gretchen

Gretchen -880's Story

Gretchen Weiners (named after the Mean Girls character)

Gretchen Weiners is a 5–6-year-old Chihuahua looking for a very specific type of home. Please read her entire bio carefully before applying.

Gretchen is potty trained and crate trained and finds her crate a calming environment. She enjoys attention from her people, loves spending time on the couch with them, and enjoys training and small brain games. She is intelligent, trainable, and has a very definite personality. She communicates clearly about what she does and does not like.

She does best with routine, stability, and a predictable home environment. When she becomes stressed, she barks and chase her tail. These behaviors become manageable once she is settled and comfortable, but changes and unfamiliar situations can be difficult for her.

For that reason, her adopter must be willing to work with a professional trainer to continue building her confidence and help her develop appropriate ways to manage stress. This is not simply a recommendation to continue practicing training at home. Her adopter needs to be willing to engage a qualified trainer and actively participate in that process with her to ensure she settles in well at her permanent home.

She also needs people who understand the type of life she actually enjoys. She is not a dog who wants to be dressed up, carried around, taken everywhere, or treated as an accessory. She is much happier having a stable home, a familiar routine, and time with the people she trusts.

Her new home must meet the following requirements:

All members of the household must be at least 18 years old.

No apartments. She would not be successful with the activity, noise, and close proximity of apartment living.

A securely fenced yard is required. She prefers going into her own yard rather than depending on leash walks for her daily routine.

Her adopter must commit to working with a professional dog trainer on confidence building and stress management.

Her home needs to provide consistency and stability. She is not a good match for a household looking for a dog who will regularly accompany them everywhere.

Her adopter must be prepared for a long-term commitment. At 5–6 years old, she may reasonably live another 10 years or more. Applicants should consider what their housing, family, work, and lifestyle may look like over that time and whether they can continue providing the stable environment she needs.

She is affectionate, smart, engaging, and enjoys being with her people, but she is also an individual with clear boundaries and specific needs. We are looking for an adopter who appreciates her for the dog she actually is because she has wonderful and a very loyal companion.

We are a RESCUE GROUP, not a shelter, and all of our animals are in foster homes. To start the adoption process, email us at adoptions@earstexas.org requesting an application. Submitting an application does not commit you in any way, but helps us make the best match between people and our available dogs. Your current or past dogs must be inside dogs who have been spayed/neutered and are on heartworm prevention.

All of the dogs in our program are inside dogs and are completely vetted including all vaccinations, spayed/neutered, free of internal parasites, microchipped, heartworm negative and on prevention before adoption. Our adoption process includes an application, check of vet records or personal references, interview, neutral site meet & greet with the dog and your family, and a home visit.