Ava Hound Mix Cincinnati, OH

Sadly, our county animals shelters continue to get slammed ... which means they need to euthanized wonderful, perfectly adoptable dogs to make room for the latest owner-surrenders and strays. This heartbreaking cycle will continue until spaying/neutering becomes a more prevalent practice--particularly in rural areas where so many dogs are left to roam free. In the meantime, the rescue world--with the support of awesome adoptive families--continues to save as many as we can.

This time we we made room (based on the high praises and desperate pleas of shelter workers) for this brindle beauty. As friendly as she is beautiful, Ava was picked up as a stray, and is now eager to settle in with a family of her own. With her medium/high energy, she does like to move--so her home-to-be should be prepared for daily outings and regular exercise. She is scared by big trucks, so would prefer her walks in a quieter, less traveled neighborhood.

Here is one STAF volunteer's impressions of Ava: "This girl is one big bundle of wiggles and kisses! She was so excited to go to the park. Ava is very good on leash and is happy to walk and an excellent jogging partner with no pulling. She greeted anyone and everyone who was interested in meeting her with happy feet and kisses but waited for people to express an interest in saying hi before unleashing affection on them. Ava was friendly with the dogs we passed - even one who growled and lunged at her ... she just went by with her tail continuously wagging, unfazed. She is a bit more dainty than you might imagine. It was a very muddy day at the park and she would leap over puddles to avoid stepping in them : ) Ava gets wiggly and happy every time she is praised and looks up to check in while walking. This is one happy, affectionate girl. When walking, her cute ears are perked up, bouncing with every step, then when jogging they are pressed back for maximum aerodynamics ;O) "

• All of our animals are spayed/neutered and current on shots.
• We do not do same-day adoptions; we ask that you return for a follow-up visit before taking an animal home.
• You must be 21 years or older to adopt from STAF.
• We require a 4-foot-tall physical fence for homes with children under the age of 11. We also may require a physical fence for specific dogs on a case-by-case basis, depending on each dog’s behavior and exercise needs.
• Invisible fences: Due in part to increasing coyote activity/incidents in the area and the difficulty of predicting how a dog will respond to invisible fence training, we cannot adopt to homes with invisible fences.
• We do request vet and personal references.
• We can facilitate adoptions within a 75-mile radius of our Cincinnati-based shelter.

Please visit www.STAF.org for visiting hours, a downloadable application, and additional information.