About Feliz

Feliz, a 12-pound, homeless Chihuahua, is three years old and full of love and energy. He has many positive characteristics: he is house-broken, crate-trained, and leash-trained. This little guy is one of the sweetest, most big-hearted dogs you'd hope to meet. He bonds easily with one person, with whom he is fiercely loyal, and for whom he is devoted and lovable. He likes to sleep in his foster mom's lap and sleep in the sun. He loves to be petted and praised for good behavior and thrives on structure and predictability. He is learning to play; apparently, he has never had a toy. When he is given his Kong toy, he drags it into his crate and tries to hide it under his blanket. He has learned to anticipate treats, with the other pets in the household, and will now take them from a human hand-something his fosters thought impossible at first. He is now being fostered by two senior women in their home in Gainesville, Florida. However, he has some behavior problems. He was abandoned by his owner who later went to jail (on an unrelated matter). Living on the street and in a homeless tent-community, Feliz apparently witnessed and encountered himself much abuse. His treatment left him fear-aggressive; he does nip, growl, and occasionally bite. He is possessive of both his space and toys. He is particularly provoked by hands, specifically raised hands in front of him or hands holding any object. Witnessing human contact-embrace, handshakes, slap on the back, etc.-also sets him off. Our feeling is that he needs a one-person home-certainly no children and probably no cats. With a little work and patience, however, he'd probably adapt to another, easygoing dog. The ideal adopter would be someone familiar with the Chihuahua breed: they are an excitable by nature and sometimes stubborn. However, with some patience and training, possibly professional training, he will make someone a fine, loyal, and loving pet. We have put his post and photo on this site. We have had him for two months with only a few problems. We have grown fond of him, but for many reasons-our age and limited income not being the least of these-we cannot adopt him. Consequently, he will be taken to the animal services here eventually. It is a kill shelter: after a period of time, he will be euthanized. Please help him. No one has ever really loved this dog. Like everyone, he deserves a chance to live and, more important, to be loved and to love someone special in return.

Alachua County
Gainesville, Florida