by Lee Juslin
Zinnia, or Zin, as her friends call her, is a petite Cairn who spent eight happy years with a single woman. Then, the woman had a baby. Still, all was well until the little girl became a toddler, and Zin lost her happy home. The woman turned her in to Col. Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue because she had bitten the little girl.
Zinnia
Judy, an experienced volunteer with Col. Potter, took Zin as a foster. Integrating Zin into her pack was not difficult, and Judy, as she has gotten to know Zin, feels the little girl may have abused Zin causing her to bite in self defense. Zin is crate trained, and Judy does keep her separate from the rest of the pack on occasion, but the dogs all eat together, walk together, and play in the yard together.
Zin at thirteen has some arthritis, and she does have a hole in her ear drum that may be contributing to what seems to be some deafness. She came into rescue with some liver issues which have been resolved, but she should be retested annually. Zin has a noticeable cyst on her belly that the vet says is benign. She takes over the counter, reasonably priced meds, recommended by the vet, for her arthritis. She has been spayed, and is up to date on her vaccinations.
A good home for Zin would be one with an older person or couple as Zin doesn’t need a lot of exercise or activity. Judy says, somewhat tongue in cheek, that someone who shares Zin’s arthritis condition would be a good fit. Zin is not into toys but does love to cuddle and take naps. She doesn’t need a fenced in yard as occasional walks are enough for her, and she would be fine in an apartment. Zin would be happiest as an only dog. Young children are a no no for obvious reasons, but an older child with terrier or dog experience and who knows how to treat a dog is a possibility. Zin does enjoy watching TV and is especially fond of shows featuring dogs.
Zin is a senior dog at thirteen, but Cairns often live well into their teens and, with no serious health issues, she has some good years left. Zin will take some time to adjust given her possible past abuse, but once she learns to trust, she will reward her new person with lots of love and cuddles.
If you would like to learn more about Zinnia or any of the wonderful dogs Col. Potter has available, or if you would like to donate or volunteer, visit the organization’s website or their Facebook page.
Website: Cairn Rescue
Facebook: Col. Potter
Check out more animal rescue & therapy animal stories in our Pets section and we would love to have you join our KRL Pets Facebook group.
Want to know how to see your ad like this at the end of an article? Email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] for more info. 10% of all ad sales goes to animal rescue.
I would love to have her but the owner of the area I live in isn’t pet happy. I don’t know why. We all own our homes so it really isn’t his problem if things get ruined. I got special permission to have more than the allotted “one small pet” because the owners of this were in a hurry to move. I moved in with a lab mix (not small) and 3 cats although I told him I only had 2. All 3 were black so I didn’t think the property manager would notice an extra cat. My eldest cat, Puffin, died of renal failure and a year later my dog, Jasmine started having frequent severe grand mal seizures and had to be put to sleep. About a month after that my neighbor brought over a little, five pounds, Chihuahua. The land owner told me “no more pets” after Jasmine died so of course I took the little Chihuahua anyway. Her formal name Contraband but she is called Connie. It has been five years and no one has said anything about her. Up until last year I also had two chinchillas. Our extremely hot summer last year and my defunct air conditioner killed them. I tried everything I could, with the exception of putting them in the refrigerator, to keep them cool but it wasn’t cool enough. So sad.
I hope you find a good home for Zink. She is really cute.
Sue
seffichinchilla@outlook.com