What is a Career Change Dog?
Our professional trainers carefully select our dogs by evaluating them for temperament, health and eagerness to please. They are rescued from shelters where they are at risk for euthanasia. They enter a rigorous training program to become Hearing Dogs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Not all of our outstanding dogs can meet the demands of becoming a Certified Assistance Dog, thus the need for a "Career Change". They are, however, still winners, and make wonderful pets. Many are already housebroken and some know basic obedience commands. In short, these "near misses" make wonderful companions. We can help match you with a lifelong canine companion.
Buffy
Posted on 3/3/2021
Buffy, AKA ‘Buf-N-Stuf' is a 3 year-old spayed Shih Tzu who weighs 15lbs. She came to us from a local shelter looking like ‘one hot mess' from allergies and neglect. We adopted her to help turn her health around and find her an awesome forever home. Here is what we know:
Buffy is very sweet and outgoing with people she knows well. She tends to attach to one person but is happy to receive affection from others in the household. She will require a ‘warm up period’ and adjustment with the person (s) who adopt her. For now, she simply shows little interest in those she does not know and behaves as if she should ‘stay 6 feet away’. She was initally 'stand-offish' with most of us here but that did not last long.
Buffy is spunky! She loves to play with toys, chew on benebones and is an opportunist! If you drop a wooden cloths pin, she might just make it her own-LOL!
Buffy is comfortable in a crate or out. She can be loose in the house and does not mind hanging alone once she knows someone is coming back for her. She is quiet and rarely have we heard her bark. She is very much a house dog who loves the comforts of the couch😊.
Buffy LOVES the leash! She may have been living in a home without a fenced yard because she loves to take care of her business when out walking.
Buffy has allergies that we feel confident are well-managed, but it does come at a moderate expense of time and finances. She receives 1 medicated bath a week (we buy the shampoo on Amazon), 2 meals per day of Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein (Chewy.com $47.99 for an 8.8lb bag of small breed kibble; Treats are 1.1lb bag for $9.99), Apoquel (2-month supply of once-a-day pill which can be purchased through Costco for $64.82) and a Cytopoint injection from vet when needed (usually every 4-6 weeks approx. $25). This is what we currently do with Buffy and she remains itch free for the most part, energetic and happy. And, yes, we did do allergy testing!
If you believe you may be the forever home for Buffy, please complete our online application to better serve you. Due to our small number of staff, we limit our adoptions to those living within approx. 50 miles of Malibu. Thanks for your understanding.