Name: Cal-Calley
Age: 10 years
Gender: Male
Breed: Chihuahua
Weight: 9 lb
Dog friendly: yes
Cat friendly: yes
Child friendly: yes
House trained: in progress
Crate trained: yes
Energy level: low/moderate 
Temperament: snuggly lap dog with pops of energy
Requirement: Not apartment appropriate 
Adoption Fee: $175+tax

To adopt, go to: www.mendingspirits.org/apply-to-adopt.html

From the Foster Family: Cal is an absolute love bug who would snuggle all day if given the opportunity. He wants a forever home where people are around most of the time and he is welcome to snuggle on the furniture and in bed. He wiggles and snuggles his way into your arms – if you set him on the couch next to you, the next thing you know, he will be in your arms like a baby or curled up on your lap or side. He is delighted when you come home or for feeding time. He has a sweet and gentle soul and has done very well with our senior dogs, cats, chickens, and 3-year-old nephew when he visits.

About Me: Cal was a well-loved Alabama lap dog until his owner passed away. After his owner passed, he was left outside until he was brought to a rescue, which left him temporarily terrified. He was in defense mode, very scared, and took days to warm up to his Alabama foster mom. Thanks to her loving care, he realized he was safe again. She said he was love-starved once he finally warmed up. He has been doing great since arriving in Minnesota on April 14 and is delighted to be with a family again! He is a glue stick and will follow you around the house and yard whenever possible.

He appears to have been an indoor-only dog. He is somewhat nervous being outside, and he doesn’t like cold or rainy weather, screaming kids at the playground, bangs or loud noises, or large dogs barking at him. We are working on building his confidence. He appears to have been trained to use potty pads or washable pee pads in the past but is learning to bathroom outside, which he is learning well. He will need continued work on this, including restricted areas of the house and close supervision until he has learned better, regular trips outside, and extra patience when you are outside to wait until he goes to the bathroom. He enjoys walks, so this is a great opportunity to reinforce outside bathrooms and his confidence in being outside. He never learned stairs or how to jump on/off furniture, and takes a lot of carrying to get around, including getting outside at times.

He is used to being around people as much as possible. He may have some separation anxiety and tends to whine, howl, or bark when left alone. We have been using a pen for when no one is home as well as a chill-out area when he gets too excited for the other senior dogs in the house or when he won’t bathroom outside but is probably due. He has been sleeping in a bed-side crate at night, although he would prefer to be snuggling in bed instead. He sleeps well on the bed and has no problem making it through the night as long as he is emptied before bedtime. He welcomes clothes, especially for going outside on cold days, and wears a harness to walk to avoid injuries to his tiny neck.