Pending euthanasia

Found In a car engine .. rescued and now in need of a home

Ok so I recently (1 month ago) adopted a one year old chihuahua female. I was super scared to adopted a dog since my childhood dog traumatized me. He was prone to a lot of illnesses and had seizures, so when he passed I was scared to adopt another dog. Well 2 years go by and I adopted this dog. They told me she was only 1 year old but I suspect she’s younger? Her teeth are super white and she loves chewing on her toys so I feel like she might be a few months old. Well the problem is when I adopted her she was way more “cleaner”, idk if that’s the way to put it but let me explain. The first thing I noticed about her when I first adopted her was her really white b**hole. I noticed this right away because my previous dog had the darkest hole ever. In addition, when I first got her, her girl part was also really pale and now it looks really brown and stained. Also she tears a lot and when I first got her, she would never tear. Another things are her paws, she is brown in color, but has like white paws, like little socks, and when I first got her, her white paws were super white. Now they are dirty looking and the dirt doesn’t take off even though I scrub them after every walk. All to say, I feel like I’m making my adopted baby worse? She looked better when I rescued her. What am I doing wrong as her owner? I don’t mind her looking this way if it’s normal but I feel like I might be doing something wrong? If anyone knows what it could be, could u please enlighten me.

URGENT: Foster, Adopt, or Rescue Needed for Rambo at Downey Shelter (Past Deadline)
Rambo (#A5793272) is a 7-year-old neutered male (44 lbs) currently at the Downey Animal Care Center. His final notice expired on 8/20, placing him at the top of the euthanasia list. He was surrendered on 8/4/26 through no fault of his own due to a move.
Rambo is a gentle, quiet, and fearful boy who needs a safe environment to decompress.
Key Info & Compatibility:
ID: #A5793272
Play Style: Gentle / Dainty
Behavior: Non-reactive, fearful in kennel, easy to collar and leash, allowed handling everywhere
Home Requirements: Adults-only home required; calm dogs recommended
Location & Contact:
Downey Animal Care Center
11258 Garfield Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
Phone: [(562) 940-6898](tel:(562)%20940-6898)
Email: daccdowneyrescue@animalcare.lacounty.gov

When looking for a pet to adopt, I would describe the personality or the pet I wanted to the shelter workers. My last rescue cat taught me that it’s not a fair assumption to go off an animals first impression and we should consider the trauma they’ve gone though.

This is my 4 year old boy that was rescued at 7 months ached being found very sickly on the streets. We’re not sure if his backstory, but he had (and still somewhat has) an instinctual fear of trash bags which is heartbreaking to consider.

He’s very much an example of being patient with rescues or foster animals - he was always very sweet but initially avoided touch (would slouch under being petted, liked to sit in the same room but never within an arms reach.) Even brushing was too overstimulating for him until about year two.

Please remember that pets take time to warm up ❤️ within this past year (about 3 years after his adoption) we are so bonded! He snuggles around my head at night or likes to be laying against my legs. He’s my little shadow during the day and is even obsessed with our groomer brush (basically a vacuum with a brush attachment for pets. Crazy because he used to be scared of a regular comb!)

The 333 rule of adoption is usually standard, but I’d argue it could be 3333. Three days of staying in a safe confined location after adoption (like a bathroom), three weeks for them to get accustomed to the new place, three months to get close to you, and then three years to be totally and completely bonded and safe.

Animals go through trauma also, they need space to feel comfortable ❤️