My name is Zelda Stilwell!

Posted over 2 weeks ago | Updated 3 days ago

Cared for by Save One Soul Animal Rescue League

My basic info

Breed

Shepherd (Unknown Type)

Color

Black

Age

Young

Size

Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)

Weight

–

Sex

Female

Pet ID

21151004-24-0401

My details

Good with dogs

Spayed / Neutered

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

To apply to adopt this dog now, complete our adoption application HERE
To see our upcoming events where you can meet some of our dogs,
please see HERE

Age: 8 months
Weight: 36 pounds

This dog has been spayed/neutered, is up to date on shots, on heartworm preventative and is microchipped.

This cutie is Zelda Stilwell! We estimate that she is an eight-month-old shepherd mix. Zelda would likely do best in a low-key home in a quiet neighborhood with humans who enjoy playing and engaging their dog and will be patient with Zelda as she learns about companion life.

Zelda is very sweet and affectionate and particularly loves her foster mom; she will follow her around wherever she goes! Zelda has been tolerant and interested around other dogs, but as we are trying to help her decompress, she has had no exposure to children, cats, or small animals just yet. Zelda is at first friendly, but somewhat shy, around new adults, but warms up once she understands the rules (ie, treats!). She is not fully integrated into a home right now, so may need some time in her new landing spot to get used to the normal human household routine as well as neighborhood noises. Patience, predictability and TLC will be key for this beauty!

Zelda can be quite playful and enjoys chew toys or rowdy games of chase. She is just a baby herself and likes to be cuddled. We don't know how long she was on her own as a stray, but she is adjusting well over time to home life. She has been away from people for so long that she adores, there attention, but is learning to be content to be confined to a small room or area designated by an x-pen. She is nondestructive and calm when left alone like this.

Zelda is making great strides with housetraining and becoming more familiar each day on a leash.

We strongly recommend that all of our adopters' plan to work with a credentialed positive-only trainer to help navigate the adoption transition phase and any growing pains. Learning commands and building confidence together is also a great way for both to bond, which is so important to the success of any adoption.

Zelda is a lovely young dog who is looking for a family with the patience to help her develop into a happy and relaxed adult. We believe that she will thrive in the right home and become your lifelong cherished companion!

Zelda's Back story: Despite being so young, Zelda recently gave birth to the adorable litter of four Stilwell puppies. She was saved by a kind person who had been unable to catch her for weeks but began leaving food out for the pregnant puppy. When Zelda gave birth, she brought the puppies to the woman who had been feeding her, and they were all rescued.

Medical Note: This dog has tested positive for exposure to ehrlichia. This does not mean that this dog had/has an active infection of ehrlichiosis, only that the dog was exposed or infected in the past. This dog is/has been asymptomatic while in SOS care and is being treated/has been treated preventatively with a 28-day course of doxycycline. This dog is ready for adoption, though may continue to test positive for exposure to ehrlichia for some time. Please see here for more information on ehrlichia, and please check with your vet before you apply to adopt this dog if you have any questions or concerns about this medical history.

An adoption donation is required for each adoption; please see HERE for more information about this.

To apply for this dog, fill out an adoption application on our website:

Adoption Application - SOS Animal Rescue League in Rhode Island (sosarl.org)

**Additional info you should know - For most of our dogs, we are only guessing at predominant breed or breed mix. We get to know each of our dogs as an individual and do our best to describe and place them based on personality not breed label. Some dogs may not yet be in New England, nor ready for immediate adoption. There may be additional vetting, quarantine, waiting periods and/or fees depending upon your state of residence. If you have questions or concerns on any of this, you can discuss this with your Adoption Counselor.

To apply to adopt this dog now, complete our adoption application HERE
To see our upcoming events where you can meet some of our dogs,
please see HERE

Age: 8 months
Weight: 36 pounds

This dog has been spayed/neutered, is up to date on shots, on heartworm preventative and is microchipped.

Zelda is making great strides with housetraining and becoming more familiar each day on a leash.

An adoption donation is required for each adoption; please see HERE for more information about this.

To apply for this dog, fill out an adoption application on our website:

Adoption Application - SOS Animal Rescue League in Rhode Island (sosarl.org)

Rescue

Save One Soul Animal Rescue League

Contact info

Pet ID

21151004-24-0401

Contact

—

Phone

—

dogs@sosarl.org

Website

https://www.sosarl.org

Address

PO BOX 498, Wakefield, RI 02880

Donation

Are you grateful for the love of a rescue dog? Please consider joining our foster home team or making a monthly donation to help make that joy possible for another. Donating to Save One Soul Animal Rescue League is the easiest and fastest way for you to help us realize our vision of a No-Kill Nation. We are a volunteer-driven organization, we do not own a shelter facility, and we don’t receive any government funding. We rely on our adoption donations and the kindness of wonderful people like you to continue our work on rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of homeless animals, efficient and safe transport programs, post-adoption support, and building the rescue resource community to help keep good pets in good homes. Visit our website to donate to our programs; https://sosarl.org/donate

Their adoption process

Additional adoption info

Step 1: Find Fido

Review our online dog bios, email us if you have any questions. At SOS, we want to make the RIGHT right match, and that means helping you and Fido start a relationship – sometimes from a long distance.

Take your time, explore your options, consider your home and what kind of companion will fit in your lifestyle.

Step 2: Complete Our Application http://sosarl.org/aa/

Once you think you have found the right dog for you, please complete our online application.

At SOS, we don’t just want to make a match, we want to make the right match. To do this, we need your help; we know our dogs, but we don’t know you yet – our application helps us get to know you!

Step 3: Application Screening

Our Adoptions Coordinator will review the application and if it appears to be a good match for the selected dog, a volunteer will check your landlord/HOA, vet, and personal references as relevant.

Step 4: Let's Talk!

After the above review and checks, if it looks like a good match, we will arrange for a time to talk with you over the phone. We may also require a home visit or adopter meeting. Sometimes this step is completed before the Meet-n-Greet with the dog, and sometimes it is completed after.

Step 5: Meet Your Match
Everyone’s time is valuable and shared expectations are important – Step 6 (see below) typically happens before private meetings are confirmed.

After the phone interview, if the dog is local and it looks like a good match, we will put you in touch with the current caregiver to learn more and set up a meet-n-greet. We also have regular adoption events when most of our local dogs can be met; see http://sosarl.org/upcoming-events/

If the dog is not local, s/he may not be available for a meet-n-greet prior to adoption but we will put you in touch with the current caregiver to learn more. We understand that there is something reassuring about touching and interacting with the animal prior to making a commitment, but we believe that speaking with an experienced caretaker who has been caring for the dog day-in and day-out for weeks/months can sometimes be just as telling about the match, if not more so.

A meet-n-greet is a very small snapshot of the dog – the caretaker has a good idea about how the dog is in general, over long periods of time in many different situations.

Step 6: Finalize The Adoption

If the match is a good one, you will be informed via email of the adoption decision, and provided with instructions for how to pay the adoption donation and complete our adoption contract/addendum(s).

Step 7: Pick Up Your New Best Friend!

Once the adoption is finalized, congratulations! We will contact you to make arrangements to pick up your new family member!

**Please note that additional vetting, quarantine and/or waiting periods may be required depending upon your state of residence.

We know you are excited to welcome a new companion into your life, but please be patient as we process your application, as we are all volunteers with jobs and families of our own. Please feel free to check in on the application process at any time by contacting dogs@sosarl.org.

Adoption application

https://sosarl.org/aa

Go meet their pets

If you are interested in meeting one of our dogs, please check our upcoming events page here: http://sosarl.org/upcoming-events/. Some adoptions are able to be finalized prior to an in-person meeting between the adopter and dog, if after the adoption interview and discussions with the foster home and adopters the match seems like a good one. If an in-person meeting is important to you, please be sure to note this in your application and discuss this with your Adoption Counselor. If the dog does not have the word "LOCAL" in his/her name, s/he is not yet in New England and may not be available for a meet-n-greet prior to adoption, but s/he may be headed to New England soon.

More about this rescue

SOSARL is a RI-based dog rescue, dedicated to helping homeless dogs prepare for, find and succeed in loving homes and building a sustainable support network for future at-risk animals, all while treating each animal and adopter as the individuals they are. Founded in Wakefield, RI in 2014 on the belief that we can end the killing of adoptable animals in this nation if we work hard and smart enough together.

We’ve matched over 4,000 dogs with loving homes, neutered over 500 privately owned animals, and opened SOS reTAIL, a pet supplies and services facility in Wakefield, RI to further support animal welfare efforts. Learn more about SOS reTAIL at www.sosretailri.com, our full supply retail store with grooming, self wash, pets supplies and training...and where 100% of store profits go back to helping homeless animals!

SOS adoption donations help offset the expenses we routinely incur, such as transport, vetting (spay/neuter, worming, vaccinations, or other special needs), boarding, and behavioral modification. We ask the same adoption donation for each of our dogs, as we believe each life we save is equally precious.*

*Seniors and Special Needs Dogs
If you are considering adopting a senior or special needs dog and the adoption donation seems daunting, we encourage you to ask us about an adoption donation discount. We often offer post-adoptive care for our special needs dogs and we assess each situation individually. We will never allow an adoption donation to be the barrier to finding the right home for one of our dogs.

If an in person meeting is important to you, please focus on those dogs with "LOCAL" in their name; they are already in foster care in New England. The other dogs on our website are getting ready to travel to New England and will typically arrive in 2-6 weeks.

MA ADOPTERS: SOSARL adoptions to Massachusetts are very difficult due to the limited resources available to meet arbitrary state mandated animal importation quarantine requirements. THESE ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT WERE IN PLACE BEFORE AND ARE UNRELATED TO COVID-19. If an SOSARL dog is available for adoption into Massachusetts, it will be explicitly noted in their online bio; there are only a few available for MA adoption at any time, if any. An additional MA Quarantine Fee is required for all dogs adopted to Massachusetts residents, and other fees/requirements might apply depending upon the adopter's state of residence. All fees are non-refundable.

All LOCAL SOS adoptions are sent home with a martingale collar, SOS ID tag, leash and if an adult, an appropriate harness as part of our Smart Start Program (a $75 value). Additionally, all new adopters are encouraged to stop by our store, SOS reTAIL, in Wakefield, RI for a FREE Welcome Home bundle of products valued at over $100.