Mia

Mia came to us as an owner surrender and has been with Match since the summer of 2025. Her foster mom has worked incredibly hard to help her build confidence, resilience, and impulse control. When Mia first arrived, she was eager to go outside but extremely fearful once away from the house — even in quiet neighborhoods. Since then, she has truly turned a corner and blossomed into a different dog.<br/><br/>Mia is soft, cuddly, and affectionate. She enjoys her beauty naps just as much as she enjoys being near her people. One of her favorite hobbies is tossing around small plush toys and entertaining herself. Because of her early anxiety, Mia still uses a Ruffland kennel to ensure she stays safe and secure when unsupervised. Over time, she has learned how to settle quickly and comfortably relax inside her kennel, though she may still try to negotiate bedtime with new handlers. She is kennel trained, house trained, and walks nicely on a loose leash.<br/><br/>Mia genuinely loves people, but fast and unpredictable toddler movements have startled her in the past. With gradual exposure, she has learned to remain neutral and comfortable around young children from a respectful distance. That said, we believe her ideal home would have older children who understand boundaries and canine body language. A huge part of responsible dog ownership is advocating for our dogs and helping them feel safe, which builds trust and prevents unnecessary reactivity over time.<br/><br/>Mia currently lives with several foster sisters and does well with respectful dogs when given slow, thoughtful introductions — after a proper decompression period, of course. She is very communicative and gives clear warnings when uncomfortable, which we see as a positive trait. She will growl before escalating, allowing handlers the opportunity to step in and support her before situations become stressful. Mia is also fairly independent and often wanders away from the group to find a sunny spot for a nap. We strongly believe in advocating for all dogs in multi-dog homes: when a dog asks for space, we listen and support them.<br/><br/>We have seen some leash reactivity in situations where another dog suddenly appears barking or lunging behind a fence. In those moments, Mia can react quickly and intensely. The good news is that she also recovers quickly — often relaxing and wagging her tail again by the next house down the street.<br/><br/>Everyone at the rescue adores Mia. Because of her strength and the unpredictability of busy environments, she will do best with an experienced large-dog owner who understands management, advocacy, and continued confidence building. Mia thrives with two short walks per day and about 30–45 minutes of exercise. She is not a dog that requires hours of intense physical or mental stimulation to be successful.<br/><br/>Mia is a slightly picky, wonderfully expressive girl with so much love to give to the right home. If you think you might be her person, we would love to hear from you.

Mia came to us as an owner surrender and has been with Match since the summer of 2025. Her foster mom has worked incredibly hard to help her build confidence, resilience, and impulse control. When Mia first arrived, she was eager to go outside but extremely fearful once away from the house — even in quiet neighborhoods. Since then, she has truly turned a corner and blossomed into a different dog.

Mia is soft, cuddly, and affectionate. She enjoys her beauty naps just as much as she enjoys being near her people. One of her favorite hobbies is tossing around small plush toys and entertaining herself. Because of her early anxiety, Mia still uses a Ruffland kennel to ensure she stays safe and secure when unsupervised. Over time, she has learned how to settle quickly and comfortably relax inside her kennel, though she may still try to negotiate bedtime with new handlers. She is kennel trained, house trained, and walks nicely on a loose leash.

Mia genuinely loves people, but fast and unpredictable toddler movement

Mia came to us as an owner surrender and has been with Match since the summer of 2025. Her foster mom has worked incredibly hard to help her build confidence, resilience, and impulse control. When Mia first arrived, she was eager to go outside but extremely fearful once away from the house — even in quiet neighborhoods. Since then, she has truly turned a corner and blossomed into a different dog.

Mia is soft, cuddly, and affectionate. She enjoys her beauty naps just as much as she enjoys being near her people. One of her favorite hobbies is tossing around small plush toys and entertaining herself. Because of her early anxiety, Mia still uses a Ruffland kennel to ensure she stays safe and secure when unsupervised. Over time, she has learned how to settle quickly and comfortably relax inside her kennel, though she may still try to negotiate bedtime with new handlers. She is kennel trained, house trained, and walks nicely on a loose leash.

Mia genuinely loves people, but fast and unpredictable toddler movements have startled her in the past. With gradual exposure, she has learned to remain neutral and comfortable around young children from a respectful distance. That said, we believe her ideal home would have older children who understand boundaries and canine body language. A huge part of responsible dog ownership is advocating for our dogs and helping them feel safe, which builds trust and prevents u