Gretchen

The goodest girl—that’s Gretchen! A beautiful young lady, Gretchen is the type of dog who loves going for walks, sniffing everything there is to sniff and playing every game there is to play. She’s a sweet pup looking for a loving human who’s excited to help her blossom! Could that be you?

Big fan of: Playtime! Gretchen is one of those dogs who never says no to a game. In particular, Gretchen has two types of toys she seems to really enjoy—squeaky toys and tennis balls! She’s happy to toss around the squeaky toys on her own and is ecstatic when her humans join in to toss the balls. Aside from playtime, going for walks is one of Gretchen’s favorite hobbies. She’s pretty much a dream on leash and loves nothing more than stopping to smell the roses—literally. If Gretchen has the time to stop and sniff something on her walk, you can bet she will! Gretchen is great at remembering to use the bathroom while outside on her walks, too. She’s clearly super smart and, in addition to reportedly being housetrained, already knows “sit” and “down”!

Working on: Learning that unfamiliar people, other dogs and alone time can actually be pretty cool! In both the shelter and in her previous home, Gretchen was reported to be a little nervous around new people and slow to warm up. With other dogs, Gretchen tends to play in a way that really isn’t appreciated by many other pups. It’s not her fault, we think she may just not have very much experience with them. But to help keep both Gretchen and other dogs happy, trips to the dog park should probably be traded for other forms of exercise and enrichment instead. Gretchen’s previous family also noted that she tended to be anxious when left home alone, so her adopters will need to make sure they follow some simple steps to help Gretchen feel more comfortable when her people are away. For all the aforementioned behaviors, our Behavior team is happy to walk interested adopters through their recommendations!

Dream home: Gretchen is looking for an adopter who understands that she’ll need time to adjust to any new home. A family without young children in a low-traffic area would be the best bet for this gal. Because she still doesn’t totally understand how to speak dog, Gretchen should be the only pup in her new home, but she may be able to live with a calm, mellow dog with a proper introduction facilitated by our Behavior team. If you think that Gretchen may be the girl for you, please fill out our Dog Adoption Survey.