Meet Rory, A Dog-ON-It-Parks Office Dog

Meet office dog Rory!  She joined the Dog-ON-It-Parks team in June of 2011.  Her humans, Sales/Marketing Manager Nora and husband Ben, saw her profile on Petfinder and being a sucker for puppy dog eyes couldn’t resist. Because Rory came from AARF, one of Seattle’s fantastic rescue organizations, there was a lengthy application process (other folks wanted her too!) as well as a home inspection, and playdate with Gus and Quincy, her Labrador doggy siblings to be.

It was thought she was a Mastiff/Malamute mix, and as it turned out thanks to the Wisdom Panel doggy DNA test, she is GSD/Malamute/Am Staff with a dash of gremlin. Not an official dog breed we know, but this girl is a big fan of mischief.  Rory gets complimented all the time on her unique looks especially when she’s feeling spunky and confident in her octopus costume and goes by Superhero/Code name: Octopitty.

Now a little about Rory; she and her littermates were all rescued at about four months old.  Her foster family did a wonderful job with her after she made it here to the Pacific NW.  However, she did miss a lot of the early socialization that makes all the difference for a stable, confident dog.  She was afraid of just about everything; shiny things like her food bowl, hardwood floors, new people – especially if they’re tall, loud noises, etc.  Her humans worked with her to help boost her confidence by taking her to training classes designed specifically for shy/fearful dogs, as well as private agility classes – the group classes ended up being too loud and stressful for her.

She’s still a sensitive little gal, but all of the additional work and positive reinforcement has helped tremendously.  She lets her people know when she feels overwhelmed or needs some alone time by putting herself to bed in a quiet room (which she does a lot during football season.  Go Hawks!). Sensitive dogs like Rory can often benefit from a Thundershirt to help them feel more comforted and secure.  We discovered that Rory’s octopus costume also does the trick!

Rory loves napping in the sunshine, chasing squirrels, going for walks where she can meet new people (high value treats are helpful here!), playing with her best friend Hamlet and particularly going for rides in the car.

Thanks for reading about Rory and when possible, support your local rescue organizations by adopting or donating.  Woof!