Elio

Elio is an approx 7yo, 14lb., white miniature poodle. He arrived at the shelter as a super-matted stray that had clearly been abused and neglected and had painful dental disease. He has come a very long way. Elio received a dental cleaning and extractions along with a neuter. Elio will go stand by the door when he wants to go outside, but has also used doggy diapers. He is crate trained, but strongly prefers a large dog crate with a dog bed or pillow inside, with the top and sides covered in blankets. Elio sleeps through the night in his crate without issue if the front of his crate is also covered by a blanket. Elio walks well on a leash and knows commands such as "let's go," "free," and "this way." Elio also knows "sit," "stay," "here," "leave it," and "find it." Elio is super smart and very food motivated, which makes him easy to train. Elio gets along with all dogs, but he has resource-guarded a Kong filled with peanut butter, so it's important to let him enjoy that type of enrichment in a separate space, such as a crate or different room. Elio really loves his soft toys too, especially crinkle toys. He will follow you from room to room and transfer his toys from place to place one toy at a time. Elio is afraid of new people and may react with fear aggression; he can also be reactive to people putting their hands near his face and may give a warning snap or growl. This means his adopter will have to be very patient, do a slow introduction, and wait for him to warm up because Elio is still learning that most humans are good and kind and won't hurt him. When Elio left the shelter, it took five days for him to start to trust his foster parents. He currently lives with a male and a female foster parent, 3 dogs and 2 cats. Elio doesn't have a prey drive to the cats, but he will bark at them in the same way he will bark at strangers. Elio regularly goes to work with his foster mom at Diversity K9, where he has been successfully socialized with many small dogs under 35 pounds and with all types of play styles. Initially, Elio is very much a shy softy who will prefer to just exist with other dogs in the play yard, but when he gets really comfortable with other dogs in his home, he will get the zoomies and play with other dogs. When this happens, Elio seems like a young, playful puppy. When Elio rides in the car, he needs to be tethered or else he will climb into your lap. He is a very quiet rider, but he is so anxious that he will start to drool a lot and may vomit. His foster parents have been working on correcting this negative association by feeding him his dinner in the car while it is parked in the driveway, and they are already seeing a positive change. This only takes a minute, as he eats all his food right away. He loves to play fetch and will play fetch for as long as you are willing to play with him. Out of an abundance of caution, his foster parents will use at least two toys when playing fetch and do a trade rather than try to take a toy from Elio's mouth or directly from in front of him. Elio is microchipped and wears a collar at all times with a trackable AirTag, identification tag, and rabies tag, because rescue dogs can be a high flight risk, especially in a new environment. Elio is super loving, but very protective of his people. With time and the right chance, he will become extremely bonded and loyal to his adopter. After everything Elio has survived, he is beyond deserving of his happily ever after! We are adopting Elio to an all-adult home only. He will need regular brushing and grooming. If you live in the Central Florida/Orlando area and believe you have the perfect home for Elio, complete an app and tell us more about you.