Gibson in North Carolina- ADOPTED!!
Gibson has been adopted by such an amazing family and we couldn’t be happier. He has a fantastic new mom, dad, 3 human sisters, two female doggie siblings and a kitty brother. His family has experience with Frenchies and his mom works in veterinary medicine. He is doing so well in his new home, receiving great care and lots of love. Congratulations, Gibson, for finding your forever! And thank you to the Nala Foundation for partnering with us on this awesome adoption!
Hey everyone!! It is me….Gibson and I am ready to find my furever home. Will it be yours?
I am a 4-year-old, 22 lb handsome stud muffin who was surrendered to FBV due to a spinal injury that caused paraplegia. I underwent a hemilaminectomy to correct herniated discs at T11-T13. However, despite surgery, I remain weak in my hind legs. I am learning to use my legs as best as I can, but they may never work the same as they used to. During physical therapy, I have shown that I can paddle with both my back legs, so it would be awesome if my new family would continue to take me to therapy so I can keep trying to make gains in my mobility.
I have my own wheelchair and love using it to go all sorts of places with my people. Inside, though, I am happy to scoot and wobble around without my wheels. I can move very quickly when I want to, too! I am learning to use a ramp to get on and off the sofa. I am good at going down the ramp on my own but usually need some assistance going up it. I also am pretty good at using a doggie door.
Because of my spinal injury, I am semi-incontinent of urine (the only time I pee on my own is when I am in my wheels) and require bladder expression every 3 to 4 hours during the day/evening. On each of these trips outside for expression, you will need to express my bladder 3-5 times as I tend to hold onto some urine, and it is essential that my bladder be completely empty to keep UTIs at bay. Currently, my UTIs are under control with a cranberry supplement each day and proper bladder expression.
As for my bowels, I am on a fairly predictable schedule and sometimes will even ask to go outside. I poop on my own, but I don’t always know when a bowel movement is coming which means you may need to at times clean up after me. My stools are solid, though, and easy to clean up.
I suffer from anxiety and get most anxious when left alone/separated from my people. I do not like to be left alone, even for a few minutes. I have trouble calming myself even if other dogs are present. I also really HATE being crated! Please no crates in my new home! I take medication (Fluoxetine 10mg/day) to help with my anxiety and have also been working on my separation anxiety with training. With time, practice, and meds, I have been making good progress.
I have never shown any aggression but do sometimes guard my toys. I also have a tendency toward ‘herding’ other dogs when they are running and/or playing. While I get along with a lot of dogs, I can be dog-selective. In foster care, there have been two dogs that I remember I did not care for very much.
I have no preference if my new home has a fenced yard as I am leash trained. I also know the commands “fetch” and “come.” I enjoy wheel walks, meeting new people, pets, being with my people outside, listening to music in the car, eating treats, snuggling and napping in my bed. My favorite toys are balls, Nylabones, and hard rubber toys. I consider myself a “super” chewer, so I am pretty good at destroying all but the most robust toys and bones.
If I could have anything in the world it would be to have my people with me 24/7, 365 days a year. I am extremely social and love meeting and greeting new people, so I would love for my new family to take me out and about to places like the office, coffee shops and dog friendly restaurants. I am not a huge fan of car rides, but I am getting better with them.
There are a couple things my foster mom says she really loves about me that she wanted me to share. First, she loves when I shout out at people and animals passing by on our walks. She says it is just my way of trying to make new friends. She also loves in the morning when I roll over on my back for her to give me belly rubs…and…her all time favorite thing I do is when I bring her a prize and follow her around with it when she comes home from being gone for a while.
I am quite the sweet and funny guy. I don’t focus on my limitations, only on my next adventure. I would love to find someone who will bring me lots of love and joy and be completely devoted to me and in return, I will love you more than you could ever know.
