Anita is thriving with her new family!

Anita was found by a bar owner in Neza, just east of Mexico City. She was in heat and was being chased by a bunch of dogs. She had many battle wounds from being a stray in heat, which took a few months to heal. She was quickly snatched up for adoption by an amazing family! Here is what they had to say when we checked in on how she is doing:

She is doing great! The first week and a half she was very shy, I think she was just getting adjusted to both us, which actually happened very quickly, but also to our house, to our new pets, and she was just kind of assessing how to behave. Quickly after that, we went on a camping trip where we stayed at a cabin near a lake with our friends and Anita did great for the most part; she is very aware of noises and so if there were people walking outside or other dogs barking she would bark back and be attentive but she behaved really well with people and other dogs. She took what was presumably her first boat ride at the lake; she was a little nervous in the beginning but she tolerated it really well; she didn’t show signs of distress. While at the lake, she experienced an adult dog that attacked her and her sibling Taína, our other dog. The dog that attacked was human-food guarding, but Anita didn't seem too worried as it was fairly quick and brief; we don't think she got traumatized by that. We were of course, upset, and kept our distance with that dog, as it was from another friend at the campsite. When we returned home, Anita started behaving a little bit more comfortably. Even though our other dog Taína has been jealous of Anita, at times started to want to play with Anita. However, Anita's play style is a little aggressive because she constantly growls and barks, which makes our other dog a little hesitant to continue play.  We don’t think Anita is super into playing with other dogs, but she really enjoys chasing squeaky balls and playing tug; she is really good at tug! Anita initially didn't want to eat kibble in the first couple days, so we got her started on a freeze dried food that she ate for about a week and a half and later we transitioned her back to kibble because she didn't want the freeze-dried food anymore. She does seem to be guarding food as she will growl if there's another dog near her. Our other dog Taína definitely has shown in an even more intense way food guarding behavior. There were a couple of times that they got into a fight, so we have to feed them separately or supervised while on a leash (most recently). Both their tolerances to each other around food, play and just resting time have really improved over time. We go on daily walks a few times a day. Anita will not poop or pee in the grass; she has to go on a walk so we take her on 10 to 30 minute walks around the neighborhood. She really enjoys going on walks! That said, Anita will become a little aggressive when she sees other dogs, mostly by displaying a lot of barking behavior and pulling on the leash; she also seems to mimic Taína’s barking if Taína happens to bark first. It’s hard to get Anita’s attention when she’s like that, but it helps when we just walk her without Taína, which we do when we can. We have taken Anita to the beach; she is not as interested in the water, but she loves to do what we call “screensaving” and just watch people around her. She seems to be very interested in birds; I presume that if she wouldn't be on a leash, she would chase them. Anita has gone to the dog park. Her first time there, we introduced her to a group of small dog friends and their pet parents while on a leash. There was a lot of smelling, which seemed pretty normal, and we felt comfortable enough to let her out of the leash while in the dog park which was fenced, and she did pretty well. We have taken her a couple other times to the same dog park and exposed her to other dogs none of us knew and she's done pretty well. She doesn't tend to play very much, mostly smelling other dogs and only if other dogs are running around she might join them. Anita is a cuddle bug! She is very loving and a very happy dog - we love her very much! She is starting to get used to her crate; she doesn't necessarily go totally willingly, we have to persuade her still with treats (side note: Anita is not super food motivated, but I think she's learning to be; we might have to find higher value treats) When we first used to put her in the crate, she used to cry for up to 30 minutes; now she doesn't cry as long, maybe up to 10 minutes, but again she's very sensitive to noises like barking, people outside, door knocks or the garage door opening. Anita has slept with us in bed too! We typically allow this on the weekends when all doggos and humans sleep in bed together. Anita likes to cuddle next to you or in between your legs. Anita knows “sit” and “down” commands. We are not sure she totally gets “look at me” or maybe she only does it when she wants, haha. She understands “leave it”, but needs a bit more practice. We are also working on “touch”, “come” and “stay”. She is a fast learner. We will continue to practice training Anita, including more exposure to our cat, which she is a little bit obsessed about and we'll cry if we don't let her see the cat after she has originally spotted it. Also, Anita visited our vet and she’s doing good and it’s in a healthy weight. We will schedule a denal appointment in a couple of months to take care of her dental hygiene. Oh, and during her first bath, she was a little nervous, but was a champ at letting us comb her. Her nicknames are Anita Zigzag because she doesn’t walk in a straight line and cuddlebug!

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