Madilyn Mountain Cur Mix Cincinnati, OH

5/27/20 Madilyn is extremely affectionate with people she knows and wonderful with other dogs, but needs a home committed to the entire journey since she may always be a work in progress. She truly cherishes her people and will do best in a quieter yet active home. Her guard goes up with strangers, so a busy home with frequent visitors will not be a comfortable fit. Madilyn needs a confident leader and positive, confidence-building training. She must have another dog and a safe, securely fenced yard.
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In the fall of 2019, Madilyn and her canine brother were surrendered by their former owner to a county shelter. They were both understandably terrified upon arrival, having had their lives turned upside down and finding themselves in the noisy, raucous county pound. When they were transported to our shelter, Madilyn was head shy, full of hookworms, anemic, and so terrified she had to be carried in. But STAF volunteers once again worked their patient magic, as shown by the notes on Madi's run:

10/11 Be very quiet, very calm and just sit with her. As of today, she will not walk--too frightened!

10/14 Please leave bed in her run. It was bought especially for her.

10/17 Cuddled a lot and had the zoomies outside!

10/21 Very brave on walk. Timid around loud traffic, but kept walking.

Little Madilyn was 21 pounds at last weigh-in. While her teeth are those of a five-year-old dog, we think it's likely that's due to a poor diet. (And perhaps the aging that occurs with having kids ;OP as she appears to have had pups at some point.) She acts younger than five. Or perhaps with her dramatic change in fortune and the start of a new, far better life, Madi is experiencing a second puppyhood? She sure has come a long way in her short time with us, and we are excited to see her continue blossoming in a home of her very own. But she is still easily startled and jumpy at every noise ... she will go through another fearful stage during the transition to a new home, so will need a patient family that is prepared to give her the time, gentle handling, continued socialization and training she needs to become a happy, confident girl. Based on time she has spent on home visits with potential adopters and volunteers, we know that she also needs:
- A little initial work on housebreaking, but on-track within a week with attentiveness and consistency on the part of her humans.
-Another dog for socialization/playtime. (She does great at doggie daycare!)
-Positive-based training, confidence-building and practice meeting new people.
-A completely and securely fenced yard. She is a flight risk when scared and would be very difficult to catch.

• 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.