One of the ladies that works in the kennels at the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter came to me with a request. She said, Jen, can you talk about Olivia?
I told her it would be my genuine pleasure.
Olivia is a 2-year-old terrier/lab mix who arrived at the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter on September 20, 2023. She’s been in our kennels for more than a year now, and she is one of our longterm residents.
Being a longterm resident isn’t really something animals aspire to at CVAS. It means that they’ve lived for the longest time in the kennels, and we don’t want that. We want to be their transition, not their permanent home.
We love our animals a lot, but we want to see them with loving families, not living in kennels.
Olivia is about 2 years old, and she gets overlooked a lot because of her energy level.
She actually attended a dock diving event for the shelter earlier in the summer, and she had a blast. She loves to meet people and seems to be fine with other dogs. We couldn’t get her to jump in the water no matter how hard we tried, but she had a good day and got lots of treats.
Olivia is actually a super sweet girl who loves to give kisses. You’ve got to check out her picture on our page on petfinder because she’s got her tongue absolutely hanging out of her mouth, and it’s completely hilarious.
She can be stubborn and bull-headed when she wants to, but who can’t? Am I right? Olivia will listen, but she might try to get away with stuff first.
She’s incredibly treat-motivated, so she will obey if you’ve got a treat in your hand. I have to admit – my mom just loves when I reveal these innermost workings of my mind – I get being motivated by food. If you want me to do something, there’s a much stronger chance I’ll consider if it there’s a pizza involved. I’m just saying.
Olivia does know how to sit, so she has been trained. You just have to work with her to get her to do it.
She also tends to jump up when she gets excited. Because of this, there may be an age restriction for children in the home. I do believe that children should grow up with animals, but we just want to make sure that everyone in the house is safe – and Olivia has a ton of energy.
She’s also a medium-sized dog, so if we’re talking a toddler, Olivia could very easily knock him or her over.
She also likes to chase all kinds of objects, so cats probably shouldn’t be in the home.
Olivia also has a thing about her space. She can get protective of it and as a result, she doesn’t look terribly friendly in the kennel. We think that is likely a big part of the reason she’s been with us for more than a year. Despite her antics at the kennel doors, she really is a sweetheart and needs her forever home.
We think she would do really well in a home with another dog to run around with and a fenced in yard.
When our animal care technician Kelly came to me, she said, Olivia is just such a nice dog, it’s a shame she’s had to live in a kennel for more than a year. She needs a home where she can play and be loved.
I couldn’t agree more.
I always tell people that our animals are waiting for their people, especially our longterm residents. We give them all the time that they need to find the humans they are supposed to be with.
I have to ask for Olivia – could she be waiting for you?
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Animal lovers can help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
