The first time I laid eyes on Taco was at the 2019 end of the year puppy pool party to benefit the Maumelle Friends of the Animals. She was climbing up this wall being tailed by a volunteer, since she was fairly young. Then she fell a few feet onto another section of the wall, and I gasped, but she got up immediately as if nothing had happened.
That’s been her personality in a nutshell as I got to know her better.
I would go on to take her to get exposure at The Point 94.1 and we’d stop and get pup cups at Starbucks.
She found a foster home at the end of 2019 that would become more permanently until 2020, when more behaviors started to develop. She’s always been just as resilient as she was as a young pup, but she started to develop stranger danger (reactivity towards new people) and dog selectiveness (reactivity towards some other dogs).
She lives with three other dogs and tends to love the smaller, especially fluffy ones. One other dog would probably be best for her, as with the three, she gets worked up and excited quickly.
We started training somewhere in the fall of 2020, working a lot on pattern games and engagement that taught her new things to do instead of react. Her current people were able to successively introduce her to new people, and walks became a much more calm experience. In fact, a few weeks ago, a man started talking to me while I was walking her, and previously this may have caused Taco to react, but she calmly ignored him.
But due to the circumstances, she isn’t able to get the enrichment and ongoing training she needs outside of our weekly training walk sessions together, and it will be an ongoing struggle for strangers to simply walk into her home, which is what her current home needs.
With a structured process, she is able to accept new people and build friends, but she does need that time.
In addition to training cues, like sit, down, place, look, stay, leash manners, touch, and off, Taco is potty trained with a doggy door and she knows how to check in with her handler and disengage from triggers. Walks will likely always be an active training process with cues and guidance for Taco, but she is doing well with them.
Taco is 2.5 years old and is about 60 pounds. Taco would do best in a calm home with older children and people who can spend time training and interacting with her. She would likely do very well with agility training. She would struggle if aversive training (i.e. training collars) is used, as trust isn’t freely given by her, but once you win her over, she’s all in.
At this point, even a temporary foster home would be helpful. I am available as a resource for her new home or her foster. Please share. She’s a special girl. Her current home isn’t making this decision lightly, and a calmer situation with more training and enrichment would be best for Taco.
There is also a possibility to transfer her up north, and I’m able to help with that transition, or into another rescue.
From MFOA:
Taco is located in foster care. Email MFOA at dogs@maumellefoa.org for more information. Online adoption applications available at www.maumellefoa.org. The adoption fee is $80. Included in the fee is shots, sterilization, microchip, dogs are given a dewormer at time of intake, placed on monthly flea/tick preventative, if heartworm negative then they are placed on heartworm preventative, if heartworm positive then they are treated once an adoption finalized.
Please note regarding the application to adopt: Personal references, landlord reference and veterinarian references / vetting history will be checked. All past and current pets must have been or must be up to date on vaccines and given heart worm preventative unless otherwise indicated by your veterinarian. If you use multiple vet clinics, please include them all. Applications are approved by best fit, not by first come / first serve.
