Meet Tanner! This sweet little guy is lucky to be here. His owners were an elderly couple who were not able to walk him or give him the exercise he needed. As a solution, they were allowing him to roam free in their neighborhood, which is unsafe for any dog. After multiple complaints from the neighbors, a local animal advocate stepped up to help Tanner and reached out to rescue on his behalf.

Tanner is a very sweet, cuddly boy with a little quirk: hes vocal and will grumble and growl in new situations. He never attempts to bite and it calms down with time, but its just who he is. His prior family confirmed this is normal behavior for him. Hes always been vocal but is also a very sweet, snuggly pup who likes men and women equally and does well with other dogs.
Tanner is being fostered in NW DC, living in a townhouse with a foster mom and dad, Cynthia and Jared, and multiple other small to medium-sized dogs. He settled in quickly and while he has been more focused on his humans, he quickly accepted his new foster pack. Tanner is housetrained and has good house manners, and his foster parents trust him to have free roam in their home with the rest of the dogs.

Jared shared this update after two weeks:

"Tanner is pretty good on a leash, he doesnt pull much and keeps to himself on walks. He doesnt interact or focus on other dogs, he does his own thing. He was a little jumpy at first with loud noises, but hes adapting well and would make a good city dog. He hasnt had an accident since the first day and really settled in pretty quickly.

We havent tried a crate with him and we give him free rein when were not home. He still flinches sometimes when you try to pet him and responds to pretty much everything with a little growl and showing teeth (but he doesnt bite). Hes curious when new folks are around; doesnt hide, might bark a little, but is not fearful.

Tanner would be fine as an only dog or with buddies. He mostly keeps to himself but will grumble when another dog gets too close. Hes not barky either, but will join in if others get it started. Hes definitely cuddly, and very much a lap dog. Hell lick your face if you let him, though not aggressively.

I think growling is just his response to things - good or bad. Its kind of funny to see what hell say. He would snap the first few days when he was nervous about interaction, but again hes not a biter. He just needs time to settle in. After two weeks his growling has dissipated, when we first got him he would growl if you got anywhere near him but now hell sit next to you and wont growl if you pet him normally. Hell still growl at the other dogs if they get too close, but is pretty relaxed with us now.

Overall, hes very cute and just a pretty chill little guy that makes funny noises."

If you are a person who apprecaites quirky, but also values a snuggly, lovable little guy who will be an incredibe sidekick and roadtrip companion, Tanner is your pup.

Apply today!

BREED ESTIMATE: Chihuahua mixed Terrier or Feist
GENDER: Male
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: ~ 19 lbs
APPROXIMATE AGE: ~ 4 years old
COAT TYPE: short
ADOPTION FEE: $400
OTHER INFO: utd on shots/nuetered/microchipped
LOCATION: Washington, DC

FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application.

You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.

Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.