Meet Mira 🐾

Age: Approximately 2 years old
Dogs: Dog-friendly
Cats: Not tested
Children: Older teenagers or young adults
Location: In foster care
Could live as an only dog: Possibly, although she would benefit from a calm, confident resident dog

A gentle girl with big paws and an even bigger heart

Beautiful Mira is a sweet, sensitive girl who has made incredible progress since arriving in foster care.

When she first arrived, Mira was extremely frightened and unsure about entering the house. She kept her distance and needed plenty of time, patience and reassurance. Since then, her confidence has grown tremendously. She now approaches her foster family for cuddles, happily joins in with the other dogs and has started to show her playful, affectionate personality.

Mira may have long legs, big paws and wonderfully expressive ears, but underneath she is a gentle soul who needs a patient family to help her continue blossoming.

Life with other dogs

Mira lives happily with four resident dogs—three females and one male—and gets along beautifully with them all.

She has formed a particularly close friendship with one of the dogs, and they happily eat, sleep and play together. Mira can initially watch from the sidelines before deciding it is safe to join in, but once she feels comfortable, she loves being part of the fun.

She is gentle and slightly submissive around other dogs and has shown no aggression. Mira could potentially live as an only dog, but we feel she would thrive with a calm, confident resident dog who is smaller than her. A larger dog or one of a similar size may initially feel overwhelming for her.

Her favourite things

Mira loves a good chew! Her favourites include filled marrow bones, hard chews and Yakers bars. She is less interested in soft toys, although old shoes can be very tempting—so adopters may need to keep their favourite footwear safely out of reach!

She can be reluctant to share her most treasured chews. However, if another dog sneakily steals one, Mira simply waits patiently and takes it back when they are not looking!

When playing, Mira uses her long legs and big paws enthusiastically and can occasionally be a little clumsy. She may gently use her mouth during play, but she understands boundaries and has a very soft nature.

Out and about

Mira walks beautifully on the lead, stays close to her handler and does not generally pull.

She is nervous around unfamiliar people and dogs while outside. Rather than reacting, she will move to the opposite side or hide behind her trusted person for reassurance. She can calmly watch children playing from a distance but does not attempt to approach them.

Mira is still uncomfortable with equipment being placed over her head. Her future family will need to introduce collars, harnesses and handling slowly and positively, giving her time to build trust.

She can cower at sudden loud noises, although she has already become much more comfortable around traffic. Calm encouragement and gentle exposure will help her confidence continue to grow.

People and visitors

Mira is affectionate and attentive with the women in her foster home. She remains more cautious around adult men and needs them to allow her to approach in her own time.

When someone comes to the door, Mira will often run upstairs and watch through the banister. If she recognises the visitor, she will come back down to greet them. She has shown absolutely no aggression towards visitors or anyone inside or outside the home.

Her adopters must understand that gaining Mira’s trust may take time, particularly for male members of the household. She must never be pressured into interacting before she feels ready.

Children

Mira has not been assessed with children under seven. Due to her nervous nature, size and enthusiastic use of her long legs and paws during play, we are looking for a home without young children.

She may be suitable for a calm home with respectful older teenagers or young adults who understand that she needs patience, space and gentle handling.

Food and treats

Mira eats happily in the same room as the other dogs. She concentrates on her own meal and does not attempt to take food from their bowls.

She has shown no food aggression and can receive treats alongside the other dogs—although she is usually the first to finish hers!

Home life

Mira does not use a crate and has not needed one.

At bedtime, she follows the other dogs upstairs and sleeps peacefully in her own dog bed just outside the bedroom door. She settles well and remains there until morning.

Mira is rarely left alone, but she has been left for up to approximately four hours and coped well. She usually goes upstairs when her foster family leaves and comes back down to greet them when they return.

During the day, Mira uses the garden for toileting. She currently uses puppy pads overnight, so her adopters should be prepared to continue helping her establish a consistent outdoor toilet routine.

Grooming and travelling

Mira enjoys having her coat brushed when she is relaxed and lying beside someone she trusts. It took her a little time to become comfortable with grooming, but she now enjoys the attention.

She is nervous when travelling in the car but will lie quietly on the back seat.

Mira’s ideal home

Mira is looking for a calm, patient and loving home where she will be allowed to settle at her own pace.

Her ideal family will:

• Understand nervous rescue dogs and use gentle, positive training.

• Allow Mira to approach people when she feels ready.

• Be willing to continue building her confidence around adult men.

• Have no young children.

• Ideally have a smaller, calm and confident resident dog.

• Give her time and patience with harnesses and handling around her head.

• Continue working on her overnight toilet routine.

• Provide plenty of suitable chews—and keep shoes safely out of reach!

• Understand that she has not been assessed with cats.

Mira has shown no aggression and has a wonderfully sweet nature. She has already come such a long way, and with the right family beside her, we believe her confidence will continue to grow.

Could you be the patient, loving family this special girl has been waiting for? 🐾