Albania Helen is an international dog and will incur the international dog adoption fee.

Helen was found on the streets of Albania and taken to a local rescue before her journey here. Once with her foster, it became clear she was an abandoned pet (as opposed to a street dog) and she had enjoyed “inside” life before. 

Helen is very trusting of humans, but it takes time and gentle encouragement to truly win her over. Once she fully trusts you, she is the sweetest and loving girl. 

She is not a dog who wants to be out at loud and chaotic festivals or sports games. She is happiest chilling at home on the couch - but she does love walks around the neighborhood and sniffing around the backyard! She’s good on the leash, but may pull a little if she sees something exciting. A fenced yard would be nice, but isn’t necessary if her new family is committed to walks and taking her out on-leash until her recall is better. 

Helen is great with other dogs, but would also be okay as an only dog. She was also fine with a temporary foster’s dog-savvy cat while her main foster was traveling. 

Helen does great with her foster’s children (ages 6 & 4), but because it takes her a while to feel fully comfortable in her home, her ideal family will have no children or older children who can respect her boundaries as she acclimates. 

She is medium-low energy. She currently walks a little over a mile per day, and is usually content to curl up on the couch otherwise. She does sometimes get the evening zoomies! She enjoys playing/chewing with dog toys and bones, but her favorite “toys” are blankets. She likes biting them, getting tangled in them, etc, but she’s generally gentle and non destructive while playing. 

Most likely due to her time on the streets, Helen will guard food from other dogs. She should be fed separately from other dogs and her food should be picked up if she doesn’t eat it all. Once the food is gone, she’s fine and does not guard the empty bowl from the dogs in her foster home. 

Along the same lines, Helen is also a rather prolific counter surfer! Even though her fosters are good about keeping things out of reach, she has still managed to consume an entire freshly delivered pizza, two sticks of butter, and a whole package of boneless chicken thighs. Since she guards food, it is important (especially in the early days) not to directly take her stolen goods away. Keeping some high value treats on hand for a trade works if you catch her with something she shouldn’t have. 

She is crated when her foster is not home, and while she now knows what to do when she’s given the “kennel” command, it took lots of yummy treats and practice. If her new family chooses to crate her, she may grumble a bit before settling down. She has also been trustworthy when free roaming during some short errands and she is allowed to sleep in the bedroom with her foster at night. 

When given time and respect, Helen warms up and becomes an amazing companion. She has been such a lovely foster and she deserves to spend the rest of her days as someone’s beloved pet.