Rita's little face bears the scars of her former life at a free whelping breeding facility. Take a good look, and then look beyond her tatters to see the sweet Frenchie underneath awaiting her retirement in a loving, forever home. Heaven knows she earned it, the hard way.

During her years as a breeder Rita received no medical care except for a monthly dose of Ivermectin. She came to us in accordingly rough shape. Her left eye was missing and never closed up, so we had it properly sutured. Her right eye works but has a mild cataract forming, so her vision is impacted somewhat and will probably worsen. She had chronic infected ears over the years that have left her ears deformed and scarred, so her hearing is also mildly impaired. She will probably have ongoing ear infections her whole life. The origin of these infections is probably an underlying allergy. Lack of dental care caused severe dental disease, which caused her to lose several teeth. Now that the infected teeth have been removed, she eats dry food very well. She had an umbilical hernia that was corrected during her spay.

Despite her past, Rita is a loving, people oriented Frenchie, true to her breed. She hasn't been around children, and because of her physical limitations we think she might do best in a quiet home without young kids; but she is very sweet with adults. She is used to being the alpha dog (classic Frenchie female!) and tends to try and protect her people from other dogs. In foster care she gets into some debates with the resident alpha terrier, but it has never escalated into biting. She's a lot of talk, apparently. She does guard her food and toys from the other dogs some, though not from people. A home with a mellow, adult dog or two would be okay for Rita. She doesn't live with any kitties but she goes to work at a veterinary hospital with her foster mom, and doesn't get into any particular trouble with the cats there. She could probably live in relative peace with a dog-savvy cat. For the most part Rita is your classic lap-dog/couch potato. She likes nothing more but to sleep next to you and occasionally give you some kisses. She likes to be with you, so she will follow you from room-to-room. Now that she is out of the breeding facility and her world has opened up she is very curious and likes to explore everything. When her foster mama was washing dishes she climbed onto the dishwasher door so that she could have a better look at what she was doing. Fascinating! Rita is a submissive dog when it comes to humans. She does show some signs of abuse, like cowering if a hand goes over her or if she is disciplined with a loud voice.

Rita is leash trained and likes to go on short walks. When she first came into foster care she didn't know what the heck grass was for and did her business on the patio where it was safe! Now she has the hang of the grass thing. Though she does have the occasional accident in the house, it usually occurs when there has been a change in routine. For her age and her background, she does pretty darn good. Rita is crate trained and is starting to learn "stay" and "sit".

Though Rita's favorite activity is catching up on some well earned rest, she also likes to chew on toys. Her method is to quickly attack and destroy them, and then eat them. You have to watch her closely before she gets to the "eating" part. She likes to run around the backyard with the others dogs for a few minutes but it doesn't take long for her to start daydreaming of the cool, cozy spot on the couch and then she is ready to come back inside.

Rita's needs are simple. She needs a loving, quiet home where she will feel loved for the rest of her life. Someone home a lot of the day would be wonderful, but as long as she gets a potty break, she will snooze happily until you return. She adjusted well to going to work with her foster mom at the veterinary clinic, too, as she really enjoys company. A fenced yard is ideal, but not strictly necessary.

A few words from Rita's foster mom:

"Rita is a great dog, but to be completely honest, she has had a rough life. Unfortunately that life left some scars, both physical and emotional. Rita doesn't see or hear well, so she has a tendency to run into things and needs to be spoken to loudly at times, especially in noisy situations. Rita is a resilient little dog and even when she stumbles she gets right back up again and keeps on going. Rita is a wonderful dog who needs a place to retire. She needs people with patience and understanding, but most of all love. She is a dog just waiting to adore someone."

If you have the space in your life to provide some love and comfort to a dog who has given her all, please apply for Rita. You can't save every dog who has suffered the kind of life Rita has had, but you can save this one. You can give Rita the best years of her life, and all it really takes is a warm couch, a loving voice and the gift of time well spent. She will gladly repay your kindness a hundred times over.

Rita is giving the terrier in her foster home "what for", and is waiting for you in NE Texas. If you want to take her home plan to pick her up in person, as Rita will not be shipped.