Karina: female dog to adopt

Karina is fostered in Norwich, Norfolk.

Karina is a medium sized crossbreed aged around nine years old.

Karina came to us in June 2023 from a private shelter in Romania….. it is a complete mystery to us why this lovely affectionate girl hasn’t yet been offered her forever home.

Karina is a beautiful friendly girl who just loves to be around people. She will clamour for fuss and cuddles all day long in her multi dog foster home and we would simply love to find her somewhere that she doesn’t have to compete for the love that she craves.

Karina is fit and well for her age and loves her walks. She is well behaved both on and off lead. The saddest part of fostering Karina is knowing that despite her adoration of her family she has also received abuse in her past. There are seconds in her life when the ghosts of her past catch up with her and we will see the happy go lucky girl that we know and love hit the floor and cower. These instances lessen over time but sadly we cannot erase the bad memories for her, though we so dearly wish we could. It appears that some men trigger the ghosts but she does get past them, any men in the household may need to allow her a little extra time to trust them but she can be won around with patience and food!

Karina is a very special girl. As I write this she has been with us for fifteen months, we will miss her when she goes but I cannot tell you how often we talk about how much she would love a different life in a quietish environment with humans to call her own.

Karina can live with other dogs but would probably prefer to be the only one. She has no issues with cats. She loves the dog savvy children aged nine and up in her foster home but would be better generally in a home with no children as the comings and goings of their friends may worry her.

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 5foot minimum in height and secure.

To find out more about this lovely girl, please get in touch. We can tell you all about her and our adoption process.