Meet Twinkie

Twinkie is a girl for the people.

She loves attention, wants to be wherever her person is, and would probably crawl directly into your skin if there were a way to make that happen. Thankfully, she's under 40 pounds, so when she decides personal space is unnecessary, she's a pretty manageable little shadow.

We believe Twinkie was originally found as a stray and ended up at Kansas City Pet Project. When she arrived at the shelter, she was absolutely covered in fleas. We don't know what her life looked like before she was found or how long she had been living that way, but her condition made it clear that she hadn't been receiving the care she needed.

You certainly wouldn't know it from the way she feels about people. Twinkie loves them. She wants their attention, their affection, their butt scratches, and preferably a spot right beside them. Whatever happened before she was found, this girl is more than ready to enjoy the good life now.

The Promise We Made to Twinkie

We promised Twinkie that being cared for would never be an afterthought again.

She deserves a soft place to curl up, people who notice what she needs, and a family committed to all the little things that come with keeping her comfortable and healthy. And for a girl who loves attention as much as Twinkie does, we think she deserves a home where there's plenty of that too.

Most importantly, she deserves to know what it feels like to be someone's priority.

At a Glance

Energy: Low

Training: House trained and kennel trained. Very responsive to correction and encouragement.

Dog Friendly: Yes. Currently fostered with two male French Bulldogs.

People Friendly: Absolutely

Kid Friendly: Expected to do well with kids based on her friendly, affectionate personality, although she hasn't been directly evaluated with children yet.

Cat Friendly: Unknown

Small Animals: Unknown, although she loves chasing squirrels in the backyard.

Medical: Twinkie currently receives daily ear drops and may benefit from ongoing ear maintenance. Daily over-the-counter eye drops have also been recommended for slight entropion. A veterinarian has discussed the possibility of palate/nares surgery to potentially reduce recurring upper respiratory infections, although she is currently comfortable and does not struggle to breathe.

Personality

Twinkie is friendly, loving, loyal, and wonderfully laid back. She loves people and has yet to meet someone she doesn't consider worthy of her attention.

Most of her day can be happily spent snoozing, preferably somewhere close to her person. Every so often she'll take a break for a game with her lamb stuffie or some time with a Benebone before returning to the important business of relaxing.

She can also be a little demanding when another animal is receiving attention. There's nothing mean about it. Twinkie simply feels there has been an administrative error and the attention should probably be redirected back to her.

She's very responsive when corrected and easy to redirect, especially when butt scratches are involved.

In the Home

Twinkie currently lives in a calm foster home with two male French Bulldogs, and the environment seems to suit her perfectly. Her foster works from home, so she gets to spend most of the day surrounded by people and dogs.

Mornings start around 7 with medication, a potty break, and a quick game of fetch. She spends much of the rest of the day relaxing, and as the weather cools, her foster plans to incorporate more walks so she can get out and socialize.

When she does need to be left alone, Twinkie is comfortable going into her kennel. She also sleeps quietly in it throughout the night without a peep, although she has jumped onto her foster's bed a few times and waited as if someone simply forgot to tuck her in there instead.

Dinner is served separately around 6, and when Twinkie is finished, she politely announces it by scratching at the door.

With Other Dogs

Twinkie currently lives with two male dogs and has done well with both of them. She's comfortable sharing her home with canine companions and hasn't shown any general issues with the dogs themselves.

Her stuffies are a different matter.

Twinkie currently considers certain toys hers and can become a little rough if another dog tries to share them. Her foster has been able to interrupt and redirect her easily before things escalate, but this is something a future family will need to manage rather than ignore.

Because Twinkie also prefers having plenty of human attention for herself, she could be very happy as an only dog or living with compatible, more independent dogs who aren't bothered by her desire to be center stage.

With People

Twinkie loves them. All of them.

She hasn't met a stranger and will happily soak up as much affection as anyone is willing to provide. She's incredibly loyal to her person and wants to be close throughout the day, whether that means following them around, curling up beside them, or simply keeping them company.

Her calm personality could even make her a great office companion for someone able to bring their dog to work. She's also a great car rider, so being included in her person's day would suit her just fine.

At the end of the day, Twinkie really just wants a best friend.

With Kids

Twinkie hasn't had the opportunity to be directly evaluated with children yet, but based on what we know about her personality, we don't have any reason to believe kids would be a problem for her.

She's affectionate, social, laid back, and loves attention from people. We expect she could do well in a home with children with normal supervision and introductions.

With Cats and Small Animals

We haven't evaluated Twinkie with cats or other small animals.

She does love chasing squirrels in the backyard, so her behavior around smaller animals should remain an unknown until properly evaluated.

Training & Care

Twinkie is kennel trained and doing very well with house training. She hasn't had urine accidents in her foster home. There have been a few bowel accidents, and her foster believes she's still figuring out how to signal when she needs to go outside. With a consistent routine and time to learn the expectations of a new home, she's expected to continue improving.

She's obedient, food motivated, and easy to correct and encourage. Cheese happens to be a particularly compelling argument.

Twinkie will need a family comfortable with some ongoing daily maintenance. She currently receives ear drops each morning and may benefit from some form of long-term ear care. Because of slight entropion, daily over-the-counter eye drops have also been recommended.

A veterinarian has also discussed the possibility of palate/nares surgery as something that could potentially help minimize recurring upper respiratory infections. At this time, Twinkie doesn't appear bothered by it and isn't struggling to breathe, but her future family should be willing to monitor her and follow veterinary recommendations as needed.

Ideal Home

Twinkie could probably fit comfortably into several different types of homes, but her dream situation is one where she gets plenty of access to her favorite thing: her people.

Someone who works from home, can bring her along to work, or simply spends a lot of time with their dog would make Twinkie very happy. She has a relaxed enough personality that she doesn't need constant activity. She mostly wants the companionship.

She could be an only dog and happily accept her rightful position as center of attention, or she could potentially live with other compatible, independent dogs. Her family will need to manage her toys appropriately and be committed to keeping up with her eye and ear care.

Give her a soft place to sleep, daily affection, a few good toys, and people who don't mind having a shadow, and Twinkie won't ask for much more.

A Note from the Foster

Twinkie is the kind of girl who just wants to be your best friend. She's happiest right beside her person, soaking up every bit of love and attention she can get.

She loves butt scratches, her stuffies, Benebones, cheese, car rides, and a good snuggle. Then, when she finally falls asleep, her little tongue has a habit of peeking out.

She really doesn't ask for much. She just wants to be next to her person.

Promise Pup Highlight

Twinkie has perfected the art of doing very little while still somehow being completely entertaining.

She's happy snoozing the day away, carrying around her favorite stuffie, accepting butt scratches, or tagging along with her person. Add in the little tongue that sneaks out when she sleeps and that permanently wrinkly face, and she's pretty difficult to resist.

The Promise Moving Forward

We promise Twinkie that we'll find the home where being obsessed with her isn't considered excessive.

She came into the shelter covered in fleas and clearly in need of care. The rest of her life should look very different. She deserves people who pay attention to the little things, keep up with her eye and ear care, give her the soft places to sleep that she loves, and make sure she's never short on affection.

Most of all, we'll find the people who are happy to make Twinkie the center of their world, because that's exactly where this girl would like to be.