Jellyfish, a dapper Shih Tzu blend, has the gentle grace and magnetic presence of his ocean-going namesake. Our guy, however, is a lover, not a stinger. He comes, sits and sniffs in peace, an avid finder and maker of friends in mixed human and canine company. He may not see, but the vision loss appears to have heightened his senses of humor, purpose and fun. We detect a capacity for harmless pranking, but who knows. It wouldn’t be the worse thing, right? Adopt him and find out!
Here’s some notes from his foster:
Jellyfish the sea creature may be known for exploring the depths of the ocean, but this Jellyfish the adorable old shih tzu is adept at climbing furniture and wandering to check out every nook and cranny of your home!
Despite being 9 years old and mostly visually impaired, Jellyfish is a happy, energetic little guy who loves to roam (even if that means bumping his nose on a few things from time to time). He eats well but hasn’t seemed particularly food motivated otherwise. We’ve been taking him on bathroom breaks four times a day; with a good routine, he has been reliably house-trained. Jellyfish also gets along well with our dog who is also a senior Muttville alum.
He enjoys being outside and often gets excited when we start putting the harness on him to go on a walk. Because he’s mostly blind, he can get distracted easily by noises on walks and will slow down to try to figure out his surroundings, but when it’s quiet, he’s surprisingly speedy even on a leash.
Jellyfish loves belly and ear rubs. Any amount of scritches and he’ll quickly roll over; and if you give him scritches long enough, he’ll quickly doze off and start his adorable shih tzu snoring.
This guy is quite the explorer and didn’t get the memo that he can’t see. He loves to climb and daringly jumps up and off of our furniture. So your home may need some Jellyfish-proofing, well-placed dog gates, and a watchful eye to make sure you know what he’s up to. Despite this, he does have challenges going up and down flights of stairs, so he will do best in a home with few or no stairs.
Jellyfish is also learning how to be left alone. When we’re home, he often seeks attention and wants to be where his people are – that might mean napping underneath the chair you’re sitting on or snuggling up in your lap on the couch. He especially wants to be where his people are at night and currently feels most comfortable and at ease when sleeping with us on our bed. When left home alone, he really misses us, so his ideal forever home will be with people who can spend time with him and are willing to do some training to help him thrive.
Given all this, we have begun crate training him and with patience and understanding, we think he may adapt well to sleeping in a crate overnight or being left home alone for short periods of time in a crate.
Jellyfish is an absolute delight, and we can’t wait for him to find his forever home.
