Polly Terrier Mix Arlington, VA

Meet Polly! This petite Bully girl with adorable ears and a zest for life has blossomed in her foster home. She had an unfair start in life, but her natural joy is unmatched. She loves her foster parents and her pack, romping in the yard, and playing with toys, and she is a champion snuggler!

Polly came to us from a rural shelter. She had been confiscated as a puppy by Animal Control from a bad home situation and was held as "evidence" until her prior owner was taken to court. Polly was rescued so young, she had little exposure to the outside world at the shelter before she came into rescue - stairs, car rides, and walks in a neighborhood were all new to her, so she had some catching up to do.

Thankfully Polly has had two incredible foster families that changed the course of her life. Timid dogs like Polly typically need more time in their foster home to be ready for adoption. Polly was fortunate to have foster parents who worked with her, gradually exposing her to new things, and expanding her horizons. She has flourished with some TLC and her trusty dog pack by her side. Polly loves other dogs and would do best with a pup playmate in her new home. She gains confidence from other dogs and will continue to thrive with a playmate.

FOSTER MOM UPDATE -9/29/24

We checked in with her foster mom, Shaleia, for an update:

"Polly has come such a long way during her time with us! It has been a pleasure to watch her grow into the confident, loving, and playful dog that she is. She is no longer fearful of car rides or outings to town and really enjoys going on walks, especially if there are lots of new smells to explore. We usually walk her solo because she has a higher energy level than our other two and appreciates a much longer walk. On these solo walks she is one of the easiest dogs on leash I've ever handled, she is not reactive at all and doesn't pull.

Polly loves other dogs and has gained confidence from being part of a pack. She fell in love with our two dogs right away, but it did take us humans a little time to earn her trust. Watching her now you wouldn't believe it! She is very affectionate and loves to cuddle and give kisses. It melts my heart when she comes up to me and pushes her head and shoulder into my chest for a hug. While Polly warmed up to me first, she loves to snuggle and play with my husband and our 11-year-old too.

Her two favorite things in life are toys and treats. She can easily entertain herself with a new toy but gets so much joy out of playing tug and keep-away with her people. She loves to chase a ball - and she is fast - but it wouldn't be fair to call it 'fetch' since you have to do some work to get it back, lol. It's fun to watch Polly play, she is a real athlete and fearlessly leaps and twists to catch her toys. And when it's time for a treat, Polly can hardly contain her joy and shows off her tap dancing skills. She will toss it, dance and prance around her treasure, and have her own little party. She treasures her toys and is the resident toy hoarder, always having one close by.

Polly can still be timid in new situations at first, but she gains confidence more quickly with repeated exposure. Once she's comfortable with a person or place, you get to see her confident and sassy personality emerge. She's made progress in every area of her development, especially in our home. We've proven that she's good with men, women, and kids. She loves my husband and has proven to be an equal-opportunity snuggler."

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Leash Skills - One major improvement area has been walks. I think she would be just fine walking through more dense neighborhoods now, though she appreciates the more natural walking trails. She really enjoys long walks and marches at a good pace, but also likes to be able to stop and sniff the roses... and other things. She does best on paths she knows, but she only needs to visit a new route a few times to gain confidence. She's comfortable with bikes/strollers/etc and just keeps walking.

Meeting New People - Polly is better at meeting strangers. She doesn't try to keep as much distance and seems more curious about them. Having another dog there makes it easier on her because she'll be excited to say hi if they are. She follows their lead. She still takes time to trust new people and needs trust to be earned, but she has no ill will toward anyone, she just needs time to trust and verify they are OK.

My friend who comes over for playdates has made great progress with Polly. We had her come into the house on the last visit to see how Polly would react and it went well. There was no barking or extra shy behavior. Now when we hang out, Polly will come up to her to say hi, get a couple of scratches, and give a lick to her hand too

Crate - She is crate-trained. We use the crate when the humans are out of the house. At night, she will go to her crate on her own when she sees us starting to get ready for bed. I think the crate is her safe, secure space and she sleeps through the night without issue.

Training/Commands - She knows a handful of commands but isn't always consistent with them. She's pretty good with 'leave it' and 'sit', though she is often so wiggly she doesn't stay in sit long She knows 'down' and 'stay'. Overall, she does well learning our routines and generally knows what we expect of her and is responsive, but she still has the excitement level that can distract her at times."

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We are looking for a loving, patient owner for Polly who will give her time to settle in and adjust to her new surroundings. We feel another social, playful, established dog in her home will help her trust and adapt more quickly. She will do best in a quieter neighborhood vs. city or condo setting.

If given a chance, this sweet girl will charm you, and we can promise she will make you smile and laugh every day.

Apply today!

BREED ESTIMATE: Terrier/Pocket Pittie mix
GENDER: Female
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: ~ 35 lbs
APPROXIMATE AGE: ~ 4 years old
COAT TYPE: short
ADOPTION FEE: $425
OTHER INFO: utd on shots/spayed/microchipped
LOCATION: Warrenton, VA

FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT:
Please go to
https://adopt.worthydog.org
and complete the application.

You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.

Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.