Pixie - ADOPTED! Dachshund & Chihuahua Mix Arlington, VA

Meet Pixie! Pixie and her sibling, Carlos, lived as outside dogs without proper shelter, protection, or vet care. Their mom was older and sadly did not survive a recent cold weather stretch, and the two pups were often seen running freely near a busy road. Thankfully, a concerned neighbor took action and reached out to our rescue for help. Both dogs are still young, very adaptable, and have settled quickly into home life.

Pixie has been fostered with both small and large dogs and does very well as part of a pack. She's currently being fostered with a mom, dad, and two little terriers. She found a playmate in the family's younger pup, Stella, and is very respectful with their senior dog LG. Pixie is crate trained, housetrained (needs consistent breaks) and is doing well on her daily leash walks.

Her foster mom, Christi adores her and says

she's been an easy integration. She checked in with this update.

FOSTER MOM UPDATE - 3/12/24

It's been a solid week and I am absolutely amazed at how resilient and open Pixie is. We love her. She is curious and learns quickly. On the day of transport she was nervous and scared (but it's a long trip to Northern VA and another transition- so being a little unsure and scared is totally expected).

When we got to our house we worked on a gradual meet-up with our two littles pups. When we finally opened the xpen she was a little unsure about their intruding interest in her so she went over to my husband Dan and sought some "safety" (he was sitting on the ground at her level so she ran into his lap). They became fast friends after that pursuit she made Dan her person from that point on. Too cute.

Pixie was quiet the first evening and we kept things boring for her to settle in She slept in Dan's arms while watching TV and then made herself a spot next to him to sleep in bed with us. She woke up the next day with such joy!

When I say Pixie is curious that is what she is. At first, she watches and then engages and is fully in after that. She uses this approach with things that are new to her, but does it with great enthusiasm and nothing seems to slow her down now.

She loves to play with Stella who is our younger 12lb scruffy terrier. They chase each other around the yard and in the house doing zoomies. Let's just say our Stella was exhausted after the first few days of playing.

This sweet little low-rider is just an absolute doll. She is so sweet. She is still really young but does well settling in when we are working (both Dan and I work from home every day). Pixie will entertain herself with the unending supply of squeaky toys we have and loves to play fetch when we take breaks to play with her.

I would say she is a moderate-energy dog. We do a 1/2 mile walk around our block in the morning and the same 1/2 mile in the late afternoon, playtime with our dogs and, periodic breaks we take to play fetch in the yard. Throughout the day she naps after play (she just settles in close to a human and naps). We also have an older scruffy who for the most doesn't want to play with Pixie. Pixie respects that and focuses more on Stella for playtime.

Pixie is the easiest of any of the young dogs we have fostered over the years. But we did go into puppy mode (which is just making sure you have made sure the house is safe at the 6"-2' level - under beds and in small nooks and setting her up for success). She is potty trained but we go outside every hour or two with our pups to play and potty (with new dogs we never tempt fate).

She is tiny and won't grow much more so no toddlers or young children who might unintentionally hurt her if they pick her up or drop her wriggly little body. If there are kiddos- I would say older than 8 or 9 and above, and it would be best or her to have a young dog to play with. I know she was fostered with bigger dogs in SC but I would say medium to small dog pack buddies are her jam. Again it's because she is tiny and it's a big world when you are 7 lbs.

Pixie is a champ at walking and experiencing new things on walks. We have two trusted Shihtzu friends in the neighborhood who walk the same circuit we do. Pixie was scared at first and let me know and I didn't force it. This happened twice and then the third time we ran into them Pixie ran to them and sniffed and greeted them with enthusiasm.

She snuggles with us and makes the cutest little noises when she is settling in. She has the sweetest face and cutest ears and is just full of love and joy. I honestly am amazed at how perfect she is given her background. We just love this little nugget. If we were in a position to add another dog into our family we would adopt her in a millisecond."

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Prior to coming to N. VA, Pixe was fostered in South Carolina. She was in her foster home for a few weeks living with a mom, dad, Pittie mix, Kane, and two Chihuahuas, and did very well as part of a pack. At first, she was a little intimidated by Kane's size, but she warmed up and they became snuggle pals. Pixie's SC foster mom, Donna, shared this update:

"Pixie is just a doll baby. She is an all-around easy little thing. She's a young pup, and now that she's settling in, her playful energy is coming out. House training is going great!! She goes out every time with our pack and goes potty. She holds it through the night and sleeps soundly. You just have to pay attention to her as she doesn't let you know she wants to go out, but we let ours out pretty regularly, so she has been fabulous!! I would say she is 98% house-trained.

She is crate trained, and we crate her during the day when we are not home, and she seems to do fine. She may bark for about 10 minutes but then settles. I crated her at night the first week and had the crate in our room beside my bed. She was a perfect angel. I no longer crate her at night as she is the perfect sleeping partner. She doesn't get up at all!!

Pixie doesn't have an ounce of meanness in her body. She is still skittish about things - new noises and experiences - at first, but once she trusts you, she catches on quickly. She loves other dogs, especially smaller dogs although she is playing a lot with my Kane now too. She has done well learning from my established pack and follows their lead. I think she would do best in a home with other dogs and would love a pup playmate too.

We have a large fenced yard so Pixie and my pack run around to get some of their energy out. I just started taking Pixie out on leash walks and she did well. She likes to smell everything so she can get distracted but otherwise is pretty good. We don't have a lot of visitors, but she greets my dad warmly when he comes over now. She's still cautious/skittish at first but warms up once she knows they are OK."

Little mix Pixie is ready to start her new life. Apply today!

***Preference will be given to adopters with an established dog(s) in the home***

BREED ESTIMATE: Dachshund/Chi Mix
GENDER: Female
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: ~ 7-8 lbs
APPROXIMATE AGE: ~ 1 years old
COAT TYPE: Short coat
ADOPTION FEE: $425
OTHER INFO: utd on shots/spayed/microchipped
LOCATION: Fairfax, VA

FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application.

You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.

Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.