Polka is deaf, but she loves to chase the shadows of birds as they fly over her yard.

Polka is making her debut on the available page! This spotty dog was found wandering the streets and was turned over to a shelter, who then entrusted us with her care. Polka’s foster family took her straight from the shelter to the vet, where she was treated for infections in her ears and on her skin. The vet diagnosed her with a bad hip and a weak hind end. Polka suffers from arthritis, and is also deaf.

One of FBRN’s volunteers described Polka as a dog that was “rode hard and put away wet” and this sums up her arrival to FBRN pretty well. Her readiness for her forever home tells a different story. Under the loving care of her foster family, Polka has emerged as a sweet and angelic Frenchie. Polka made the transformation from an abandoned dog to a loving foster home, and this attests to her willingness to believe in and to trust others. Her gait may be a little funny, but Polka’s spirit is whole.

Polka is a calm little Frenchie, one who loves her soft beds and slow walks. In fact, these slow walks are one of her favorite activities—show this girl the leash, and this extremely laid-back dog gets a little excited! (Because of her hip issues, she can’t go for marathon walks, but slow strolls are fine.) She also loves to roll in the grass and she’s an excellent sniffer. Polka loves people’s company and likes being by your feet.

Polka doesn’t seem to mind other dogs, but any dogs in her forever home must be calm. She doesn’t show a ton of interest in other dogs, so a dog-free home, or a calm-dog home would be okay. She shows a little too much interest in kitties on her walk, so no cats.

As for health issues, Polka has a pelvic fracture that has never properly healed, and she suffers from fairly severe arthritis in her both hips and knees. Her forever home will need to give her pain medications on an as-needed basis, and make sure that she receives regular and ongoing monitoring by a vet. Polka’s deafness does not slow her down, though she does startle quite easily. Given Polka’s deafness and hip issues, if there are children in her forever home they must be older and dog-savvy—no bouncy tots please!

It takes a lot of sharp instincts to survive poor health, chronic pain, and the chaos of being a stray, and it must be a relief for Polka to lay her head down and rest knowing that she is safe. Polka is not the kind of Frenchie who needs a basket full of toys, or who sneaks Nylabones from the other dogs for a good chew. At home, she can mostly be found napping in her soft bed, and she flourishes in a calm environment. Polka is not energetic and ready for play at a moment’s notice. She won’t be found running after toys or playing “Chase me” with the kids. In fact, Polka happily goes into her x-pen to nap, so we think she’d do fine in a crate too. Polka wouldn’t mind being your assistant at work, if there was a place she could bed down. If you weren’t able to bring her to work, Polka would do fine with a mid-day walk.

Because Polka doesn’t need to get her ya-yas out by running all over the house, she’d do fine in an apartment. She is also completely potty-trained! Not one accident since arriving in foster care.

Her foster mom has this to say about Polka: “Polka is such a sweet girl. She is so even tempered, never really gets mad or grumpy. She will surprise you with sudden bursts of goofiness and will roll over on her back for a belly rub and loves to roll around in the grass. Since Polka is deaf we are starting to teach her some hand signals and she is a very quick learner and is very attentive. It will be easy for her to pick up lots of hand signals. She communicates very well with her eyes and with her “voice”. Polka will make a very sweet addition to her new forever family and they will love having this silly girl around.”

Is your heart open for a formerly abandoned Frenchie who is very content with the simple comforts? A frog who flourishes in the company of people, loves the attention of calm kids and who co-exists peacefully with mellow dogs? Polka has had enough uncertainty and agitation in her life, and she’d really just like a home where she can rest, be taken for a stroll, and show her goofy side occasionally. She has certainly earned it!

Polka is hanging out in Central Texas. You could snap on a leash and take her for a short walk to your car for the drive home, but she won’t be shipped.