Rainy Day Got You Down? This Adoptable Dog Will Lift Your Spirits

No matter the weather, Rainey just couldn’t catch a break. When it rained, the young chow chow—tethered and penned in a North Carolina backyard—watched her tiny dirt patch turn to filthy, inescapable mud. On clear summer days, she baked in the sun, wishing someone would come along and give her thick matted fur a shave. Come winter, she would have curled up in a flimsy plastic doghouse while her human family stayed warm and toasty indoors.

Luckily, PETA’s fieldworkers—friends to lonely “backyard dogs” everywhere, rain or shine—came to her rescue and convinced her former owner to give her a chance at the indoor home she’d always deserved. She spent a few days in a comfortable guest room at our Norfolk headquarters, where she experienced the joys of air conditioning for the first time—and only went out in the rain when she felt like taking a splashy walk with an admiring staffer.

In her foster home, Rainey’s unique personality has been shining through. Like most chows, she can be aloof, especially when meeting new people. She likes to play it cool until she knows you’re trustworthy—kind of like a cat.

But once Rainey decides you’ve made the cut, she’s all dog—a friendly, playful ball of fluff. At only 2 years old, she still has plenty of youthful enthusiasm. Once she gets going, watch out—that trademark blue chow tongue will be flapping in the wind as she runs circles around her human fans. And when playtime’s over, she’ll be ready to relax on your very best chair—you weren’t sitting there anymore, right?—and track the weather from the dry side of the window.

Rainey has gotten along well with other dogs, but this independent gal would also be perfectly happy in a single-dog family. She’s been spayed and checked over by a veterinarian, and she’s ready to put her gloomy days behind her.

Can’t resist Rainey’s supremely fluffy face? E-mail [email protected] to learn more.