PROFILE
Victoria (who answers to Tori) is very sweet, calm-tempered, and easy to please. Shy at first, she is a little nervous in new surroundings but warms up quickly once she is shown the ins and outs and given space to process it all. Tori is crate-trained and should get a bathroom break every 4-5 hours; she sleeps fine in her crate overnight. Tori is quiet and will not make any noise inside. She is a creature of habit and spends most of her time relaxing in her favorite spot (the couch). She never ventures out too far or bothers things she's not supposed to.

Tori currently lives with 2 cats who she is great with. And she is very sweet whenever the felines grace her with a nose-touch! If her adoptive family has cats or other dogs, Tori would need to start out in a space separate from them and be introduced to them slowly, as she takes a little time to process a new environment and to get to know other animals in that environment. Tori would love to be in a family with children (however, children who like to play rough with dogs would not be a good fit). She needs a home where there is a routine-therefore, few major changes to the environment from day to day so she can quickly adapt to the space and let her personality come through.

Tori's absolute favorite thing is being outside. She especially loves hanging out in the fenced backyard when the weather is nice, lying in the shade, enjoying the day. She loves it so much that she does a few happy-spins when she's first let out! Tori still needs a bit of encouragement to come back inside, so she wears a leash while out there; however, every day she is learning how to come inside on her own. Tori also really loves going on leash walks and has made great progress in her leash manners!

Tori wears the biggest smile when she is petted--especially on her belly (and she often will close her eyes in delight and ecstasy--see the video!). Tori gets excited when her foster mom comes to join her on the couch, because she knows she will get petted while her foster mom watches TV. She also loves dog toys. She is still learning how to play with them--and when her foster mom isn't looking, she will stockpile toys in her crate--so adorable!


PHYSICAL

Tori has a lovely light-gray coat with some brown undertones, a narrow white spot under her chin that runs down the front of her neck to a big splash on her chest, a small white spot on her belly, and white toes. She has beautiful green eyes with the cutest expressive eyebrows, a nice wide smile, and floppy-airplane ears that soar in the wind when she runs.


HEALTH

Tori is spayed, up-to-date on her vaccines, and microchipped. She tested positive for heartworm, and is undergoing a gentle protocol, which started with 28 days of doxycycline and twice monthly ivermectin (Iverhart or Heartgard or Tri-Heart), followed by twice monthly ivermectin for a year.

With the gentle protocol, no excessive confinement is required. Dogs should not be out in the heat for long periods of time, and should not engage in heavy exercise until they test negative for heartworms. Heavy exercise that should be avoided includes full-speed running for any distance, jogging more than a short distance such as one block, repetitive ball chasing, and high-energy play with other dogs. Leash walking is fine in most cases, as long as they do not get winded and it is not too hot.

Most dogs will test negative for heartworms within a year using this method. So Tori should test negative in February 2023.


HISTORY

Tori was found as a stray with 12 puppies and rescued by a Good Samaritan before entering the IAR program. Her puppies were picked up by another rescue.

IAR subsidizes post-adoption professional training with Eliana Cellucci at Project Paws (https://projectpawsdogtraining.com/) to encourage a life-long and successful bond between the dog and the adopter. Group classes for puppies and adult dogs as well as private training sessions are provided at a substantial discount to IAR adopters.