Winnie & Rizzo Miniature Pinscher Mix Newark, OH

BASIC FACTS: Winnie
Breed: Miniature Pinscher Mix
Color: Black
Age: 6-8 10 years
Gender: Female, Spayed
Size: 8.5 lbs.
House-trained: yes
Crate trained: yes
Good with Kids: yes
Good with Dogs: yes
Good with Cats: unknown
Concerns: nip concerns, soft foods

BASIC FACTS: Rizzo
Breed: Small Breed Mix
Color: Black & Tan
Age: young, 2-3 years
Gender: male, neutered
Size: 8.5 lbs.
House-trained: mostly, will mark
Crate trained: yes
Good with Kids: yes
Good with Dogs: yes
Good with Cats: unknown
Concerns: escape risk

Winnie and Rizzo are a bonded pair, it is possible they are mother-son and must be adopted together. She looks after him quite a bit more than he to her. They are well-behaved and love to cuddle. They are not overly energetic; they love lounge time and will play well for short bursts. They are great on a leash and do well with walks. They are fairly small and don’t need a ton of space to run and play if supplemented routinely with good walks. They can bark quite a bit at critter activity outside, so apartments, or shared walls may be a challenge. It is unknown their names prior to coming into rescue, but they learned the names Winnie and Rizzo fairly quickly and responded well to them.

They do well in a crate together, and currently use one when home alone and for bedtime. They’ve never had accidents in their crate. They love new toys to play with and use their little teeth to shred things frequently! Toys that squeak are favorites and treats that take time to break down and chew they do well with. They are happy to cuddle with you on furniture and in bed, and with a blanket overtop, they will burrow for long periods of settled time. They do have a decent prey drive and love to sniff out creature paths and dig when they catch a scent.

Winnie presents younger than her age because of her size and general appearance. It wasn’t until her spay and dental she was estimated in the 6-8 years age range. Winnie’s teeth were a major concern, and she lost 14 of them with her dental. She eats well with a soft(er) food and loves chew and stuffed toys. She oversees Rizzo a bit, likes to know where he is and to keep him out of trouble. She won’t leave his side on the occasion that he has escaped, and she’ll follow, which is true of how they were found and came into rescue.

Winnie’s adopter will need to be understanding about her mouth fears. Most likely she experienced pain with the poor condition of her mouth when she came into rescue. She is quick to snap when you approach her mouth or restrain her head to try and brush her teeth or force a medication. She has been soft muzzled at times during vet appointments with shots. Absent these very specific instances, her temperament is very patient and mild-mannered. Adopter should explore anxiety or calming medication for stressful events such as vet visits in the long term. She has done well when exposed to children. Adopters could easily manage her tendency to snap with good boundaries around approaching her mouth for those of all ages.

Rizzo can be a Houdini, and generally hates gated boundaries. He will tunnel and find any small crevice in a fence and get under it and out quickly. In foster he is using a 30 ft. cable tie out and a fenced yard. Since adding the tie-out, he has only had one escape. Rizzo should have a tracking device until he is well established in his adopter’s home and uses a harness well for daily outside and walking use.

Rizzo is super lovable, and very jealous of other dogs getting attention. He will worm his way to be the closest to anyone available for pets, blankets, and cuddles. He fits well in a lap and loves to be there. He can be a bit yappy for attention at times, and is well distracted by picking him up, or using a toy.

He will most likely need a dental cleaning in the next few years. He has a slight overbite and a very small mouth, which is why he was temporarily named after Rizzo the Rat (Muppets). Rizzo potty’s well outside but does like to mark inside. He’s wearing a male wrap well in foster. As he continues to heal from his neuter, this may subside. Rizzo can be fairly itchy at times, he’s been taking OTC allergy medication in foster per vet recommendation. He may become a candidate for a stronger medication long-term. It was noticed he has a low-grade heart murmur but did well with anesthesia for his neuter.

Winnie and Rizzo are being fostered in Newark, Ohio and the adoption fee for the pair is $700.00. They are spayed and neutered, up to date on shots, and microchipped. It interested in adopting this lovely pair, please submit an application via the following website: www.sophiasgracefoundation.org