Willow Pit Bull Terrier Mix Cedartown, GA

1,000 DAYS...

That's how long Willow has waited patiently for someone to love her enough to adopt her ?

For 1,000 days, this sweet girl has watched literally hundreds of dogs come into the rescue, get healthy and move onto their new home. She has literally grown up at CARES...

Want to know what happens to dogs who spent YEARS in a rescue environment? They don't learn to navigate stairs, they have no knowledge of a a real house and they have never seen a bicycle ride by. So many simple things that you and I take for granted. Willow's whole world is only what she has been exposed to...which isn't much outside the walls of CARES. So Willow is a bit terrified of the unknown...which is most everything that hasn't been part of her world for the past 1,042 days...

Looking for a social butterfly of a dog, a pup who wants to travel to Petsmart every day, a pooch who thrives on meeting strangers? Willow isn't the dog for you.

But are you someone who would makes excuses why you can go to the party only to stay home in your pajamas, watch tv and cuddle on the sofa with your puppy dog? Is your house relatively quiet with no small children? Do you have the love and patience it takes to allow a dog to acclimate on their comfort level? Then Willow is your girl!

Think this dog must be older? Think again. Willow was rescued out of a kill shelter at just 6 weeks old. She was already unwanted as just a tiny puppy - part of a litter of 6 dumped at the local shelter. She was 42 days old when we took her in. She watched all of her littermates get adopted, yet here she still sits. Today Willow is 1,042 days old and she has been without a real family all 1.042 days of her life...

Positive traits:
Housetrained? Check.
Walks well on a leash? Check.
Gets along well with other dogs? Check.
Crate trained? Check.
Young? Check.
Fully vetted? Check.
Gorgeous? Check.
Loves attention? Check

Special considerations:
Slow to warm up to new people
Leery of unknown environments/things
Will jump fences

What this girl needs is someone who is willing to give her a chance. She is not difficult by any stretch of the imagination; however the adopter must be willing to give her time. Will she come around and be perfect with you and your house in a week? Nope. She needs a true animal lover who is patient and will allow her to gain confidence on HER TIME SCHEDULE.

Adoptions are at an ALL TIME LOW so we understand that finding Willow a suitable and appropriate home will be next to impossible...and we are willing to keep her until she passes away with us from old age if she doesn't find a home. But living your life in a rescue environment is far from ideal. Our hopes are that there is a perfect match out there for Willow and she will finally get the chance at happiness that she truly deserves ?

What this girl needs is someone who is willing to give her a chance.

Was she born black? Yes.
Was she born a pit mix? Yes.
Was she born a larger breed dog? Yes.
Is she nervous around new people/environment? Yes because all she knows is the one place/one set of people who have cared for her during her lifetime.

We firmly believe that every dog has the perfect forever home waiting on them.
To say she is the longest resident we have ever had is an understatement. It breaks our hearts that this poor girl has lived in a rescue environment for years...

Willow's wish list consists of an inside, forever home with a big fenced yard (tall and/or privacy fence as she will climb out of shorter fences) for playtime, a home with lots of toys and another doggy friend for play time and pet parents who understand the time commitment that a puppy requires. Adopters who are retired or work-from-home parents are ideal as they have the time to spend with the pet. Adopters committed to doing a bit of socializing with Willow as she knows no life outside of a rescue environment.

If you think you have the perfect home for Willow, contact us at info.caresga@gmail.com for an adoption application. We adopt up north and all over so please ask for details (we no longer have a transport company so out of state adopters must be willing to travel for pickup). $250 adoption fee and a vet reference is required to ensure a great home (this means you have had a pet so we can call to verify their level of care). Eligibility for adoption means your current or past pets are spayed/neutered, up to date on vaccines and on monthly heartworm and flea prevention. Please be aware that we do not allow shock collars (ie underground fences) or "pens" as an alternative for a fenced yard.

We do our best to place our rescue pets in the very best homes. Please be aware that we have an application which also includes required vet records showing your existing pets are current on preventative medical care. Puppy adopters please take note that we generally try to place our puppies into homes where at least one parent is retired/stay at home/works from home to ensure the puppy gets enough attention and training (puppies cannot hold it all day in a crate) so please have a plan ready when contacting us. For safety reasons, we try not to place small dogs or puppies in families with children under 5 (there may be exceptions depending on situation).

Adoption fees vary from pet to pet based on age, size, breed, etc. Some pets, smaller dogs for example, may have a higher than normal adoption fee but we will alert you if there is a variance. Dogs rescued from China always have a higher adoption fee. Adoption fees help our group offset PART of the cost of rescuing, rehabilitating, and getting the pet healthy so they can go on to find a loving home with someone willing to give them a second chance at life. This amount includes each animal being current on age appropriate vaccinations including DHPPL, bordetella, influenza, rabies, and boosters when appropriate. De-wormed for any internal parasites (round worms, hook worms, tape worms and whipworms) with Drontal Plus, 4DX tested heart-worm negative (if positive, they are treated), tested negative for tick borne diseases, spayed/neutered, implanted with a micro-chip and have been examined by a veterinarian to certify that they are healthy. Any other known health issues are treated as well prior to adoption (examples: UTI, broken bones, contagious infections, dental cleanings, etc). All animals are also on a regime of flea and heartworm medication every month. Lifetime registration for the micro-chip is included in each adoption fee. In addition, each adopter will go home with a fitted collar, tags, a bag of dog food the pet has been on, copies of all vet history, and an adoption kit filled with valuable information and coupons as well as other various treats or toys as promotions become available. All puppy adoptions include two puppy training books, the Puppy Primer & Way To Go by Patricia McConnell, and all adult adoptions go home with Love Has No Age Limit by Patricia McConnell to help ensure a smooth transition for your new family member.

We ask that you consider an additional donation on top of this pet's adoption fee. This money will go directly into our Adoption Fund to be used exclusively for rescuing and caring for other pets in need. Many pets we take in have very high vet bills to get them healthy and adoptable for the public - much higher than their adoption fees. We receive no government funding and rely solely on donations from our community and caring adopters to continue our rescue efforts!