Sunny

Sunny, born November 23, 2023, weighs in at 8 pounds<br/><br/>He's an interesting dog, very typical terrier and is not for a first time dog owner and will need an experienced adopter.<br/><br/>Sunny found himself surrendered to a Canadian shelter when he bit a child in the home he was living in with his family. Because of the bite, the shelter couldn't adopt him out, so he was transferred to Mattie's Place. <br/><br/>Sunny did "nip" at a male visiting his foster home. No skin was broken, but as the male moved around the home, Sunny would fearfully get up and nip at him. He should have been leashed in the foster home, being new to the space so the situation wasn't handled as it should have been, but Sunny is still responsible for his bad behaviour.<br/><br/>Mattie's Place sent him to a board and assess for 1 week, to figure out Sunny and what goes on in his head. He was non problematic with the trainer in her and her husband's home. Their assessment is below.<br/><br/>Mattie's Place will not consider a home with children under the age of 16 years. Because Sunny does need some added management a no pet home is likely his better option, though a home with a resident dog will be considered with the right adopter as he is a dog-neutral dog.<br/><br/>A quieter, single family home is his better option, so he doesn't have to manage & navigate lots of new people or things on a regular basis.<br/><br/>Sunny is a very sweet, extremely loyal dog that is a terrier. He will be the perfect and best companion to a matched adopter.<br/><br/><br/>TRAINER ASSESMENT:<br/><br/>OVERALL ASSESSMENT<br/><br/>Based on Sunny's stay with us, I did not observe evidence that would cause me to characterize Sunny as a generally aggressive dog. What I observed was a small, anxious and somewhat skittish dog navigating a significant environmental transition who improved as predictability, familiarity and structure increased.<br/><br/>That does not mean the incidents within the foster home should be dismissed. Sunny has demonstrated that, under certain circumstances, he is capable of escalating to biting, so management should be taken seriously while the<br/>underlying behaviour is addressed.<br/><br/>GENERAL OBSERVATIONS<br/><br/>At this stage, I believe Sunny needs more structure, clearer boundaries, appropriate management around visitors, increased crate use, confidence building and consistent training before being given significant freedom within<br/>the home. <br/><br/>The priority should be preventing further rehearsal of the behaviour, developing his confidence and relationship with his handler, and gradually giving him additional freedom as he demonstrates that he can successfully<br/>handle it.<br/><br/>Throughout Sunny's stay, I did not observe behaviour that would lead me to characterize him as an inherently aggressive dog. Sunny presented much more consistently as an anxious, skittish and environmentally sensitive dog who requires time to become comfortable with new people and surroundings. He did not immediately seek interaction from me but gradually became more comfortable over the course of his stay. <br/><br/>By approximately the third day, he had opened up considerably, and by Thursday<br/>evening he was comfortable taking food directly from my hand. His ability to progress socially over several days was encouraging and demonstrated that appropriate time, space and structure significantly improved his comfort level.<br/><br/><br/>INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE<br/><br/>Sunny had multiple interactions with both familiar and unfamiliar people during his stay. When Matt (husband) initially arrived home, Sunny approached him by jumping up and appeared excited to greet him. On Sunny's final evening, he ate his entire dinner while Matt moved around the kitchen putting dishes away. <br/>Sunny remained comfortable enough to continue eating and did not display guarding, threatening behaviour or aggression. <br/><br/>We also assessed Sunny's response to unexpected approaches and increased<br/>environmental/social pressure in a controlled manner, and no aggressive response was observed. Sunny additionally encountered several of our neighbours during his stay, with no aggressive behaviour observed. <br/><br/>This does not negate the incidents reported by his foster. Behaviour is contextual, and the absence of aggression in one environment does not mean the reported behaviour could not occur in another. However, we were unable to reproduce the aggressive behaviour described in the foster home during Sunny's<br/>stay with us.<br/><br/>DOGS<br/><br/>I would describe Sunny as dog-neutral rather than dog-social. He did not demonstrate an inherent desire to interact socially with other dogs and, when around Titan, Sunny attempted to create additional distance. Given Titan's significantly larger size, this appeared more consistent with discomfort or avoidance than an attempt to initiate conflict. I would continue allowing Sunny to coexist around appropriate dogs without requiring or encouraging direct social interaction.<br/><br/>CRATE & ROUTINE<br/><br/>Sunny struggled with his crate during the first three nights of his stay and would wake around 2:00-3:00 a.m. barking.<br/><br/>Once I incorporated an appropriate nighttime walk before settling him for the evening, his ability to settle improved. I would recommend continuing to build a positive and consistent relationship with the crate. In my opinion, Sunny would benefit from more structured crate time and less unrestricted access to the home, particularly while he is still adjusting. <br/><br/>I cannot speak to exactly how much crate time or structure he currently receives in the foster home, but predictable periods of activity, training, rest and crate<br/>time would be beneficial.<br/><br/>TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS<br/><br/>Sunny would benefit from consistent, short training sessions incorporated into his daily meals. Five to ten minutes at mealtimes<br/>can provide meaningful training and structure. Priorities should include:<br/><br/>• Engagement and relationship building with his handler<br/>• Basic obedience and clear follow-through<br/>• Confidence building<br/>• Leash handling and appropriate household boundaries<br/>• Crate conditioning and settling<br/>• Neutral exposure to people and environmental activity<br/>• Looking to his handler for direction rather than independently responding to situations that make him uncomfortable<br/><br/>Sunny was willing to work for food once he became comfortable. He showed a noticeably stronger preference for the beef and gojiberry option compared with the beef and broccoli option when feeding. I would use the higher-value food for training to increase motivation and engagement.<br/><br/>[full assessment will be provided during adoption process with selected applicant]<br/><br/><br/>FROM THE FOSTER:<br/><br/>Sunny is a spirited little guy who just wants to be loved. He is full of personality in all the best ways, from a funny low growl that he releases from time to time (at an octave that doesn’t quite seem to fit his teeny tiny size) to his air pawing when he’s caught a whiff of something delectable you may be eating and is desperate for a piece of it (although he’s not had human food while in my care). He’s a loving little shadow at home - following me from room to room. He just wants to be close to his people/person.<br/><br/>Sunny can sit on command, goes to the door to indicate he wants to go to the bathroom, and has had no accidents inside while in my care. He is definitely a clever chap, quick to take cues and adapt to new scenarios. He’s been coming to work with me each day and has done well with slow introductions to new people. It’s gone so well that he definitely has office favourites and is eager to sit on laps and just be doted on. <br/><br/>Sunny is not so food motivated but does like a treat or two and will finish his breakfast and dinner, which I feed him at 7am and 6pm. He is currently on Tom & Sawyer. In the morning and evenings , Sunny is quite happy going on two 30 minute walks. He goes on a shorter walk in the middle of the afternoon, mainly just to go to the bathroom. He’s a polite walker and shows no real interest in other dogs. I do have a miniature poodle and he's been respectful for the most part.<br/><br/>In the evening, Sunny is perfectly content to relax on the couch. I do live in a townhouse and he definitely keeps an ear out for noises. Again, the volume of his bark can be a little surprising for such a little guy but he calms quite quickly. He does show a bit of separation anxiety when left alone.<br/><br/>Sunny can be a bit reactive and there was a nip one afternoon when my brother was visiting. Since then, I’ve had guests over and he’s been leashed with no incidents. With proper boundaries and attention to his physical cues, this can easily be managed. He is crated when I have to leave him at home and he also sleeps in his crate in my room at night. That, coupled with being leashed around guests at least at the beginning should be all he needs to thrive.<br/><br/>Sunny’s forever family is going to have an adoring guy ready to soak up all their affection. He’s a little teddy bear once you take the time to understand him and stay consistent with boundaries. He will need someone who is committed to working with him as he continues to build his confidence. But all the effort is more than worth it<br/><br/><br/>---------------------------------------<br/><br/>$875 ADOPTION FEE INCLUDES: spay/neuter, deworming, flea/tick prevention, vaccinations, dentals if needed or any added surgical needed surgical care, food, nose to tail health exam, toys, leashcollar, winter coat (seasonal), poop bags, dishes and 30 days of Trupanion pet insurance with immediate coverage on adoption day for any illness or injury not pre-existing.<br/><br/>----------------------------------------<br/><br/>To note: the above description is relevant to this dog in it's current & previous setting. Home changes & adopter personalities can bring out different behaviours not previously seen.<br/><br/>----------------------------------------<br/><br/>Mattie's Place does not deem any dog in our care hypoallergenic, allergy-free or non-allergenic. Unless you are willing to take daily medication to manage dog allergies, please do not apply to adopt because I can't risk a dog being re

Sunny, born November 23, 2023, weighs in at 8 pounds

He's an interesting dog, very typical terrier and is not for a first time dog owner and will need an experienced adopter.

Sunny found himself surrendered to a Canadian shelter when he bit a child in the home he was living in with his family. Because of the bite, the shelter couldn't adopt him out, so he was transferred to Mattie's Place.

Sunny did "nip" at a male visiting his foster home. No skin was broken, but as the male moved around the home, Sunny would fearfully get up and nip at him. He should have been leashed in the foster home, being new to the space so the situation wasn't handled as it should have been, but Sunny is still responsible for his bad behaviour.

Mattie's Place sent him to a board and assess for 1 week, to figure out Sunny and what goes on in his head. He was non problematic with the trainer in her and her husband's home. Their assessment is below.

Mattie's Place will not consider a home with children un

Sunny, born November 23, 2023, weighs in at 8 pounds

He's an interesting dog, very typical terrier and is not for a first time dog owner and will need an experienced adopter.

Sunny found himself surrendered to a Canadian shelter when he bit a child in the home he was living in with his family. Because of the bite, the shelter couldn't adopt him out, so he was transferred to Mattie's Place.

Sunny did "nip" at a male visiting his foster home. No skin was broken, but as the male moved around the home, Sunny would fearfully get up and nip at him. He should have been leashed in the foster home, being new to the space so the situation wasn't handled as it should have been, but Sunny is still responsible for his bad behaviour.

Mattie's Place sent him to a board and assess for 1 week, to figure out Sunny and what goes on in his head. He was non problematic with the trainer in her and her husband's home. Their assessment is below.

Mattie's Place will not consider a home with children under the age of 16 years. Because Sunny does need some added management a no pet home is likely his better option, though a home with a resident dog will be considered with the right adopter as he is a dog-neutral dog.

A quieter, single family home is his better option, so he doesn't have to manage & navigate lots of new people or things on a regular basis.

Sunny is a very sweet,