Dog Handling Tips: Maya – 6 year old female Cross-Breed

Maya is a small to medium sized Cross-Breed of around six years old. Maya is fostered in Wymondham, Norfolk (FR061). You may have followed Maya’s story in the page upon her arrival with us as she was really quite pitiful to behold. Maya was brutally beaten and dumped by a river in Romania with her puppy. They were saved and the pup was adopted in Germany but the toll the ordeal took on Maya’s psychological state was initially very worrying. She had given up and was in such a pit of depression that she would literally lie wherever she was placed down. Would only eat and drink if food was taken pretty much to her mouth and only toileted if picked up and stood outside.

Over the days that proceeded her arrival she was nurtured by her foster mum and slowly woke up to the new world around her. She was encouraged to go for walks and actually responded to the kindness much faster than expected. A couple of weeks and we now feel she’s ready for a home. There’s still damage to repair but that’s only going to be healed by time and that time can be spent with her new adopters. Her fosterer says: Maya is a shy girl who has obviously been treated badly however in the two weeks I have had her she has come on in leaps and bounds. I still don’t know what her personality will ultimately be, I suspect she will always be a quiet dog however she is enjoying her walks and food and responding more now.

She greets me when I come in and wags her tail. She gains confidence from the other dog and would be better homed with at least one other dog. She takes no notice of my cats or chickens. She does like to sleep in with you at night but is happy on a dog bed beside you. She will need to keep a lead on for some time as is not overly responsive when called so gentle guidance if you want her to move is sometimes needed. I think she will take a long time to fully bond but the wait will be worth it. She is a very sweet dog.