Portia is a 9 ½ year old stray that came to us on 30 May 2025 having been found on the streets.

 

Portia has hair loss across a large part of her body and a pot belly. The first vet that saw her suspected hypothyroidism, which our vet is now testing.

 

She is a lovely, friendly little staffie girl, and currently weighs 15.7 kilos.

 

The sort of home we are looking for:

• No dogs or cats in the home

• No children under the age of 10 years living in the home

• Access to the sofa for cuddles

• Not caged/crated in the home

• Access to her own private and secure garden (not shared/communal)

 

Things to consider

• We do not know if she is house trained, but she should be given the age, and the fact that she is clean in the kennel overnight and during the day.

• We do not know if she is used to being left alone at home, therefore you may have to train her to get her used to being left. In kennels she is quiet and non-destructive but this is not the same as a home environment.

 

Handling

A very friendly, easy to handle smaller staffie girl. She allowed us to easily fit her with one of our temporary harnesses with no effort at all. Initially not at all interested in regular treats, but showed a very clear fondness for bits of bacon and sausage donated by the local TJ’s Café.

 

Walking

Walks better on a shorter lead, by your side, and if given more lead she may weave left and right. Her first was a bit all over the place, but we can put this down to being in a completely new area. Subsequent walk found her to walk lovely, and she ignored dogs she passed.

 

Playing

Portia has started to show interest in toys (see videos), particularly a tug toy, and a first use of a snuffle box (with regular treats in). She seems to have interest in a toy if you are engaged with, like a tug toy, but if you let go, or throw it, she loses interest.

 

Health

Portia arrived with a lot of hair loss and pot belly. Initial checks by the local authority vet suggested hypothyroidism. For this reason, as soon as she arrived with us we got her to see our vet.

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At the vet visit on 30 May 2025, she had a good check over, her 1st restart vaccine, and her Kennel Cough vaccine. She will need some dental work, which we will likely complete before adoption.

 

She has had her first blood test (TSH) and may need the Free T4 blood test later. This is so the vet can identify the cause of her current condition.

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We are bathing her every two days with Malaseb shampoo for two weeks.

 

We are feeding her a good quality sensitive dry dog food, with squirts of salmon oil on each meal.

 

The adoption contribution for Portia is £225.00.

 

If you adopt a dog from Happy Staffie Rescue you could be entitled to five weeks free pet insurance through Agria (terms and conditions and exclusions apply).