AVA - Small and Spunky, Chihuahua/Jack Russell Mix in Chico, California For Sale

Ava ? Small Spunky and Sweet Female Jack Russell Terrier Mix For Adoption in Chico, CA
Looking for a Jack Russell Terrier or Chihuahua for adoption in Chico, California? Meet Ava, and super smart, healthy, spunky, sweet and adorable 3 year old female dog looking for a special owner to adore. This little cutie has been spayed and is up to date on vaccinations. She is looking for a home where she will receive lots of love and attention, as well as activity. Not suitable for small children. To adopt Ava, please fill out an application here:http://petprosservices.com/adopt/ or call Debbie at (530) 433-xxxx .
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I am a smart, spunky, playful and loving little dog with a big heart. I am only 2 to 3 years old, and have had some bad experiences in my life which have made me a bit wary of strangers, but I soon warm up to people who take the time to get to know me. I came from a shelter in the Virgin Islands, where I was selected by my current owners as a potential service dog. Unfortunately the people for whom I was to be trained were unable to afford a dog, and I am currently unemployed.
Because I love my humans and have such a strong bond with them, I will make an exceptional emotional support dog for that special person. I love to snuggle and spend plenty of lap time with my owners. I am also a very athletic and active dog, and I do need plenty of exercise and activity for my health, happiness and well-being.
My perfect home would be with a single, couple or family with older, dog-savvy kids. I am OK spending up to 4 hours a day on my own. I do need a strong routine and a calm environment. I would do very well with more training to help me reach my full potential as the best little dog on the planet!
I?m used to being able to cuddle on the couch and sleep with my owner, so hopefully you won?t mind making room for me. I am such a snuggle bunny! I am also playful and fun. I love to play tug of war, fetch and enjoy plenty of tummy rubs.
If you have room in your heart and home for a little ray of sunshine with paws, please consider adopting me. I can?t wait to leave my tiny footprints on your heart.
Love and licks,
Ava
Ava?s Personality
Ava is spunky, strong willed, protective of her pack and her humans. She is very intelligent and is eager to please. She is obedient in the house and yard, but if you take her out for a walk or run off-leash her recall will not always be immediate, as she likes to explore her environment. Ava is high energy and loves her people, and she especially loves to accompany her people on adventures: hiking, kayaking, swimming, camping, or even just a ride in a car. She does require daily exercise to help keep her calm and obedient. This is NOT a sedentary lap dog! Our original plan was to train her for service dog work, but due to her dislike of big dogs whom she does not yet know, she would be better suited as an Emotional Support Animal. Her loving, cuddly nature and desire to be close to her humans would lend itself to service work if she did not have to encounter large dogs.
Ava learns commands and routines quickly and finds comfort in her daily routine. She warms up readily to people who respect her space and who allow her to approach them first. She is a physically attractive dog and this means that many people want to just run up and pet her. Ava does much better when a new person approaches slowly and allows her to be the judge. She loves her vet and allows anyone she trusts to handle her, roll her over, wrestle with her, or suddenly pick her up. In order to allow this, however, she must first meet a person and decide they are trustworthy. She has made many friends (human) and also some big-dog friends who presented no threat. She has a warm personality and once she makes friends, she is friends with that person or dog for life. She likes to ?mother? younger dogs and has even protected baby possums that we?ve rescued and raised to the point that they can be released. Ava would do well with a smaller dog for company.
Ava?s Current Home Environment
Quiet, calm, orderly. My husband works and stays out of town except for weekends. It is just myself and the animals during the week. We have a routine: up at 4 am, breakfast for the animals, some quiet time before leaving for a jog/walk for an hour, return Ava to the house. At noon I come by for a half hour to give her a potty break if she needs it and say hello. By 5 pm I am feeding the animals supper and engaging in quiet play/cuddle time for the evening. The house itself is small, and the animals are allowed on the furniture. They also get supervised time whenever they ask for it in the large back yard. I do not play music in the house. When I watch television it is with the volume turned as low as possible.
Ava?s Current Family:
Neither my husband nor I have any children. We both work and Ava is by herself for 4-5 hours at a stretch. She does well with this and has never been destructive. We are quiet people who spend time outdoors kayaking or hiking. When we are indoors we read or watch a movie. The animals are all included in our activities. I don?t think they follow movie plots but they like being able to cuddle during television or movie time, or reading time.
Ava?s Favorite Toys, Foods, Activities?
Ava loves to be with her people. She loves to jog, walk, hike?she prefers to be off leash but I only let her off leash when there are no big dogs nearby. She loves to kayak and spend time on the water. She loves to explore new places. She likes squeaky toys, she likes to play tug of war, and she likes to be rolled over and wrestled and petted vigorously. Ava is a very physical little dog. If she were a human, she would be a chunky little tomboy of a girl, one who quickly defends her friends and just as quickly forgives a bully so long as that bully apologizes. She likes Kirkland kibble with home-made chicken soup on top. She also likes a spoonful of yogurt daily. Ava also likes to be sung to. Lullabyes, songs I make up just for her, any song: she wriggles all over when you sing to her. And more than any treat, she loves to be told she is a good girl and has done a good job. I cannot emphasize how much she loves praise, praise, praise.
Cute Ava Story:
Ava is an amusing dog, though I don?t know if she knows it or if she just accidentally does funny things all day long. She will greet her humans so enthusiastically that she flips over backwards. She is heavy enough to land with a thud yet it does not faze her. She simply gets up and does it again. She likes to ride on the center console in the car, and will rest her paw very gently on her human?s arm, or bend and press her face gently against her human?s side while riding along. Saying her name affectionately without touching her is best at these times, otherwise she can get so enthusiastic about the fact that you are GOING SOMEWHERE TOGETHER that she forgets her manners and tries to climb in your lap.
Why is Ava Being Rehomed?
We got Ava from a shelter in the Caribbean for two reasons. One, it is hard for shelters in the Virgin Islands to find good homes for their dogs and cats. Animals have a better chance of getting permanent homes if they are state-side. Two, we saw the potential in Ava to be trained as a service dog. We knew of three people who had expressed interest in having us find and train a service dog for them. We never intended to keep Ava permanently, as we had three dogs already. We just could not leave her in that shelter, and we had a plan. Our plan was to train her and then place her with one of these people. All three either backed out because they wanted a puppy, or they revealed that they were not financially stable enough to provide even decent food for the dog. We want Ava to have the best possible home where she can receive more attention and have her own job: we already have two service dogs between the two of us.
Ava?s Perfect Adoptive Home Will Be:
A loving home, one that is relatively calm. Older children would likely be a bonus so long as they are dog-savvy. Ava is okay with people who work, but her needs for exercise must be met regardless. An ideal home would be one where she does not have to be alone for more than 4 hours at a stretch, with lots of activity on weekends that would include her. Ava loves being a true family member. It would be nice if she could be allowed to sleep with her person, and to join them on the sofa if they are hanging out watching television. And it would be great if she could have a job! She would make a fantastic Emotional Support Animal for a person who needs the comfort of a dog in their lap throughout the day. She needs to be involved in family activities and she benefits greatly from being talked to. She picks up on most of what a person says and so it would be wonderful if she could be with a person who talks to her. An active retired couple could work well.
Additional Comments:
We are willing to pay this service to re-home Ava as opposed to giving her away because she is worthy of not just any home, but a good home that will be good to her. She has apparently been through a lot of negative events in her life before she came to us, and we have spent countless hours teaching her trust, helping her to be calm, and helping her to find joy in her life. The most important thing to us is that she has a home that loves her and is able/willing to provide structure and continued training.