Critter Details

Meet Ava! This gray pittapotamus came to the Shelter as an owner surrender after her previous guardian was unable to continue caring for her. Ava was described as friendly with strangers by her previous guardians. She has not lived with children previously but has meet children and did well. She is house trained and was crated when left alone. Avaâ&#194&#128&#194&#153s favorite things are running, sniffing, and cuddling. Prior to coming to the Shelter, Ava had a dog friend who was a male pitbull of a similar size. She would play with him and enjoyed his company. In her previous home as well as the Shelter, we have observed some reactivity when on leash/behind barriers. Adopters should set Ava up for success to avoid her practicing the behaviors related to reactivity by walking her in low traffic areas and working on disengagement from other dogs/focus on her guardian through force free training. Ava met two similarly sized dogs (Hudson, male pittie, and Sprinkles, female Catahoula). She comes on strong on strong, plays rough but was appropriate in her play. A home with a dog that enjoys that style of play and is fairly dog savvy may be a fit. Any resident dogs in the home are required to meet prior to adoption. Due to Avaâ&#194&#128&#194&#153s play style that may not be every dogâ&#194&#128&#194&#153s cup of tea, adopters are highly recommended to avoid dog parks and instead set up one on one playdates with known, dog social dogs. We do not have any history of Ava living with cats. Please note: Our Santa Cruz locationâ&#194&#128&#194&#153s Shelter hours are 11-6pm, 7 days a week! Although clients can walk through and see any animals in their kennels during open hours, we end â&#194&#128&#194&#156meet and greetsâ&#194&#128&#194&#157 (aka meeting an animal out of the kennel) at 4:30pm every day. If youâ&#194&#128&#194&#153d like to meet an animal out of the kennel, please arrive before 4:00pm to allow for time to discuss individual animals and meet them.