Ginny

Ginny is an adoptable female Pit Bull Terrier looking for a home at Maricopa County Animal Care & Control - East in Mesa, Arizona. She is fully grown and medium in size. She is currently on the shelter's euthanasia list with only 5 days left, listed due to behavior. Adopting Ginny, or even sharing her story, could save a life before it's too late.

Requirements NO SMALL ANIMALS Recommendations FAMILY INTRODUCTION LEASH WORK EXPERIENCED HANDLER ONLY DOG Memo 10/28/2026 10/28/26 12:18 This dog has started showing declining behaviors in shelter and demonstrated a recurring pattern of fluctuating in-kennel stress and anxiety, ranging from moderate to significant, over an extended period of time. These behaviors are often a response to the overwhelming sights, sounds, and confinement, along with the lack of choice or control over their environment. Although this dog continues to show appropriate behavior outside of the kennel with positive interactions with staff and volunteers, without intervention, well-being will continue to decline. Immediate placement is needed with an experienced adopter or New Hope Partner who can provide time and space to decompress in a calm, supportive home. Placement needed by close of business 11/2/26. May be at risk of euthanasia 11/3/26 or sooner if warranted. Intake 5/30/2026 How long have you had the animal? 1 DAY. SOURCE WAS WALKING WITH THEIR OWN DOG AND THIS PET RAN UP TO SOURCE. Has the animal been around other animals? What kind of animals? How would you describe the interaction with other animals? SOURCE HAS 1 LARGE DOG. WHEN THIS PET RAN UP, PET WAS BARKING/YIPPING, AT SOURCE AND THEIR DOG. THIS PET WAS MOUTHY WITH SOURCE'S DOG ON APPROACH. THIS PET DID CONTINUE TO YIP AND BARK AT SOURCE'S DOG WHILE CRATED. SOURCE'S DOG IGNORED THE BARKING/YIPPING FROM FOUND DOG IN CRATE. Was the animal around any other people or children? If yes, how would you describe the animals behavior towards other people/children? BARKED AND YIPPED AT SOURCE CONSISTENTLY WHILE WITH SOURCE. PET DID BRIEFLY SETTLED WHEN BLANKET WAS OVER CRATE. PET BARKED AND YIPPED AT ANYONE PASSING BY CRATE. NOT AROUND ANY CHILDREN WITH SOURCE. PET TOLERATED LEASH PLACEMENT BUT DID TRY TO PULL BACK. PET DID SETTLE IN CAR. PET PULLED HARD TOWARDS, BARKING AND YIPPING WHEN STAFF APPROCHED. Has the animal shown any aggression around other people? Might want to include a few examples of what aggression looks like. Barking, growling, lunging, etc.? If yes, what were the circumstances? NO. Did you keep the animal inside or outside? INSIDE. If inside, did you keep the animal in a crate or allowed to roam? Was the animal destructive in any way? CRATED. NO DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR. WHEN BRIEFLY FREE ROAM, PET DID HAVE A POTTY ACCIDENT. If outside, what kind of fencing do you have and did it contain the animal? ONLY OUTSIDE WITH SOURCE ON A LEASH. Did the animal show any aggression, like **growling, curling their lips, lunging** around food, toys, or bones? NO. Has the animal shown any signs of illness? SOURCE STATED PET'S URINE SMELLS STRONGLY AND SOURCE THINKS THEY MAY HAVE OBSERVED BLOOD. Does the animal walk on a leash? YES. PULLS VERY HARD. Evaluation Comments (Observations from our staff and volunteers) 10/27/2026 Social / Approaches easily, Easy / Cooperative, Pulling toward other dogs, Easy to redirect, Took on walkpath, Moderate pull on leash, Strong Pull, Medium energy, Social / Affiliative, Affectionate towards handler, Accepted pets, Easy return, Took treats gently, Played independently with toys, Demonstrated sit, explored play yard, allows all handling, fun, energetic, likes to play with rocks, easy return. 10/22/2026 Social / Approaches easily, High Energy / Excited, Took on walkpath, Strong Pull, Used harness wrap, Pottied during walk / in play yard, Medium energy, Intermittent engagement, Accepted pets, Easy return, Pulling toward other dogs, Took treats intermittently, Ginny loves to go! She is friendly but also independent. 10/17/2026 Solicited attentions, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, GINNY: Calm on approach, leashed w/all 4 on floor, very focused on rocks in yard, allowed all handling, allows handler to take rocks away, walks best on a harness leash, very focused on birds, affectionate w/handler easy leash retrieval on return 10/12/2026 Solicited attentions, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Not interested in toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Strong Pull on Leash, Sit 10/7/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Fetch toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, GINNY: Calm on approach , leashed overhead, allowed all handling, chews rocks in yard, does great on walk and plays w/toys indoors, pulls to barking dogs in wing on return, easy leash retrieval on return. 10/1/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, jumpy at pull leashed overhead, strong to moderate on walk, explored yard, allowed all handling likes to dig up rocks, playful, soft body, easy unleash on return 9/27/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, GINNY: Excited on approach, leashed w/all 4 on floor, allowed all handlilng, hyper focused on rocks in play yard, walked great on harness leash, very interested in birds, pulled and vocalized to passing dogs on walk, easy leash retrieval on return 9/21/2026 Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Not interested in treats, Strong Pull on Leash, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Quick leash, medium strong pull, pulled toward dogs but not vocal/reactive; immediately found a larger river rock & picked up - allowed to take w/o issue, focused on rock - not interested in other toys; allowed all pets; hard pull on return but easy unleash 9/15/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, jumpy on approach, leashed overhead, pulled to yard, explolred py likes to dig for rocks, playful, energetic, allows all handling, soft wiggly body, easy to unleash by hand and return 9/9/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, GINNY: Excited on approach, Leashed w/all 4 on floor, allowed all handling & bathing, obsessed w/rocks in yard, will give them to handler/drop them on command, easy leash retrieval on return 9/4/2026 Solicited attentions, Avoidant, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Not interested in toys, Not interested in treats, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Ignored dogs when walking past kennels, A little avoidant in play yard as she prefers to dig up rocks. Wasn't interested in toys or water. More engaging with handler on walk and accepted pets. 8/30/2026 Solicited attentions, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Pulled to exit, Sit, Ginny was easy to leash but pulls hard to the yard & for half of the walk. She was loose leash the rest of the way. Leaned in for pets & enjoyed attention. Sweet girl! 8/25/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit 8/20/2026 Moderate to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Strong Pull on Leash, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, jumpy at kennel door leashed overhead, strong to moderate pull on walk, will chase balls and stuffies in yard, allowed all handling did not seek attention, likes to dig up big rocks. Watch carefully- will try to chew on rocks, easy to unleash by hand and return sweet, girl 8/15/2026 Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Pulled to exit, Sit, Leashed w/4 on floor vocal on exit \"yipping\" until out of buildig. Pulled until placed in harness settled into a nice walk. Appears excited & vocalizes when she sees other dogs and notices birds. Had multiple BMs possibly potty trained. Accepted all affection & sits for treats. 8/10/2026 Solicited attentions, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Fence fight attempt, K9 walked around the yard and became interested in a river rock. Handler tried to redirect canine away from rock, K9 would break focus for a few seconds then go straight back to the rock. Was able to throw a ball and when K9 chased it, was able to pick up leash and leave play yard. 8/4/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Fetch toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, Ignored dogs when walking past kennels, Sit 7/29/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit 7/22/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Fetch toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Pulled to exit, Sit, playful and affectionate, loves chasing squeaky toys, lots of playful energy, enjoys pets 7/22/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Fetch toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Pulled to exit, Sit, playful and affectionate, loves chasing squeaky toys, lots of playful energy, enjoys pets 7/17/2026 Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, Ignored dogs when walking past kennels, Sit, intersted in people going by soft barks used modified harness 7/12/2026 dog ate 50% of food 7/10/2026 Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Fetch toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Calm, Ignored dogs when walking past kennels, Sit, Loved to play fetch with a stuffy. Only needed to use one. 7/10/2026 Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Fetch toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Calm, Ignored dogs when walking past kennels, Sit, Loved to play fetch with a stuffy. Only needed to use one. 7/3/2026 dog did not eat 6/28/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, Strong Pull on Leash, Calm, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Sit, Ginny was easy to leash/pull from her kennel, very strong pull to yard. Loves to chase tennis balls, accepted pets, smelled yard on her own. Took treats nicely, knows sit. Did bark at others as they walked by, had a big smile. 6/26/2026 Solicited attentions, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Not interested in toys, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Dog was closed in back for cleaning. Dog was loose and wiggly while giving some demand barks when handler approached. On our way out, dog grabbed a rock; handler tried to trade it for other toys (shaped like rock) but dog didn't want them. Dog eventually dropped rock. 6/25/2026 Solicited attentions, High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, When we walked out of the gate, Ginny found a medium sized rock that she got mouthy with, and we had to use some voice and toy coaching to get Ginny away from the rock. Moderate overall pull and approached neighboring dog on the way back. 6/24/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Much less pull on the walk compared to the day before. Tried to pull towards people passing by and vocalized some to neighboring dog when returning to kennel. 6/23/2026 Solicited attentions, Playful, High arousal, Moderate to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Somewhat pulley during the walk so we settled down on the benches out in the parking lot as it was getting warmer. Towards the end she suddenly charged at a bird which resulted me in losing grip on her leash but I was luckily able to call her back over with treats and voice! 6/22/2026 High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Moderate to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Charged and barked at bird that we were passing by. Pulled somewhat less when we sat down. A lot of straining done during defecation and I had to use multiple bags for cleaning it up due her defecating in different spots. 6/22/2026 High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Moderate to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Charged and barked at bird that we were passing by. Pulled somewhat less when we sat down. 6/19/2026 Solicited attentions, High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Somewhat Pulls on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Willing to come up to kennel to be leashed. Did not show much interest in the rocks today but frequently eliminates in certain areas around the shelter. 6/18/2026 High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Moderate to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Did a lot of barking at people and dogs passing by while on the walk and wanted to approach them. 6/17/2026 High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Difficult to return to kennel, Played with toys, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, Grabbed at leash, High Energy, Ignored dogs when walking past kennels, resource guarded the rocks she found at the play pen. Will take her to a play pen without rocks in the future. Had to lure with tennis ball coming back to kennel. 6/16/2026 Solicited attentions, Easy to pull from kennel, Moderate to return to kennel, Takes treats nicely, Strong Pull on Leash, High Energy, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, Approached when walking up to kennel with ears perked up and some panting. Pulled moderately hard on leash while walking and strong pull toward person walking towards entrance. Barked at one of the dogs when returning which made it take a bit longer to return to kennel. 6/16/2026 . 6/15/2026 Solicited attentions, High arousal, Easy to pull from kennel, Easy to return to kennel, Not interested in toys, Not interested in treats, Easy/Loose Leash, Calm, Appeared interested when walking past kennels, moderate pull to play yard. once in yard she was focused on playing with and chewing on big rocks. was not able to distract her with a large rope toy. harnessed her for a walk, moderate pull at first then mostly loose leash. didnt pick up any more rocks on our walk. sweet girl 6/11/2026 Dog did not eat. Adding wet food sign. 6/8/2026 Did not eat. 6/7/2026 Dog was at front of kennel, fast tail wag, panting, ears perked. Easy to leash. Walked with strong pull, stopped to urinate, defecate. Handler walked dog near pathway lined with large rocks; dog sniffed along rocks but did not appear overly interested, did not attempt to mouth any. Dog would demand bark while walking, not appearing directed any any specific thing, but did occasionally eagerly bark towards other dogs. Handler used leash pressure to guide dog away. Took to M&G room. Dog was energetic, panting, wagging tail. Allowed all petting. Demonstrated \"sit\" command, very interested in squeaky toy. Due to energy level, handler took dog on walk on back path. Switched to modified harness, dog remained pulling hard. Some zig zag to sniff; relieved self a few times. Strong pull on return. Entered kennel with guidance, allowed leash removal by hand. *Adopters should be counseled on managing high-energy dogs, including providing daily exercise and mental enrichment. Dog has previous notes of chewing on rocks in play yard and should be supervised when outside. Dog may benefit from daily enrichment and a variety of toys/smart toys throughout the day. Dog may transition best into a home as the only dog, but if adopters have a dog at home, introductions should not occur until end of 14-day decompression period, and they must be slow and supervised.* 06/24/26 08:45 Adding NO SMALL ANIMALS REQUIREMENT based on recent consistent notes of dog charging and chasing birds while on walk. 6/6/2026 *Needs to be taken to yard/room with no rocks. Dog was alarm barking as handler approached, body tense, pupils dilated, settled as handler began interacting, softened with wagging tail, took treats. Slightly avoidant of leash but would return to front of kennel, after a couple attempts dog eventually walked through leash loop, exited kennel and started pulling towards neighboring dog, able to redirect with modrate leash pressure, hard pull to yard. Once in yard dog began chewing and digging at a large rock, would switch between chewing on rock and leash, became vocal, difficult to break dog's focus, looked at handler briefly with soft body and wagging tail then turn attention back to rock, handler grabbed leash and used firm leash pressure to pull dog away, tossed rock out of yard, dog then found a smaller rock and began chewing again, handler picked up leash and once again had difficulty redirecting away, dog continued to pull hard towards rock, used firm leash pressure to redirect out of yard, hard pull back to kennel, easy return, able to remove leash by hand. 6/5/2026 dog didnt eat 6/4/2026 06/04/26 06:29 Did not eat 6/3/2026 at front of kennel, slightly tense body, alarm baking, panting, backed away when approached, came forward to sniff hand then resumed barking, took treats eagerly, backed away and alarm barked again after a few moments without treats. requesting full eval based on kennel presentation. 5/31/2026 K9 barks upon approach but easy to leash. Tolerated UA collection attempts. LOVES playing fetch with a tennis ball. 5/30/2026 Easy leashing, walking into Triage. Tolerated restraint for vaccines and allowed all petting. Walked to kennel and entered with no issue Name: Ginny Animal ID: A5165960 Breed: WHITE/BROWN AM PIT BULL TER/MIX Sex: Spayed Age: 3Y 11M Weight: 49.6 lbs Kennel: East Kennel, Wing B - 133 Intake Date: 5/30/2026 Deadline Date: 11/2/2026