Sophia came into RAGOM in mid-June. Her family lovingly surrendered her after they decided she was not getting the attention she deserved. The first few weeks with Sophia (Sophie) was a bit tough; it was discovered she had some severe separation anxiety and was destructive when I left her.
Sophie is not a fan of the crate. She will try to dig her way out and in fear she’d hurt herself, she was confined to the kitchen and laundry room if I have to leave. I thought the area was pretty dog-proof but she found my mini-blinds and curtain and they were destroyed. The area she is in I have to make sure is 100% clear of anything she can get into.
Sophie is getting used to the resident dog in the home and he has helped her if I need to leave the house. This is why another confident dog is required in her adoptive home. Sophie is not a candidate for shared walls, sadly, even with another dog in the home. If I’m gone for more than a few hours, she will start to howl for 3- to 5-minute spurts, stop for a bit, and start up again.
Sophie’s okay with cats, but I think she’d be a bit tough for a senior or slower-moving cat. My resident cats are pretty good at swatting at dogs that overstep and she still hasn’t grasped what that means. Instead she wants to play more and has been prone to chase them up the stairs or cat towers.
On average, she does anywhere between 10 and 14 miles daily from playing or running in the yard, and she also gets about a 2-mile walk each day. Due to her high energy, she does need a fully fenced yard; walks will not be sufficient for her as she needs the area to burn off her energy.
She has started to play nicely with the others. She does need to be fed separately from the others and bowls must be picked up or she will get snarky with the residents.
Sophie will need the right fur-ever home. One that will understand she needs patience as she adjusts and to understand she has some quirky traits that can be a challenge at times. Hopefully in time and with stability some of these traits will die off but there’s no guarantee.
