Poppy
The sweetest lady
Husky mix | 50lbs | Female | 5 years old | Dog social | Good with kids | Medium energy | Fostered in Elora, ON
Special Medical Needs: No known health concerns
Adoption fee: $600
Meet our sweetest lady, Poppy!
Poppy came into our care from a Northern community and is estimated to be approximately five years old. Based on her appearance, we believe she is a Husky mix, although she doesn't have the typical independent Husky personality. Instead, Poppy is incredibly affectionate, people-oriented, and happiest when she's spending time with the people she loves.
Poppy is fully house trained and crate trained—and she absolutely adores her crate! It's her safe space where she happily settles down for naps or a quiet break. She has adjusted beautifully to life in foster care and continues to impress us with her wonderful manners both inside the home and out on walks.
Poppy has done very well with other dogs throughout her life. She grew up surrounded by many canine companions and even lived with her sister until she came into our care. Since being in foster, she has continued to show friendly social skills with other dogs. She also grew up around children, although we have not had the opportunity to observe her with kids since arriving in our care. If a family with children is interested in adopting Poppy, we would be happy to complete any additional assessments needed to ensure she is the right fit. Based on everything we've seen so far, we believe she has the potential to do very well.
One thing that's impossible to miss about Poppy is how much she loves people. She greets everyone she meets with a gentle, friendly demeanor and is always happy to soak up attention. If you stop petting her, don't be surprised if she politely sits in front of you, patiently asking for more scratches and affection. She has also been an absolute star during veterinary visits, handling exams with calmness and grace.
Like many dogs from Northern communities, Poppy has a strong prey drive. Because of this, she has not been tested with cats and would not be considered a good candidate for a home with small animals at this time. During walks, she becomes very excited when she spots cats, squirrels, rabbits, or other small wildlife and will often whine or pull toward them.
Her foster family has been working diligently on her leash manners, and she has made wonderful progress. It's important to remember that before entering foster care, Poppy had never experienced regular leash walks, so everything she has learned has been completely new to her. She generally walks nicely on a loose leash and is happy to continue along with a simple verbal cue such as "Let's go." She occasionally shows interest in passing dogs or people but is typically able to move on without much encouragement. Squirrels remain her biggest temptation, but with consistent guidance, gentle leash corrections, and plenty of praise, she is learning to refocus and continue her walk. Interestingly, Poppy isn't very food-motivated while outside and often ignores treats during training sessions. Instead, she responds best to enthusiastic verbal praise and encouragement from her handler. Like many scent-driven dogs, if she catches an especially interesting smell, she can forget herself for a moment and begin pulling, but she continues to improve every day.
As Poppy has become more comfortable in foster care, her playful personality has really started to shine. She has recently discovered the joy of stuffed toys, although her favourite part is enthusiastically removing every squeaker she can find! She also enjoys chewing on durable bones, working on a stuffed Kong, and solving treat puzzles that keep her mind engaged. Mental enrichment is something Poppy truly enjoys and benefits from. Outside, Poppy loves spending time in the yard where she can stretch her legs, get her "zoomies" out, and happily roll around in the grass. After burning off some energy, she's equally content to curl up in her dog bed or even nap peacefully in the sunshine. She has also been learning a variety of basic commands with her foster family. While she hasn't mastered every cue perfectly just yet, she is eager to learn and continues to make excellent progress with positive reinforcement.
Recently, Poppy had both human and canine visitors, giving us valuable insight into how she may do in a home with another dog. (She is currently the only dog in her foster home.) As expected, she absolutely adored the human visitors and happily made her rounds collecting as much love and attention as possible from everyone present.
During the visit, her foster family also observed that Poppy displayed resource guarding around her toys when the visiting dog showed interest in them. While resource guarding can be relatively common in dogs coming from Northern communities or environments where resources may have been limited, it is still a behaviour that will need continued management and training. Thankfully, once the toys were removed, Poppy immediately relaxed and interacted appropriately with her canine guest. This is a very encouraging sign and suggests she is highly capable of learning with consistent guidance. Any future family with another dog should be prepared to manage high-value items appropriately, especially during introductions, and continue reinforcing positive behaviours to help Poppy build confidence around sharing space with other dogs.
Her foster family absolutely adores her and wanted to share the following:
"Poppy is an absolute angel. She is so sweet, gentle, goofy, and I think she will make a wonderful addition to any family. She's happiest just being included in whatever you're doing and is simply looking for someone to love her. I do think she needs plenty of exercise and mental stimulation, so her forever family should be prepared to provide that, but she gives so much love in return."
Poppy is looking for a family that will continue helping her build confidence while providing the love, patience, exercise, and enrichment she deserves. In return, they'll gain an incredibly loyal, affectionate companion who is always ready for an adventure, a cuddle, or simply a quiet nap nearby.
If you are interested in learning more about Poppy, please email tangoslead@gmail.com.
If you're ready to apply, simply complete our adoption application using the application link. We strive to respond to all applications within 72 hours. We reply to every email we receive, so if you haven't heard back from us, please be sure to check your junk or spam folder.
