Hi, I’m Juno!

Cute face aside, I’m a people loving girl who enjoys being close to any humans. I’m happy to curl up beside you, snuggle right on you, settle on my own bed near you, or simply keep you company while you go about your day. I’m generally a quiet girl indoors, so no noisy roommate complaints from me! I’m crate trained and sleep in it every night willingly.

I can get a little excited when meeting new people and sometimes forget my manners, but a gentle, clear “no” helps me remember that four paws on the floor is the way to go. I’m food motivated, which is great news for anyone who wants to help me keep learning.

I have shown some leash reactivity towards other dogs in places like the vet and pet stores, but my foster family hasn’t noticed this when we’re simply passing dogs on walks. I currently live with three other dogs, and we all get along. With sensible introductions, I could happily share my home with another suitable dog. Equally, I’d be perfectly happy being your one and only. Cats… well… I haven’t been tested with them, and my humans suspect I might be tempted to chase them. So a cat-free home would be best for me.

I’ve had quite a lot of medical care since coming into rescue, so I want to be completely upfront about my history;
When I arrived, I was underweight and malnourished. Despite this, my senior blood tests were actually pretty good, and there was nothing that a good diet and some TLC couldn’t improve. I’m still on my weight-gain journey. I’m currently around 13kg, with my vet hoping to see me reach approximately 15kg because I’m a smaller sized Staffy.

It’s suspected that I’ve had lots of puppies over my life, so I only recently got to tick “desexed” off my list. Unfortunately, my surgery also meant I needed a triple mastectomy. My mammary pathology did unfortunately confirm one small Grade II adenosquamous carcinoma. The tumour was just 6mm, was completely removed with clear margins, and there was no evidence of vascular invasion or cancer in the examined lymph nodes. My other mammary masses were benign! To be extra safe, I also had an abdominal ultrasound and chest X-ray, which were completely clear, with no evidence of metastasis. Yay!!

While I was having my other procedures done, I also had X-rays of my hips, knees, elbows. The X-rays also showed what looks like an old cruciate injury from many years ago that was never treated. It doesn’t bother me at all, but like many senior dogs, I now have some arthritis, so I’m on a management protocol for that.

I’ve also recently had a dental procedure, with three teeth removed because they had root exposure. While I was there for that, I had a skin lump removed too, which turned out to be a harmless skin tag and not cancerous.

My future family does need to understand that there is a possibility the cancer could recur, and my full medical history will be discussed with potential adopters. And before you start feeling sorry for me… I’m actually pretty speedy for an older girl! My arthritis certainly hasn’t convinced me that I’m a senior. I enjoy going for walks, and I can comfortably walk a few kilometres without issues.

Now that all the medical stuff is out of the way, we can get down to the important stuff, like chicken nuggets… oh um, I mean, the kind of forever home I’m looking for! I’m hoping to find someone who understands that adopting an older girl means committing to me for whatever adventures we have left together. My future family will need to keep me on my arthritis management, and understand my medical history.

Most importantly though, I want someone who will love me, snuggle me, include me in their life, and maybe feed me the occasional chicken nugget… wait, did I say that already??

I’ve had a difficult life so far, but I’m ready for a beautiful finish.

If you think you can meet the very high standards set by my foster Mum, I would love to meet you!

Juno is desexed, microchipped, up to date with vaccinations, flea and worm treatments.