Tinker Is Seven, House-Trained, Loves Car Rides — and Waiting at the Mobile SPCA

Tinker did not do anything wrong. The 7-year-old Dachshund mix is at the Mobile SPCA because her owner could no longer care for her.

Her Condition

She arrived with a bad ear infection. She has been treated, and she is doing great now. Ear infections are common in Dachshunds and Dachshund mixes — the long, drop ears trap moisture and restrict airflow, creating conditions bacteria and yeast are happy to exploit. Left untreated, they are painful and can damage hearing. Treated, as Tinker’s was, they resolve.

What She's Like

By the shelter’s account, Tinker is sweet and calm. She is crate-trained and most likely house-trained. She loves to ride in the car. That is, frankly, a resume most adopters are actively looking for and most do not expect to find.

The Dachshund — a breed whose name is German for “badger dog” — was developed centuries ago in Europe to burrow into dens and flush out burrowing animals. That heritage explains both the long body and the drop ears, and it also explains a temperament that is often bold, loyal and stubborn in roughly equal measure. A calm, crate-trained adult of the breed, comfortable in a vehicle, is a companion well suited to an older owner, a quieter household, or someone who simply wants a small dog without the chaos of puppyhood.

How to Meet Her

Tinker is available now at the Mobile SPCA. Prospective adopters can contact the shelter directly to arrange a meeting or to ask about her adoption fee and medical records.

The Mobile SPCA is a nonprofit humane society that describes itself as one of the oldest continuously operating charitable organizations in Alabama. Its stated mission is to provide care, shelter, food and medical attention to the animals entrusted to it while promoting adoption, spay and neuter programs, responsible pet ownership and community education.