regarding treats - peanut butter was the first treat that he really loved, but now he's developed a taste for cheese, chicken and beef treats. When he came to live with me at first, he did not want to eat, but with the right embellishments to his meal, he will get right to eating. Dinner is now a very exciting time, where Sheldon does a sprint and slide into his dinner area, bouncing before digging in. Sheldon loves to get wild outside, doing zoomies and running around squeaking a toy, tossing it up in the air, but he is also happy snoozing in his bed. He is a very vocal little guy. Sheldon barks at dogs passing by the house when he can see them, at squirrels and while playing with his toys. If he feels threatened or cornered, he will growl as a warning. Backing off when he does growl diffuses the situation almost immediately. He will absolutely make sure you know when he does not like something. The first couple times I had visitors, Sheldon was very worried and barked the entire time they were here, but the most recent time he was able to settle down and enjoy a treat quietly in his bed. Sheldon is extremely sensitive to touch in general. He will let you pet the top of his head and back, but he will flinch and try to duck out from under your hand. His belly and under his chest are areas that he is not yet comfortable being touched.”
His foster parent also reports that he and her small male dog play every day outside in the yard, chasing each other and wrestling. His play style can be rough but adjusts if the other dog objects. He chases squirrels and for the most part ignores the chickens he lives with, but will try to play with them. In the house, Sheldon stays in his bed in his (open) x-pen, moving to a bed by the bedroom at bedtime. His foster parent’s older small female dog and Sheldon don't interact much, as she is older, slighty deaf and a little hard of sight, so she basically ignores him. Sheldon knows to come to his name and he knows the words ‘out’ and ‘outside’ mean it’s time for him to go outside to do his business.
Do you think a sweet, shy, sensitive dog is the right match for you? Do you want to help this lovely boy live his best life? If so, please fill out the questionnaire in his profile and if it seems like a match, someone from OHS will contact you to set up a time to meet with him.