About RICKI

Ricki has been with us for almost a year and during that time she has been living with one of our more experience fosters, often along with a couple of other MLBR foster Boxers who need some rehab and/or obedience work. Sadly, Ricki has been overlooked by adopters and has had to sit back and watch a few go their forever homes. We want nothing more than to find Ricki a forever home, as she really deserves a place to call her own where she doesn't have to share with any other dogs, cats, or kids. While that sounds like a difficult scenario to find, we have to believe there is a family, maybe a nice retired couple, or a single person, out there who would like to give this senior gal a place to live out her golden years in. We recently moved Ricki into a foster home where there are no other dogs just to see how she'd do in a family setting; this one specifically is comprised of two adults, no young children, and a cat. We have to tell you she is doing amazing!! What we are seeing is a very sweet senior Boxer gal who loves attention from her people, who absolutely loves to play with toys, fetch to be specific, and who simply gets to live stress-free because she doesn't have to vie for attention over any other dogs. Ricki is very smart and her new foster parents tell us that she is quickly learning the household routine after only being there for a week. Contrary to Ricki's recently updated bio, she does not have a lot of desire to just lay around and sleep. This girl has a great playful side to her and more energy than would be expected for a Boxer pushing around 7-8 years old. Her foster mom says she would play fetch in the house with her soft squeaky toy for hours if they let her! She just keeps bringing the toy back over and over, and will wait patiently until it gets thrown again. Ricki has always been described as a grumpy, grumbly old gal, which has been a mostly accurate description, up until now. We believe she behaved that way mostly because she's a strong-willed, dominant female, and with so many other dogs around, constantly felt the need to push the envelope and be the boss. We also believe that this description of her for almost a year is likely why she hasn't had any interest by any potential adopters. Ricki is now showing us a different side to her - a very happy and wiggly side. She's even 'learning some new tricks' as an older dog, like having to wait patiently while her meals are dished up, waiting at thresholds before going out and coming in, and laying down in place while her humans are eating. We really believe now that she was just meant to be an only dog. This isn't a bad thing though. Now we know, so now we need to refocus our plan on finding the perfect home for her. Another reason why we think Ricki has been difficult to adopt out is that she makes some very odd sounds/noises with her voice, and to some people they can be intimidating or even scary. However, once you know why they are what they are, and when to expect to hear them, it's really no big deal. Basically, she has a bulldog type noise that comes from her throat, (as would be from an elongated pallet), mostly when she's really excited/happy or after playtime while panting. It almost sounds like phlegm that needs to come up, but there isn't anything there. She's been seen by a vet and we have been assured there are no health problems causing the noises. They don't seem to bother Ricki at all and she probably wonders what all the fuss is about. If you can get past these sounds, you will find a truly awesome senior Boxer girl in front of you. While Ricki is currently living in a home with a cat, it has been discovered that she and cats will likely never be able to cohabitate freely. It was thought early on that Ricki didn't have a prey drive, and with animals like birds and squirrels, she typically doesn't; however, it seems her interest in the cat is at an unsafe level. For now though, both the kitty and Ricki are living under the same roof and being kept apart, and neither are any worse for wear. Now that you all know about the new and improved version of Ricki, let's get her a home! We challenge anyone who might be remotely interested in Ricki, and who has a love for senior dogs, to just meet her. That's all we ask, then you'll see, she's just an older gal who simply wants to be loved on as the only dog in someone's life. Please send us a private message if you'd like to have a meet and greet set up and we'll get right back to you. You can also still take a look at her official bio here to see more information about Ricki - https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/36263474 RICKI is house trained

Snohomish County
Edmonds, Washington 98026