Gertrude - In Foster

Meet Gertrude aka Gertie! Tiny traumatized little gremlin if we're honest.<br/><br/>Gertie is an approximately 1.5-year-old chocolate dapple chiweenie who was dumped on a rural road well known for people abandoning animals. Thankfully, one of our volunteer dog trainers spotted her and immediately knew she needed Rachel, our Programs Director and self-proclaimed dachshund queen.<br/><br/>Honestly, he was correct.<br/><br/>When Gertie first arrived, we noticed she carried one of her back legs oddly and planned to take x-rays during her spay surgery. Unfortunately, it appears Gertie was likely hit by a car at some point before rescue. X-rays revealed an old pelvic fracture. The good news? It does not seem to slow her down much.<br/><br/>In fact, one of Gertie’s favorite hobbies is aggressively humping senior male foster dogs who are too old, tired, and emotionally defeated to correct her behavior. She specifically targets the weakest links in the household hierarchy. We are working on it. She has improved some thanks to her younger foster brothers who let her know it's not okay.<br/><br/>Despite her tiny goblin tendencies, Gertie is actually a very sensitive little dog underneath it all. She can be nervous, skittish, and unsure of new people and situations, which makes us assume she did not come from a kind home before ending up dumped.<br/><br/>Then came the storm.<br/><br/>During that horrible storm a few Saturdays ago, Gertie woke up her foster mom making a strange noise from inside her kennel. She was actively having a seizure. Her foster mom immediately scooped her up, wrapped her tightly in a towel, and held her until it passed. Afterward, Gertie stayed wrapped up like a tiny burrito while being held in the bathroom for over an hour until the storm moved through.<br/><br/>Since then, we’ve had a couple decent rainstorms without any seizures, and she’s now getting trazodone before major weather events, which seems to be solving the problem.<br/><br/>At her exam, our vet initially expected Gertie to be heartworm negative because no microfilaria were seen on her blood slide. Unfortunately, her test still came back positive, though thankfully only lightly positive. Because of her old pelvic injury, we are leaning toward the slow-kill method for treatment instead of the standard injections, since those injections are given deep into the muscles of the back legs and pelvis area. With her history, we want to be gentle with her.<br/><br/>And despite all of this? Gertie is learning how to just be a dog.<br/><br/>She loves sitting outside when the weather is nice. She has learned the doggie door. She quietly follows you around while you get ready in the morning, so quietly that you genuinely have to check the floor before taking a step because she materializes directly behind you like a tiny haunted sausage.<br/><br/>She sleeps beautifully in a kennel but is equally happy sleeping under the covers in bed. She shares meals politely with her foster Chihuahua brother Cooper. Treats are rapidly becoming the key to her little nervous heart, and every day she gets braver, sillier, and cuter.<br/><br/>Gertie is not a perfect dog. She comes with trauma, quirks, weather anxiety, and an unfortunately strong commitment to inappropriate humping but she's just learning how to dog.<br/><br/>But she also comes with resilience, sweetness, and the kind of tiny loyal companionship that makes you feel very chosen once she trusts you.<br/><br/>And honestly? We think she deserves that chance.<br/><br/>If you would like to meet Gertie, please send a completed application to our Programs Director and his foster mom to Rachel@jeffersonspca.org.<br/><br/>Adoption fee includes vaccines, spay/neuter surgery, microchip and a heartworm test. Any dog that tests positive for heartworms can be treated through our Fix-A-Heart Program. Adopter has to buy a year supply of heartworm prevention before treatment begins.<br/><br/>Please note: this application is view-only in Dropbox and must be downloaded to your device to be completed. You may fill it out using a PDF editing program or print it and complete it by hand. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ahiajf6e6i0ox2hdl09jk/JSPCA-Application_2.0-Newest-Updates.pdf?rlkey=be9he1julh02etikl021k9plk&dl=0<br/><br/>All adoptions subject to approval.

Meet Gertrude aka Gertie! Tiny traumatized little gremlin if we're honest.

Gertie is an approximately 1.5-year-old chocolate dapple chiweenie who was dumped on a rural road well known for people abandoning animals. Thankfully, one of our volunteer dog trainers spotted her and immediately knew she needed Rachel, our Programs Director and self-proclaimed dachshund queen.

Honestly, he was correct.

When Gertie first arrived, we noticed she carried one of her back legs oddly and planned to take x-rays during her spay surgery. Unfortunately, it appears Gertie was likely hit by a car at some point before rescue. X-rays revealed an old pelvic fracture. The good news? It does not seem to slow her down much.

In fact, one of Gertie’s favorite hobbies is aggressively humping senior male foster dogs who are too old, tired, and emotionally defeated to correct her behavior. She specifically targets the weakest links in the household hierarchy. We are working on it. She has improved some thanks to her you

Meet Gertrude aka Gertie! Tiny traumatized little gremlin if we're honest.

Gertie is an approximately 1.5-year-old chocolate dapple chiweenie who was dumped on a rural road well known for people abandoning animals. Thankfully, one of our volunteer dog trainers spotted her and immediately knew she needed Rachel, our Programs Director and self-proclaimed dachshund queen.

Honestly, he was correct.

When Gertie first arrived, we noticed she carried one of her back legs oddly and planned to take x-rays during her spay surgery. Unfortunately, it appears Gertie was likely hit by a car at some point before rescue. X-rays revealed an old pelvic fracture. The good news? It does not seem to slow her down much.

In fact, one of Gertie’s favorite hobbies is aggressively humping senior male foster dogs who are too old, tired, and emotionally defeated to correct her behavior. She specifically targets the weakest links in the household hierarchy. We are working on it. She has improved some thanks to her younger foster brothers who let her know it's not okay.

Despite her tiny goblin tendencies, Gertie is actually a very sensitive little dog underneath it all. She can be nervous, skittish, and unsure of new people and situations, which makes us assume she did not come from a kind home before ending up dumped.

Then came the storm.

During that horrible storm a few Saturdays ag