Tinker Pomeranian & Chihuahua Mix Seattle, WA

Tinker is an absolutely adorable 6# Pom/Chi mix, who is about 6 ½ years old. This girl loves her people, but situations in her life have caused her to have some layers to her trust. She will be a great companion for the right person, so please read on for more details.

Tinker came to our rescue after her human unfortunately passed away. A family member was trying to care for Tinker, but Tinker was having challenges adapting to the new home with a small child, so they made the call and requested our help finding a perfect forever home.

Tinker would prefer a calm home with consistent, positive interactions and no children (adults and possibly older teenagers only). Tinker’s trust levels have layers and she takes a super long time learning to trust new people. During that time, her interactions can shift from being frightened of an unexpected touch to using her adorable little paws to grab your hand requesting additional pets. She does have several coping behaviors that she uses to help with her stress. Sometimes, she will freeze with her tail tucked and just give up and let herself be handled. Other times, she may loudly scream and run and hide. Tinker responds well to a kind word and careful movements during these times. Tinker is relatively cooperative with her regular grooming needs, but she can get stressed and anxious following a grooming session.

Tinker was reported to have been potty-pad trained in the past. During her time in foster, she has been observed to have partially retained that training for normal elimination. However, Tinker also reacts to stress with marking in the house, particularly in places that smell strongly of her people. This behavior decreases as she becomes more confident and secure in a home, but she has been known to regress after stressful events that appear minor to her caretakers (urine tests have not shown any health-related causes for this behavior). Tinker will need a person who is small dog potty-training savvy and who has the patience and know-how to train her through this. She has worn diapers in the past (and looks adorable in her britches, too), but occasionally becomes stressed with the process of getting diapers put on, so they may not be a good long-term solution.

Tinker is very picky about her canine companions and may be a little intense for some dogs. She prefers a bark-first-become-friends-later approach that is difficult for many dogs to be patient with. Her ideal home would either be one with no other animals or with resident canine/feline companions who will not be upset when Tinker puts on her cranky pants unexpectedly. She gets along well with her current laid-back dogs in her foster home, now that they have all settled in with each other, but that may not be the case for other dogs that are not as patient. She has been observed trying to play with other dogs in her foster home, but play sessions often end when she becomes startled at an unexpected movement on the part of the other dog.

This pint-sized leggy girl absolutely love, love, loves her daily walks. She would do best in a home that is willing to take her on at least one (but preferably more like two or three) walks a day. These walks do not have to be super long or intense, she just enjoys getting out and about to stretch her legs and sniff the neighborhood. Her daily walks have also helped her regulate her stress levels. Thanks to her favorite treat of string cheese and some consistent training/rewards, Tinker has been learning to trust her people on her walks and has almost mastered the art of turning to her person when stressed on the walk; however, sometimes she does forget herself and can bark long and loud at an unexpected or unwelcome strange person, dog or the random bird flying by. Because of this, we believe she is not suited to apartment or other close-dwelling living.

As Tinker becomes comfortable with her caregivers, she has been known to enjoy a little fun wrestle time with the people she trusts. She has the cutest little noises and open-mouth wrestling bitey-face! She is not always a snuggle-buddy, but does like to curl up next to her people on the couch at the end of a long day of walks, play time and sniffing in the fenced yard, chasing crows and occasionally getting chased by the resident chickens. When she relaxes next to you and snuggles in close, you know you have earned her love.

If you have what it takes to help this little beauty thrive and heal from the loss of her special human and the stress of having to change homes, please complete an adoption application as soon as possible. No apartments please. Tinker is spayed, microchipped, wormed, and current on routine, bordatella, and rabies vaccinations. Her adoption donation is $300.

Please go to www.wonderpetsrescue.petfinder.com to complete an adoption application, no phone calls please. Wonder Pets Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit organization and adoption donations are tax deductible. Like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/wonderpetsrescue.