This rescue loves Keto food, her focus-time, and spending time with her family.
Name: Momo
Originally, she was named Mochi because she looked like a tiny chocolate mochi ice cream, but once she got bigger, she stopped looking like Mochi, and I shortened her name to Momo.
Members of Family: Mary Lam, Brian Chen, and dog-brother Max
Age: 13
Breed: Mostly Labrador Retriever
Adoption Story: At the time, I was living in Washington D.C., and decided that I wanted a dog. I saw Momo, whose name was Froot Loop, on Petfinder and visited her at the Washington Humane Rescue Alliance shelter. The shelter bases many of its practices on pet behavior research, so all of the puppies were cuddling in one room with classical music playing in the background.
I went into the puppy room, and 2-month-old-Momo ran up to me with her gigantic green eyes, immediately snuggled up, and started to fall asleep on my lap. I adopted her the next morning.
Likes: She is obsessed with steak. She loves chicken and turkey as well—we joke that she is on a Keto diet because she loves meat and cheese so much. Luckily, she’s a rule follower and won’t jump up on the counter to steal food.
Dislikes: She doesn’t like cats, or loud noises—especially fireworks. She’s very anxious, so she likes things to be quiet and chill.
Interesting facts: Because she’s so smart, every evening we do a thing with her called ‘focus time’ to tire her brain out. During her focus time, she practices and learns tricks, and eventually, she’ll be tired enough to settle down. The most interesting trick she knows is to play dead when I say “Bang”.
Anything else: Having a rescue dog is one of the most rewarding — and challenging — experiences I’ve had. Momo has taught me so much about animals, and the power of positive reinforcement training. She is the best girl in the world, and I love her so much.