RILEY

unknown mix (kelpie x bull terrier x small breed?) | spayed female | 2.5 years old | 32 lbs

My Story

Riley was found by one of our volunteers running loose in San Jose. They caught her, and immediately brought her to the SJACC to have her chip scanned. Turns out, she was adopted from that same shelter only a month prior. Her family was contacted, but the 10-day hold passed and they never showed up to claim her.

At the behest of the volunteer that found her, we pulled Riley from the shelter and brought her into foster care with HARA. Upon taking her home, we realized she was limping with her hips arched- an indication of lameness. We’re not sure how long she had been limping, or what might have caused it, but two vet consultations later she was diagnosed with not one but two luxating patella (MPL) (left knee was at about a grade 3, right knee was low-grade). Because she’s a high energy, young, dog the OFA specialist recommended operating to correct the most serious MPL, or else she could have serious muscle atrophy, hip, and knee issues.

With the help of many generous donations towards the surgery cost, we were able to have her grade 3 MPL fixed. She’s now on the road to recovery, receiving PT and a lot TLC in her foster home.

My Personality

Riley’s past is a mystery, but by having her in foster care for a good chunk of time we can safely say she is very undersocialized. New environments and things are scary, and we’re working on socializing her in a suburban environment so she can gain confidence on walks. Through a lot of daily desensitizing, she’s no longer scared of cars (parked or moving), but does still get spooked by weird things on the sidewalk, strangers walking toward her, and is absolutely terrified of children. She will need continued socialization and patient, dedicated, work to desensitize her so that the world around her is not so scary!

She is not aggressive at all, and is very submissive with both people and other dogs, but when she’s fearful she’s very vocal and LOUD. She will bark and growl, loudly, when unfamiliar people come into her space and if she hears a stranger approaching the home. We’re working on it- but in general she is very vocal. She sighs and complains and barks when she wants attention too.

Once she’s comfortable with you, she blossoms as a cuddly, friendly, attention-seeking dog. She loves being near her people, always laying on or against you, or just following you around. She’s submissive and shy at first with other dogs, but once she warms up to them she is VERY playful and will seek out other dogs and her humans for playtime. She will literally throw her toys around (and at you) to signal she wants to play. She’s also very food motivated and is a super chewer (so no tennis balls and toys she can easily tear apart).

She is a great pup, and deserves a furever home that is ready and willing to put in the time and patience into socializing her and helping her build confidence so she can live a fear-free life!

For future care- it’s important to note that due to her surgery and remaining low-grade MPL she cannot be left unsupervised with access to stairs or things she can jump on/off of (like couches and beds). She has full mobility, but must take stairs slowly, and needs to be carried in and out of cars. Her future family also needs to monitor her back legs for any signs that her remaining low-grade MPL has worsened.