11/29/25 13:44Meet Susie, a 4 year old 73 pound female Pit Bull. She is a very strong dog with an equally strong prey drive, and will leash pull very hard in response to seeing small animals with the intent to catch them. Susie is extremely social and has consistently been …
11/29/25 13:44Meet Susie, a 4 year old 73 pound female Pit Bull. She is a very strong dog with an equally strong prey drive, and will leash pull very hard in response to seeing small animals with the intent to catch them. Susie is extremely social and has consistently been comfortable with leashing, handling, and petting from many people. She loves belly rubs, playing, and is overall very excitable. Susie has been in the shelter since 5/16/25 and would be an absolutely lovely addition to any home comfortable with managing strong dogs with consistent prey drives. 09/26/25Dog was placed on Needs Rescue Non-urgent status due to ongoing challenges with high prey drive, strength, and handling needs that exceed the shelterâs capacity for safe placement.This dog is social with people and has consistently allowed leashing, handling, and petting from multiple staff and volunteers, often displaying loose body posture outside of kennel. The dog enjoys play, including tug and ball, and allows full handling, including belly rubs. However, the dog exhibits a very high prey drive that has resulted in serious incidents, including killing an opossum and chasing after cats both in the community and within the shelter grounds. The dog will pull extremely hard on leash when spotting small animals, and has proven strong enough to drag handlers or break free. This makes the dog unsafe in homes with cats, small animals, or young children, and places limitations on safe placement.The dog is also extremely strong and excitable, with a tendency to jump up and pull with force that may knock handlers over. An adopter or rescue placement must be prepared to commit to immediate leash training and ongoing management to ensure safety. While the dog shows friendly, tolerant, and playful behaviors with people, the combination of high prey drive and physical strength presents a risk in typical adoptive homes. Rescue placement or an adopter with significant breed/strength handling experience is strongly recommended to ensure safe management and success.09/16/25 14:35This dog has been in our care since 5/16/25 and could benefit from being out of the shelter. Placed on needs rescue.08/19/25 14:42What did we do on todayâs adventure: Today was my very first `Trails & Tails` adventure and I could barely contain my excitement! I was wiggling and giving kisses to everyone because I was just SO happy to be going for an adventure. I hopped right into the car, andthen I got to stick my nose out the window to smell all the amazing smells rushing by - it was incredible! I also liked to stand on the center console so I could help my human drive (I'm a very good copilot). We went for a neighborhood walk instead of the park, which was probably smart because I have a very keen eye for critters and get quite focused when I spot them. Speaking of which, we saw lots lizards during our walk! At first it was exciting, but toward the end I was getting a bit overwhelmed trying to catch them all. I showed off my good leash manners most of the time, though I'll admit when I see something that needs investigating, I can get pretty strong about wanting to check it out. The best parts were whenI got to sniff everything, roll around in the soft grass, and of course, give lots of hugs andkisses to my walker!What should potential adopters know about me: Susie-Q is a sweet and playful girl who brings boundless joy and affection to everyone she meets. She's an enthusiastic car passengerwho loves to stick her nose out the window and `help` with navigation from the center console. Susie-Q has good leash manners under normal circumstances, but she does have anintense prey drive and can be quite strong when she spots critters like squirrels or lizards. For this reason, she does best in quieter environments rather than areas with lots of wildlife that might be overstimulating for her. She's incredibly affectionate and snuggly, always ready with hugs and kisses for her favorite people. She playing with stuffed animals and squeaky toys, and she's treat motivated and already knows sit. She enjoys simple pleasures like sniffing around and rolling in the grass. Susie-Q would thrive with an adopter who understands her prey drive and is committed to managing it by keeping her in appropriate environments. In return, she'll provide unlimited love, joy, and endless kisses to her lucky family.Three words to describe me: Playful, Snuggly, Spirited12/12/24 10:04Dog was returned for high prey drive. Dog would try to corner cats on walk and has killed wildlife. Dog is extremely strong and pulls hard on leash. In shelter Susie has no issues with staff and shows affiliation when walking in front of kennel. Dog is easy to leash but has a strong pull which could become a risk when walking in public due to her high prey drive. One on one with handler you are able to do a full and invasive handling and return to kennel with out an issue. Susie needs to be pulled by a rescue that can support a foster with training.
