Mia Meet & Greet

On Sunday afternoon, Nancy, her son and her mother came to visit Mia.  Despite being exhausted from staying up too late the night before to play during Dave's birthday party, Mia was eager--maybe a little too eager--to meet these new friends.

The family asked a lot of good questions, has experience with dogs and overall seemed like a good fit for Mia.  Nancy and her son were positively smitten with Mia, allowing her to lean in for snuggles and pets.  Mia was a little jumpy, just her normal excitement from meeting someone new, but eventually settled down. Nancy's mother was concerned about the jumping, and it sounded like a deal breaker.  We gently explained that Mia is learning how to behave and is entirely trainable.  We also pointed out how she was allowing Mia to jump, rather than being more of a leader and not let her jump, as Nancy was able to prevent Mia from doing so.  We had a nice conversation and answered lots of questions, even offering to use part of Mia's adoption fee to pay for a session with a reputable trainer familiar with Mia and our group.  The family left and we crossed our paws for good news.

Later in the day, Nancy texted Dave, apologizing for her mother's criticisms and explaining that she absolutely wanted Mia.  On Tuesday Dave and Nancy spoke more and Dave answered many more questions about Mia and her history, as well as ways to help Nancy's mother see how good Mia is (she doesn't bite, get aggressive or territorial, and loves people and other dogs her size).  Jumping is easy to fix, with proper training, and a very minor problem in the range of dog issues.  Nancy intended to speak with her mother on Tuesday night and outline the positives to get her on board with Mia.

Unfortunately, Dave heard from Nancy today that her mother wouldn't budge and therefore they would have to pass on Mia.  It's a shame because it would otherwise be a perfect living situation for Mia and they seem like a great family.  But it's also good that they are choosing to pass rather than try to make it work and risk either a bad situation or Mia not bonding with everyone.

We'd still love to get Mia a home for Christmas, but even if we don't, her forever home is out there and will find her soon.