Poppy the Pirate - Adventures of an Adoptable Dog

30/12/2023

Hey friends! What do you think - will 2024 be my year?? Maybe it's gonna be your year too and we could do it together??

25/12/2023

Poppy: You said you wanted snow for Christmas

Foster Mom: I did...

Poppy: I made some for you!

Foster Mom: Shredding your dog bed and leaving white fluffy foam everywhere doesn't count.

Poppy: I think that's a little ungrateful, I worked hard on your gift.

15/12/2023

"Grilled cheese is not for dogs"??? OK but do I really look like a dog to you? I think I'm more of a furry grilled cheese-eating type of creature.

11/12/2023

Poppy here! Long time no see!

I've been here all along, still looking for a home to share my love with. Foster Mom took my page down for a while, SO RUDE. She said something about too much bot traffic, but to me that sounds like an excuse.

Anyway, I'm about to become the 6th wheel in my foster home and I'm SO ready to be the center of attention in a different home. If you could share this post and help connect me with the right person or family, that would be awesome, yeah??

Here's some quick facts about me:

🐾 I like to goof around. You want a serious dog, I'm not it

🐾I enjoy short walks or a little game of tug of war, but I'm way more into relaxing on the couch than going for a jog

🐾Speaking of dogs, I'm good at making friends off leash, but putting a leash on makes it awkward. Foster Mom calls it "Leash Reactivity" and she's helped me learn to keep my cool instead of barking at other dogs on walks.

🐾I give people bear hugs when I meet them. It's who I am as a dog. If you are someone I trust, I will also lay on top of you when you sit on the couch. No, I'm not small. Full contact snuggle is my love language.

🐾Foster Mom works full time away from home and I hang out in my crate. It's really boring but I can handle it as long as I get some good one-on-one time afterward.

🐾Everyone who meets me says I'm charming. Don't you want to meet me too?

🐾I'm currently living in Southeast Minnesota and available for adoption through Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue of MN

20/12/2022

I just want to make it known that I have not knocked over the Christmas tree OR stolen any of the ornaments off it. I hear some dogs do that. I did lick food on Foster Mom's plate while she was trying to eat it though, so don't worry: I'm still a proud member of the Naughty List.

07/12/2022

Field trip! I'm practicing my skills at a pet store.

17/11/2022

Foster Mom says I get a gold star for my public appearances today. ⭐️ I may be silly and playful, but I can be calm when asked too!

15/11/2022

Hi fans! I've been quiet lately because Foster Mom has been too busy to lend me her phone for posting. Rude! I've been enjoying going for walks in the afternoons and hanging out playing with toys in the evenings, but what I REALLY want is someone to play in the snow with me!

There isn't a much snow yet, but I guess that means there's still time for me to find my perfect Snow Buddy!

17/10/2022

I have a new foster friend! He's not available for adoption yet, but look for him in about two weeks at Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue of MN. I promised Foster Mom I wouldn't teach him any bad habits, but she forgot to make me promise not to learn any new tricks from him 🤔

06/10/2022

Remember when I had my birthday recently and I called myself a mature adult dog? It wasn't a joke!! My foster mom has been so impressed with my improved behavior recently that she had to revise my bio! Here is what she says about me now:

🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁
Poppy, PopTart, Poppy the Pirate - this girl is full of personality! She is enthusiastic and playful, and she absolutely knows how to charm herself out of trouble. Luckily, she is starting to mature a bit and isn't getting into as much trouble as she used to! She does very much love "helping" you with your chores and greeting new people with very strong bear hugs.

In the house, Poppy has playful times but is also good at settling when there's nothing exciting happening. She is house and crate trained and does excellent in her crate. She has recently graduated to being allowed to be loose in the house unsupervised; she does need access to plenty of appropriate dog toys and chews to prevent her from finding her own chew toys.

Poppy has had a lot of training and listens well. She walks nicely on a leash, but she does exhibit leash reactivity toward dogs and bicycles. This means that when she is on a walk and sees another dog or a bike, she gets overstimulated and will bark and lunge. This behavior is manageable through training, and Poppy has made great progress. With sufficient distance and some treats, she can ignore her triggers entirely! Her foster home is continuing to work on improving her behavior, but it is important for her forever home to be prepared to continue her training and management. Poppy would do best in a home with a fenced yard, because she does not display the reactive behaviors when she is not on a leash.

Despite the leash reactivity toward dogs, Poppy has made many canine friends!! After a proper introduction, she loves to play with other dogs. She is powerful and enthusiastic, so her dog friends need to be a good match for her size and energy. She would also do well as the only dog in the home, as long as her humans are willing to play with her a lot!

Poppy is not good with cats or small children. It does take her a bit of time to get used to new things, so a lifestyle with a consistent routine is best for her. She can adapt to various activity levels; she isn't bothered on days when her only activity is playing in the house and yard, but she also loves going for a walk or a run!
🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

03/10/2022

Foster mom and I visited a pet store today. I was pretty excited and a little nervous, but I think this will be a good place for us to practice our training when the weather gets cold again!

26/09/2022

18/09/2022

Foster Mom and I visited a creek today - I loved wading in the water!!

15/09/2022

It's my birthday! I'm two years old today. I am now a 100% mature adult. Really. I promise. 🤞

13/09/2022

Today is a good day to just chill outside.

12/09/2022

Oops, caught red-handed... or is that brown-pawed?

12/09/2022

I love playing with my friends!! But like many dogs, I'm not always comfortable with dogs I don't know, especially when I'm out on a walk. You know how we dogs sniff each other's butts? Well, that is a polite hello in our language! A front-to-front approach can be considered rude or even threatening in dog language; we prefer to curve toward each other and meet nose-to-tail. This is why I really struggle with seeing other dogs when I'm out on walks. Walking on human paths forces us to be rude to each other, and it's really hard to assess what might be a threat! Foster Mom says I'm overreacting, so I'm still working on staying calm when unfamiliar dogs are around.

05/09/2022

I plead not guilty to digging holes in the back yard.

24/08/2022

I have 300 million smell receptors in my nose, and they're all telling me I would very much like to eat those cheese sticks Foster Mom is snacking on.

22/08/2022

Live life with no regrets, I say!

Regrets

17/08/2022

Hey friends! I am now available for adoption applications! I know I'm practically perfect in every way, but here's what Foster Mom says about me if you want the human perspective:

"If you love a naughty dog with a sense of humor, Poppy may be your girl. She is a 50 lb mixed breed dog born approximately 9/15/20. Poppy is looking for a home with a lot of dog experience and either a fenced in yard or a walking area with few passersby. She is exuberantly friendly to people and other dogs, but she can be reactive to other dogs and bicycles when walking on a leash. She is easy to manage if you can read her subtle signals, and in a dog savvy home she absolutely thrives. With people, she is playful and affectionate, though she is working on learning how to greet new people politely instead of giving bear hugs. She absolutely loves to snuggle. She will turn anything into a toy and loves "helping" you with whatever you are doing; her antics are sure to make you smile. She is still quite puppyish and LOVES to chew. Mental stimulation is very important for Poppy, and her ideal home would be one that enjoys preparing daily enrichment (such as puzzle toys or long lasting chews) for her. Despite her busy mind, Poppy is a fairly mellow dog for her age and does not have high exercise requirements. She is equally happy lounging with a chew toy or going for a walk or car ride. She has done very well with going to the vet and getting her nails trimmed. Poppy is crate and house trained, and she settles very nicely in the house when. In her foster home she is used to being in a crate for long hours and does well. She cannot go to a home with cats or children under 12. Poppy would do well as the only dog in the home, but she would love to live with other dogs if they are a good match for her size and pushy play style. Poppy has made great progress with training in her foster home. She is very food motivated and loves her training sessions! Poppy's forever home will need to be prepared to continue her training. She is a lovely dog who deserves the perfect fit - could it be you?"

08/08/2022

These are my crazy eyes. Crazy eyes happened because Foster Mom told me it was a bad idea to climb on the garden fence trying to catch a bee. It was an exciting moment. I had to run laps around the yard to calm down.

02/08/2022

Hi Everybody!

I was hoping my social media days were behind me, but unfortunately things did not work out with my adoptive home. I loved those humans and they loved me, but sometimes things just don't work out.

So, I'm back at Foster Mom's house until we can find my people! My training has continued and so have my shenanigans. I'm looking for a special home that will love me for being my goofy, naughty self.

I'm not available for adoption yet because I still need time to adjust to the change in routine, but my foster mom is ready to answer questions if you want to know more about me!

One thing you can do to help is share my posts!

And now that the business is out of the way, I'm going to get back to digging holes and rolling in the dirt 👌👌

Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue of MN

16/05/2022

🎉🎉🎉

I am going to my forever home today - officially adopted!!

04/05/2022

Foster Mom wanted to take some nice photos. I pretended to forget how to sit on command for the first 5 minutes just to mess with her.

02/05/2022

Visited a new park today. There were geese! Very exciting. 10/10

27/04/2022

Are you looking for a dog who doesn't take life too seriously? I'm still here, waiting to bring my playful shenanigans to a forever home! 😎

30/03/2022

Ahhh, the sweet sweet victory of destroying a plush squeaky toy. 😎

28/03/2022

I got to play in a new place today. Foster mom says I was extra good!