Name:  Auggie
Gender:  Neutered male

Age:  1 year (as of March '10)

Dogs/cats:  GREAT with small dogs, No large dogs, has not had much exposure to cats

Kids:  No children (Because Auggie was abused by children, we've promised him he'll never have to live with kids again)

Apartment suitable:  No (a big voice lives in this little guy!) 

Energy level:  Medium

Housebroken:  Paper and pee pad trained if in a pen, and when let out often and supervised, goes outside without accidents

Special needs:  Yes- behavioral

Auggie is a wonderful little long-haired Chihuahua who is looking for a special home.  He is a sweet, cuddly, and playful kiddo who loves his foster family, including all his doggie foster siblings, very much.  Tummy rubs are his favorite thing, and he never gets tired of them!  He loves to play with his people and other small, friendly dogs, and will wrestle, zoom, fetch, and play tug-o-war with the best of them.  When he's done playing, Auggie loves to snuggle with his foster parents and the other dogs on the couch.

Because of his past, Auggie does have some behavioral issues that his new family must be willing to work with.  You see, Auggie's previous family allowed their children to chase him down and mishandle him when he was a very young puppy, and it has affected the way he views new people.  He does not like direct eye contact or to be reached for, touched, or picked up by people he doesn't trust- even those he knows and sees often.  Auggie's foster mom has been working with him to help him to learn what he should have learned as a puppy- that new people can be good, and his family will take care of him- and he is improving, but will always need to be socialized carefully.  It's unlikely that he will ever enjoy being a 'purse Chihuahua' or going into pet stores, but he's working hard to overcome his past.  He is VERY smart, and has already learned to sit and come and is working on other behaviors.

Auggie's 'Must Haves' for his new home are:

- A stable, adult only house (no kids or apartments/condos/attached townhomes)

- A person/People willing to accept and work with his special needs and not spoil him

- A person/People who will be a good leader(s) and give him consistency and rules

- Another small, friendly dog (or a person who is with most of the time who will be dedicated to his training)

- An environment where he will not have access to the outdoors unattended

- A feeding schedule that consists of one or two meals a day (no free-feeding/ leaving food down all the time)

- Lots of attention, love, and belly rubs!