Blanca

By Montana

Blanca, perched in her usual spot on
an afternoon "walk"

Ah, Blanca.  One of my personal shelter favorites.  This big mastiff mix stole my heart from the moment I met her at the shelter.  There's something about the way she looks at you with her big brown eyes and horribly and probably painfully cropped little ears.  This girl is my big sweetheart and every time I'm at the shelter, even if its for five minutes, I stop by her kennel to say hi.  Sometimes she's right at the front, hoping I'll have the time to take her out and cuddle her while we watch the world at the shelter.  Other times, she's laying on her raised bed and gives me a happy grin.  No matter what, Blanca is always there to say hi and give me that dopey mastiff grin of hers.

Blanca is an older girl, six or so years old.  Laid back and mellow, she likes to go for slow short walks and loves to lay outside and watch the world pass her by. Her and I often venture out of her kennel on a short walk  to sit in the grass and nap or laze around and watch all the people and dogs walk by. Blanca will sit for hours if you'd let her, lazing the day away.  When you try to take her back to the kennel, she puts on the brakes.  This girl is stubborn.  It's hard to reason with this big girl, but it can be done!  With a bit of coaxing (usually involving food - she loves her treats), Blanca will rouse herself and reluctantly head back to her kennel.  

Blanca receiving some loving pets from friends at the shelter.

In January, Blanca came to the shelter from a hoarding situation with two other mastiffs (both of whom have been adopted.  She was unhappy, very thin, and suffering from hairloss from who knows what.  Blanca was not very tolerant of people.  She did not  pass the behaviour assessment, and refused to let people in her kennel.  Now,  almost five months later, she loves her people, her hair is back in and she's a very healthy weight.  Unfortunately, her weight gain was a blessing and a curse.  When she came in, Blanca was very stiff in her back legs.  As she put on more weight, it became apparent that something was not quite right.  It became more and more uncomfortable for her to walk.  Often times on our outings, when it comes time to go back to her kennel, she becomes stubborn and hard to rouse. We think its because it hurts her hips and it's difficult for her.  Once you get her up and moving, you have to maintain a light jog or she'll stop and refuse to go further.  We need X - rays to further determine what is going on with her back legs.  Along with issues in her back legs, Blanca's senses are quite dull.  Her eyesight isn't all that great, but her nose is amazing.  This girl can smell a treat from a mile away!  Anytime I have treats (or even crumbs from treats) her nose goes to the pocket they were in!  What she lacks in eyesight, she more than makes up for with her awesome sense of smell! Sass had her out one day, sitting as usual, and before Sass knew it, Blanca had Sass's whole hand in her mouth.  Blanca knew Sass had a treat in her hand, but thought Sass's WHOLE hand was the treat.  Upon realizing her mistake,  Blanca spit out Sass's hand and gave her a dirty look as if to say "hey, your fault for having the treat in there and not giving it to me!'.  

How can you not love this face?

As stated before, this girl is one of my favorites, and I've fallen madly in love with her. I would love more than anything for her to find a forever home, even a foster home would make me happy.  Unfortunately, due to the stairs that lead to my home, and the fact that I have an obnoxious six month old "in-your-face" Shar Pei that would drive this sweet older gal up the wall, she cannot be mine.   She is friendly and likes everybody, though she would probably do best in a home with no children under ten.   She's a sweet girl, who loves to petted and cuddled with. She would love to have a window or a back patio to lounge on to watch the world go by. Often times, she ends up being my big white dog pillow (yes, I've fallen asleep on her on our outings).  She is not a fan of cats and  can be picky about her fellow canine friends, so a meet n greet is a MUST if she's going to live with other dogs, thought she would prefer a home where she is the only animal. Due to her hips, we'd also like to see her go to a home with NO stairs leading to the entrance (one or two might be okay, but stairs are rough on this old girl).  She would love to finally find a home of her own, preferably a more mellow, quiet home.  Please help this beautiful girl find her forever loving home.  Give her a chance to show you what a shelter dog's love truly is!   

This awesome lady needs some medical care for bad hips. If you wish to help - please donate to www.gofundme.com/DexsSurgeryFund.