MEET DAHLIA

7/6/21-Dahlia is settling in and learning so much! She is phenomenal with both my Bulldogs. Dahlia and my 2 year old Bulldog, Rubble, wrestle and play like long lost best friends. She also gets along great with my female who is 10 and can be a bit grouchy sometimes. Dahlia is very respectful of Stella’s space, not stealing her toys etc.

Dahlia went to the vet today, she had her sutures removed from her Entropion surgery. The vet was very happy with the way her eyes healed and said she looks great besides needing to loose a few pounds. Of course everyone thought she was just the cutest Bulldog girl ever!

Dahlia is still extremely afraid of people. She has not yet learned to accept attention or petting from us. This happens often with mill dogs as they have never had the usual positive interactions with humans. We have definitely seen some improvements. She will come near me now to sniff me if I’m sitting down, if I move my hand for her to sniff it or stand up she moves away. She used to run far, far away but now she just puts some distance in between us. Dahlia used to make sure to lay a good 20 feet from me at all times, currently she is laying 2 feet from me but once again if I stand up, she will add some distance between us. If she is unsure of what is happening or we are walking around the house she has the tendency to run around to steer clear of us or retreat to her crate which is her “safe place”. Again, this is very expected of mill dogs. She needs to gain some confidence and have positive interactions without being forced to accept attention too quickly. She will come around in time.

Due to her skittishness with people Dahlia needs a quieter type household without a lot of people coming and going. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have company but just recognize her limitations and set her up to succeed. We had a party the other day and Dahlia happily spent that time in her crate with a chew toy. She got to see many new people but from the safety of her crate, never feeling threatened. It’s going to take some work to get her out of her shell but she is worth every bit of effort.

Dahlia would do best in a home with another dog and a fenced yard. Of course being a Bulldog she also needs air conditioning for the warmer weather as Bulldogs have little tolerance for heat and humidity. Children especially little ones will definitely be too overwhelming for her at this point.

Dahlia is housebroken which is pretty amazing considering! She is quiet in her crate and will go find a toy to occupy herself.  She is going to be an absolutely amazing family pet with some patience and effort. We absolutely love her!