Iksha

Iksha is a minature fox terrier who weighs about 4kg and is typical of the breed in nature. You should do your research into this breed as they are confident and high energy dogs.

Iksha is severely vision impaired and will mostly likely end up blind sooner rather than later. We are looking for a home with the time and experience to look after a special needs dog. You should outline your experience with special need dogs and your ability to own a vision impaired dog in your application form. More details on her medical condition and associated care in the medical section below.

Iksha is the most adorable, affectionate and sweet little dog. She loves to snuggle up in your lap on the lounge after a busy day following you around, exploring outside and playing. If you let her sleep in (yes not on but in) the bed at night she also makes the best foot warmer out. She is so loving and loyal and gives lots of kisses to show it. She is very social with other animals. Iksha is currently living with 3 dogs of different sizes and a confident cat and has gotten along with all other dogs she has met. The dogs in her foster home have taught her how to play and she loves to rumble and chase them around. She is also ok with caged birds but being a terrier she would chase the parrot in her foster home when he is out if given the chance.

Being a high energy dog this needs to be taken into consideration. She is unable to venture out for walks as she is noise sensitive when out of the home (she is fine at home with storms and loud noises). This means that she needs mental and physical stimulation during the day in the house and in the yard. Consequently, she is not suitable for an apartment or a home with minimal outside area. Iksha loves to tug and fetch and she will bring you balls and toys to throw as many times as you will keep playing with her. She also loves to chase a lure on a pole and shake/kill her toys being a typical terrier. Iksha should be given the opportunity to do nose works at home for mental stimulation (hiding and/or scattering treats) and she is very good with learning things as she is food motivated.

Iksha can be timid with new people. She is better with females then males, but she can adapt over time and repeat visitors can become good friends fairly quickly. She never shows any aggression but can bark in fear. She is not shy to use her voice generally but again this settles over time as she gets more used to her environment and day to day noises there. Due to her vision impairment, Iksha is not suitable for children. She will need a stable adult home where she can be familiar with the occupant’s movements. Iksha will also need a home where she will not have to use stairs – this could mean the use of baby gates to block off stairs but she is ok to do a step or two going in and out of the yard as she does adapt to her environment.

We are looking for an experienced, stable, adult home with someone who may have experience with caring for a special needs dog of some description. She will require the company of another dog who is tolerant (as she walks into other dogs and jumps up to other dog’s faces) and playful (helps to meet her physical needs). She mostly plays with the small and medium sized dog in her foster home so a similar sized dog to this would be ideal. Another dog becomes part of her eyesight so this is not negotiable. She is house trained, crate trained and travels fine in the car. Iksha is fine to be left alone; however, she is NOT suitable for full time workers as she needs a lot of time and attention from people to meet her mental and physical needs since she cannot be traditionally exercised with walks. She should be allowed inside with you and will need to sleep inside at night.

We know that there is a lot to take in here and there will be more if you are selected for a phone interview; however, Iksha is a beautiful little dog who is so incredibly sweet and loving.