12/18/14 – We have disappointing news about what we thought would be Katniss’ forever home. First let me say that the family chosen would have been the absolute perfect family who could give Katniss everything she would ever need. And, although Katniss and the other family pet got along very well during their two long visits (you can see that from the recently-posted photo), it became apparent that Katniss was not a good match for the 14 year old family pet and we could not put either dog in jeopardy. As we’ve said before, Katniss is very smart and is a great, sweet dog. But as with humans, the outside appearance is not always indicative of what is going on inside. There is no doubt that Katniss was abused and for how long, we don’t know. We do know that she was in that small carrier long enough to have impacted three discs in her spine. We do know that when she gets too much attention, she gets overwhelmed. And now we know that Katniss is definitely a dominant dog. This doesn’t mean she can’t have a playmate but it does mean that the playmate needs to hold her own. Remember, Katniss probably went her entire short life getting no attention or when she did, it was abusive. When she gets overwhelmed from too much stimulation, she growls and needs to get away from the stimulant. A human who understands the situation can react properly but an animal, especially one who can be dominated as in the case of this family’s dog, cannot. Katniss enjoyed playing with her and she wants to have a friend but when the playing got too rough and Katniss got overwhelmed, it put everyone in a position of being cautious and deciding that under the current make up of the household, we would be setting Katniss up to fail. The family is heartbroken, as are we. The man of the household was the first man Katniss ever seemed to trust totally — in fact the first time they met, she literally rolled on her back and let him rub her belly. So, once again, we are looking for that perfect home for our girl Katniss Everdeen. Gina will be going through all of the current applications again but we would be happy to take in more applications. Again, Katniss needs a loving home who can provide her with love, understanding, and discipline. The family should not have any young children or pets easily dominated or larger than Katniss; dogs who could pose a danger to her weakened spine. Katniss is absolutely on a journey and we know there is that special person/household who will join her on the next leg of her journey. Contact me at [email protected] if you would like an application.