Mona: female dog to adopt

Mona is currently fostered in Norwich, Norfolk.

Mona is a six year old smallish crossbreed.

Mona and eleven other puppies and two mum dogs were rescued from the streets of Romania. They were very scared and traumatised and Mona was sent to a home in Scotland. Despite being a lovely family they were not equipped to deal with such a traumatised dog and we heard of her plight last August when we were told that nobody had even been able to get her on a lead to leave the house and she’d spent the best part of five years hiding under the bed.

We drove from Norfolk to Scotland and back to collect her and then began the journey of her rehabilitation.

Mona has done very well since that time but now needs a more “Normal” one to one environment to continue to progress. She will need a very experienced adopter(s) with no children in the home. She wouldn’t cope with city life and therefore needs a rural home or somewhere tranquil without a lot of traffic. Mona needs another dog or dogs as permanent residents as she would not cope with being an only dog.

Mona will need a patient and understanding owner. She actually enjoys a fuss on her own terms and can be very affectionate once she knows you well. She needs to continue to grow in confidence on walks and doesn’t like anybody to walk behind her. She has lived very amicably with cats.

When you adopt a Safe Rescue dog, you MUST use a slip lead. This will keep your dog safe: your new dog will be nervous and will not trust you, and you will not know which situations might upset your dog. If your dog panics, then a slip lead is the only way to prevent your dog from escaping (many dogs can escape from a collar and/or harness). It will take AT LEAST 3-6 months for your dog to settle-in and for you to know your dog fully (longer for nervous dogs). The slip lead must ALWAYS be used during this settling-in period. 
Even after your dog is settled, it is safest to use the slip lead in situations where your dog may become scared (e.g. visiting new places, around unfamiliar people, at the vet), and it situations where unexpected triggers might happen (e.g. around bonfire night). Nervous dogs may always need to wear a slip-lead as a back-up safety measure. 
The slip lead is a safety device and must NEVER be used as a training tool. Using the lead to apply pressure to the dog’s neck is damaging. If your dog pulls on the lead, then we can advise you on training methods that avoid harm.
Once your dog is settled, you may want to consider using a harness (together with the slip lead) if your dog is comfortable with being handled when it is fitted. Most harnesses are not escape-proof, but harnesses with a strap behind the ribcage (e.g. Ruffwear Webmaster or Perfect Fit Harnesses) are safer.

Retractable / extendable leads must never be used on our dogs.

Adopted dogs must be collected from the rescue and transported straight home in a crate.

Fences and gates must be 5ft min & secure.

To find out more about lovely Mona, and to hear how adoption with Safe Rescue works, please get in touch.