Italia

Miniature Schnauzer | Palm Desert, CA

AdultFemaleSmall

About

Meet Italia

This dog will be at a meet and greet event on Saturday, May 6th unless he/she is adopted prior to the event with a set up home. The event is from 12 pm to 3 pm at Palo Alto's Pet Food Express. Those interested in meeting the dog can come out to our meet and greet event. We no longer do application approval onsite. Anyone adopting has been previously approved and set up to meet prior to the event. Adoption fee: $750 Italia is a 2-3 year old purebred Mini Schnauzer who weighs about 20 lbs. She has a non-shedding coat that makes her an option for those with allergies or those who just don't want to clean up dog fur. She will require regular grooming. She came to our rescue very pregnant, and throughout her pregnancy was a happy and loving girl! She gave birth to 5 adorable puppies and has been an amazing mom to them, while also enjoying her time away from them, getting love and attention from her foster families. Now that her babies are about to hit eight weeks, it's time for mama to find her happy ever after! Her foster says: Italia is the sweetest dog I've ever met! Italia was a little wary when she first got to our home. She followed us around to see what we were doing but would dart away if we tried to approach her. The second day, we left the house for 20 minutes and when we got back she jumped all over us like we were best friends. Ever since then she's been all over us with kisses and cuddles. She greets me every morning like she was worried she would never see me again. When large groups of friends come to visit her puppies, Italia prefers to stay outside and watch from a distance. However, when people visit individually (in particular, women) she's asking for belly rubs within 10 minutes. And Italia is the QUEEN of belly rubs. When we lean down to scratch her head, she'll often trust-fall backwards so that we can scratch her belly instead. She loves to be carried around like a baby in my arms and often falls asleep in my lap with her stomach up.   I call her my Nosy Nellie because she always likes to see what I'm up to. If I go to another room, she'll follow to check on me. But she's not a velcro dog - once she sees I'm doing something boring she'll go lay on her bed in another room. I work from home most days but I've left her (with the dog door) for 8 hours with no issues.   Italia is fully potty trained and uses our dog door. She's mostly trustworthy when left home alone, though she once tore up one dog bed while we were sleeping. Italia likes to chew on cardboard and sticks (but only when I give them to her explicitly). She also has a funny penchant for taking our things outside and leaving them, particularly shoes. She doesn't chew or damage anything that isn't hers though - she just takes them outside and drops them on the grass!   Italia doesn't seem to be food motivated and I haven't figured out any commands she already knows. She was clearly a house dog before - someone taught her not to get up on couches or beds. She communicates when she's hungry or her water dish is empty by pawing at me and running around excitedly until I figure out what she needs. She happily sleeps on a rug in my room while I work. Italia doesn't bark much unless she hears someone outside. There are dogs that live on the other side of our fence and she never barks at them, even when she and her puppies are in the backyard.   Like many rescue dogs, Italia does seem to prefer women, however she warms up to men and loves them just the same when given a chance to see they aren't going to hurt her. Italia loves being in the backyard and would love a home that has one. She does zoomies occasionally and enjoys sniffing around outside by herself. She probably would enjoy accompanying her humans to the office, provided it's on the quieter side and she isn't expected to greet everyone right away. Restaurants and social outings likely won't be her thing, though with patient practice she perhaps could work up to it. Italia is an option for a home with or without other dogs. She is an incredibly loving girl who deserves the best: a home that will spoil her, dote on her, and treat her like the queen that she is! Italia is an option for a home with some prior dog experience, even if it's not recent. She's an option for kids over the age of 5.

Adoption Process
We require an application from anyone who is interested in adopting. Then we require a phone interview, followed by a meeting in person. Then if the animal is a match, we have a contract and our adoption fee which is $400.

Contact
Doggie Protective Services
www.dpsrescue.org