Adopt a shelter dog

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In the Interest of Fairness

I’ve known that PetSmart had BDL pretty much ever since I had Ray, so close to three years.  While I know it is wrong, I didn’t really give it too much thought for two reasons.  One, there isn’t a PetSmart doggy daycamp near us and even if there were, we wouldn’t use them.  We are so in love with the care, attention and socialization that Julius receives at Paw’s-n-Claw’s that we wouldn’t go anywhere else.  And two, it’s hard to get past the fact that PetSmart does a lot for homeless animals.  Even for homeless Bullies.

Proud to be a Pit Bull

Proud to be a Pit Bull

There’s a huge push this week to urge PetSmart to rethink their policy to reflect a more open admission that is based on temperament and not on breed/looks.

DSC_0008

After all, people look at these two and think “they look the same to me,” but they are as individual as a fingerprint with their own personalities, likes, dislikes and behaviors.  Neither is better or worse than the other, but they are different.  A passive solution would be to boycott PetSmart but to be honest, I don’t shop there very often at all.  I’m there more often to participate in adoption events and there have been only two instances that I have not handled a “bully” at these events.  Would PetSmart notice if I discontinued shopping there?  Nope.  Will I continue to handle dogs at adoption events held at PetSmart?  Yep, however I won’t be spending money there nor am I asking you to boycott, that is a personal choice for everyone to make individually.  I am asking you to voice your concern if you believe that all dogs should be seen as individuals.

Discrimination is discrimination and whether you would take advantage of their day care, or Pet hotel  or not, I urge you to stand against this by posting your pictures to the PetSmart Facebook page with the hastags #SeparateIsNotEqual #WhyCantIPlay #EndBDL #PetSmart

 

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Practice Makes Not Perfect But More Fun

I’m not a good photographer by any means and I just have an entry level DSLR, but the kind animals of the Allen County SPCA allowed me to take some pictures of them and for the first time, I was very happy with these in that I got nearly a 20% keep rate with very little editing.  Here are a few of my faves.

Delilah

Delilah

Delilah was the last model of the day for me and as it turned out, I had saved the best for last. She’s a tiny boxer gal who is calm and loving. She seemed like a pro, vogue-ing for the camera. Just a few shots and I knew I had “money.” She was beautiful and touching and will be a wonderful addition to any family.

Isabelle

Isabelle

Isabelle came out, sniffed around the yard, posted for pics and returned to her kennel. She was sweet and friendly in a tiny little package at only 38 pounds.

Capone

Capone

Capone seems very large, but upon checking weighs in just about the same as Julius at 76 pounds.  He is a lot of boy. I’m surprised to find that he is 4, because he has a puppy exuberance that will do well with training, oh, but he is a love bug!

Cha-cha Capone

Cha-cha Capone

I did do a few others but these were some of my favorite shots. So, while I’m fishing for compliments, which watermark do you like better?

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The Bully Collective-Clyde’s Story

As we’ve progressed through our Sunday Pack Walks, I’ve been trying to keep you up to date on our successes as well as our learnings because both are so important to not only our development as a pack, but as dog owners in general.  In honor of not only Adopt a Shelter Pet month, but Pit Bull Awareness month, I’ve asked the founders of our Pack Walks to share a story about their dogs.  This week, Lisa Reyes, has agreed to talk a bit about her dog Clyde (click and go LIKE him on Facebook…we’ll wait)  and how he came to be hers. 

I wasn’t looking to adopt.  As a matter of fact, it is my job to find homes for adoptable animals. I work part-time, for my city’s Animal Care and Control, as the off- site adoption Coordinator. When I had an event at our local Petco, I chose a Pit Bull mix named Loki to take along with 2 other dogs.  He was cute, had green eyes and about 8 months old. I like to take our Pit Bull and Pit Bull mixes so the public can see that the shelter has them in our adoption program.

Everyone loved Loki. He was pretty calm for a puppy and was gorgeous. Unfortunately, he did not get any applications at our event. I decided to take him to the next event to see if we had any luck, again he went without any serious interest. Pit Bulls tend to spend a longer amount of time at the shelter, because we have stricter rules for adopting.  Loki was going on a good month or longer in the kennels.

Photo: Lisa Reyes

Photo: Lisa Reyes

I couldn’t stop thinking about this well-behaved little guy that had such a rough start to life. It seemed that his previous family was evicted from their home and did not take him with them. He was rescued by one of our Officers and came into the shelter with a good case of mange.

I knew I was serious about adopting him after I realized I was constantly thinking about him, but I hesitated. I already have an 11-year-old Boxer /Lab mix named Adeshka.  In her aging process, she has become less tolerant of other dogs and I didn’t want to stress her out. I wasn’t sure she would even like having another dog in the house after being the only one for the last 6 years.

My reason for hesitation was the fact that Loki was a Pit Bull mix.  I wasn’t concerned about the breed and all the nonsense you hear about them being inherently aggressive.  I had worked with and around enough of them through the years to know that they are good dogs.  My concerns were more practical. I am a renter.  I live with a friend that owns his home now, but I will be moving out in a year or so. How will I find a home? I am not in the position to buy a house and it is hard to find a place that allows Pit Bulls. Will I end up in the “worse” part of town? Will I end up adopting a dog and find myself homeless next year? Can I afford the renters insurance that covers Pit Bull/mixes?

My other concern was general ignorance. Like so many pet Moms/Dads, I’m protective of my fur babies.  How will I respond to prejudice?  Will I be able to hold my tongue and be a good Pit Bull owner role model?  Pit Bulls tend to get a bad rap, but let’s be honest, there are a lot of really poor Pit Bull owners out there that don’t represent the breed well.  I don’t want to be one of them.

So, it took me about 2 weeks to decide if I was going to adopt Loki. I got in touch with our local Pit Bull coalition and asked about housing. I talked to several friends and colleagues about Pit Bull parenting. I felt confident that I would be able to do this. All the while, poor Loki was still sitting in the kennel waiting for a family. I called the shelter on a Friday and said “I want him”! The response was, “Oh, sorry, he got 2 applications today. He will probably go home on Monday”. Wow, my bubble burst. I figured it wasn’t meant to be.  I told myself that the only thing that mattered was that he had a good home and didn’t spend another day in the kennel.

Monday came and I had to head into the shelter to do some work. My colleague said that the people were there to meet with Loki and another little Pit mix, so they could decide which dog they wanted to adopt. Apparently the other people who put a hold on him did not follow through. I prepared myself to say goodbye to him.  It was a bittersweet day.

Did I mention that Loki had mange? Well, the people that came to see him decided that they didn’t want to put the money into treating him and decided to go with the other dog. Loki could be mine!! Now, I just have to see if my dog and my roommate got along with him.

Adeshka came in to meet him and it went as expected. She pretty much ignored him.  My roommate thought he was great. It all worked out. I could take him home the next day.

I picked him up in the morning and we started our new journey together. First things first, Loki was not his name. He was too calm, kind of an old soul. He is Clyde. Yes, an old man’s name for a little boy who has already lived through too much.

Clyde has since come out of his shell. He is a wonderful, spirited, affectionate, snuggly, tail thumping, face licking boy. I feel lucky every day to have him in my life. He is a true ambassador for his breed. He is not perfect. We are still working on manners and training. He is still young and I am still learning myself. I took for granted how easy my girl, Adeshka, is. She is so well-behaved and very low maintenance.

I’ve been lucky not to have had to deal with much prejudice so far. I am thrilled that I am able to take Clyde to work with me. Most of our clients look forward to seeing him and the staff treats him like a king. Surprisingly, the neighbors behind me had a Pit Bull for 14 years and he was loved by everyone. My neighborhood, considered to be in the “nice part of town”, has several Pit Bull’s/mixes. I love that the face of the Pit Bull guardian is changing into someone just like me and you.

 

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Weekend Wrap Up

This past weekend was a busy one with wrapping up the AdoptaJubitation, readying for the next round of celebrations coming up in August, helping with the baby’s two year photos and taking a beautiful girl named Meadow to Pride Fest.

 

Proud to be a Pit Bull at Pride Fest

Proud to be a Pit Bull at Pride Fest

I’ve been enjoying a look back via the Timehop app at some of the first pictures of Julius in our home ad what has surprised me is that he looks so at home even on the first day or two. July 26th is actually the day I brought him to our home and it wasn’t actually until a few days later that we officially decided to utter the words aloud that we really were keeping him.

 

For the second year in a row, I was able to bring an adoptable dog from AC SPCA to Pride Fest. Little Miss Meadow, who seems so quiet and reserved in the kennels, completely blossomed among the crowds of people who stopped by to visit our booth. She handed out kisses and affectionate tail wags to scores of people, accepted pats while gnawing on a bully stick and only barked at one person…the protester outside the main gate. What a good girl.

 

Aurora and Meadow

Aurora and Meadow

The second kennel-mate Meadow has had since arriving at the shelter was adopted on Sunday, so I’m hoping Meadow’s person comes soon. She is definitely the type of dog who would love living with another dog, so I hope that will happen for her.

 

Finally, our “contest” is over, so I want to thank everyone who commented, liked, shared and/or entered. Allie F. is the winner, so be on the lookout for your package.

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Queen Bee

Over the weekend, I stopped by the shelter to visit with the adorable pocket pittie named Meadow whom you may have seen spammed all over a picture or two of on my personal Facebook page.  I had actually meant to make a quick visit to her on the way to running some errands and though this story isn’t about her, here is another gratuitous picture.

Meadow

Meadow

After I visited with Meadow, I departed the kennel area to find Miss Honeybee wandering around the hallway having escaped from her gated office accommodations.   “Hey, what are you doing out here?” I asked her, to which she turned and in all of her haughty splendor gave me a look that quite clearly said, “Why are you daring to speak to me, peasant?”

I shoo’ed her back towards the office in which she was being kept, all the while she darted indignant glances at me over her shoulder as if to ensure that I wasn’t thinking of touching her.  As I reached in an attempt to navigate her back over the gate opening I was treated to one more frosty gaze, so I sat and waited for staff to come rescue me.  When a staff member arrived with another dog on leash, I explained that Honeybee had escaped and that I was a bit afraid to touch her.  I held the leash of the 80 pound dog she had been showing and she scooped up all 6.2 pounds of  Honeybee to be returned.

Honeybee, photo courtesy of Allen County SPCA

Honeybee, photo courtesy of Allen County SPCA

I know when a dog doesn’t want to be touched and  I respected her wishes in an effort to not get myself bitten.  After all, what would have happened if she bit me?  She’d have to go into bite quarantine, we’d have to fill out a report and you know, they just have such a bad rap anyway, that I wanted to save her from any prejudice a potential adopter may have in feeling they were unsafe with a dog of her breed.

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Fostering Good Will

Some people have a special calling and if the stars align, they are able to pursue that path. I am not one of those people in the strictest sense. I have a good job, enjoy a steady work schedule and work for a company that encourages community involvement. Though I never expected to be in this industry, I’m fortunate to be in this situation. It allows me to pursue my animal care/advocacy avocation to a degree that makes me happy. It also allows for another in my home to fulfill his special calling from time to time.

 

When Julius came into my life, I’m convinced that he ran up to the right person but also convinced that it was because this person was walking a dog. Julius loves dogs. He loves going to day care, he loves people, life, children who are respectful, some treats, bully sticks, and all dogs. He is the dog who helped Ray deal with his reactivity and he is the dog who helps me welcome our temporary fosters. Juli’s calling is to be an ambassador of good will for all dogs.

 

Tora the A-Dora-Bull

Tora the A-Dora-Bull

When we brought in our beloved Tora, she was really able to shed some of her Mama persona and become a romping, happy young gal again with Julius. And if you are friends with me, or follow the boys on Facebook, you will have seen that we had anther visitor over the weekend.

 

Little Krispie captured my heart the moment I saw him. This sweet little puppy was sitting on his Kuranda bed, obviously overwhelmed and wondering where he was and why he was there. (Actually I think he was born in the shelter-the one we pulled him from-, adopted and returned with his collar imbedded in his neck-a lot in his few four months of life.) After visiting him a second time, he came carefully wiggling up to the door, so Asia and I entered his kennel and gave him some love and learned that he stunk. To high heaven.

Babies

We decided to bring him home for the evening for a bath and some puppy-lovin’ time but it almost didn’t happen. When I came to collect him he was afraid to leave his kennel and once out, afraid to walk past the other dogs to the extent that he pancaked. I made a calculated decision and picked him up and carried him to the pittie van where he settled happily into the cushions on the floor. We made a stop at greenDogGoods where he was gifted with some (much needed) shampoo and he helped me pick out a large rawhide for Ray, who he wouldn’t be meeting.

Water Break

When we got home, Asia put the Peaceabull boys in the house and we let Krispie get acquainted with the yard and when he looked pretty comfortable, we releashed him and brought Julius out on leash. We did a few intros and after just a few short minutes we could tell by their body language that they were going to be great friends. While I knew Julius would be fine, I wondered about Krispie who seemed so tentative at first, but he quickly became Julius’s little shadow. They played and romped both that evening and the next morning before Krispie was returned for what was to be his last day without a forever home and there was even a moment when Julius had to “correct” Krispie which went well.

 

All in all, I’m just bursting with pride over how much Julius embraces this role and how easy he makes it for other’s to have a bit of a break from the kennels and enjoy the comforts of a home.  Would Krispie been adopted so quickly otherwise?  I have no doubt that he would have.  Someone that stinking cute (well, less stinking after his visit) wasn’t going to stay homeless for long, but it was great to be able to give him some healthy interactions with Julius and with the baby.

 

Our calling.  When I brought Ray home, I had visions of being a great team of Ambassadors for his breed.  Now, I have two.  Ray does really well in public in general.  He has good leash skills, is quite calm and ignores most dogs but we keep him out of foster situations and extended one on ones.   He is my shopping and event ambassador.  Julius is my one on one dog ambassador and all around good party host who does well with most situations.  I feel like I hit the jackpot.

What is your dog’s “appetite” for entertaining guests?

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Superstition Is The Way

There is a superstition at the Shelter that if you suddenly think about or talk about a dog that has been adopted for quite a while, you’ll soon hear something adverse about that dog or it will suddenly come back.  Although I don’t work there, there have been times when I’ve gone through my camera roll and deleted pictures of adopted dogs only to find them back in the kennels within a week or so, or worse.  Not included in this (for me) are the dogs who have been adopted by people who are friends or have become friends like Glamour (now Kya), Pop Tart (now Kahlissi) and Nina.

Glamour/Kya

Glamour/Kya

Leesi

Leesi

Nina

Nina

They are all in great homes and I get to hear about them and on occasion, Julius gets to play with the Nina-bean.

While I do think about many others occasionally and there are some pictures that I can no longer associate with a name, there is one who remains in my heart and is never far from my thoughts.

Big Mama Tora

Big Mama Tora

I constantly hope she is doing well while secretly hoping she’ll wander back into my life. Is that as bad as I feel it is?

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Keeping Up Appearances

Ah, Friday, I’ve waited all week for you!  Today is warm, but not too hot, sunny, slightly breezy, casual wear, last day before staycation day and I can feel the wind down begin.

I actually spent my lunch hour with my favorite shelter boy, Deuce, and our own Hometown Hero, Jessica, chatting about all of the great things in store for the animals in this community and their humans.  Sometime during the course of the conversation, Jessica pointed out that Deuce had left (multiple) smudge prints on my clothes. 

As I headed back to work, the running dialogue in my brain reflected that I should have been more careful and that if I took more pride in my appearance, I might not have to sit in the office for the remainder of the day with paw prints on my pants and sweater.

pooldeuce

Then on the heels of that thought (do thoughts have feet?) I realized I take great pride in my appearance.  These multiple paw marks were born from multiple hugs from a dog who loves and trusts me.  They’re from a dog who six weeks ago was happy to see me but so unsure of himself that he pancaked and urinated on himself.  These marks are from a dog who has gained some self confidence back and can ask for affection as freely as he gives it.  I was a part of his growth process, so yeah, I’ll wear this badge of honor pretty darn proudly.

Enjoy your weekend!

 

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Driving Mr. Deucey (part two)

Oh, the pressure. I knew this would be a two-part post, but I didn’t exactly have the second part written. Actually, I had started this and trashed it several times, but since I’m running out of time, I’ll give this a shot.

Deuce is listed as a Dalmatian/Labrador mix, but it is apparent by his pictures and by my interest in him that there is more to him than that. He has some sort of Pit bull type in him, of that I’m sure and though I’m considered by many to be a Pit Bull advocate, I still try to lean toward being a dog advocate who loves Pit Bull types.

We live in a community that is still emerging as far as breed equality goes. We have a Pit Bull Coalition and both shelters adopt out Pit Bull types, but we are still treading a very thin line. If I had a dime for every time someone in this community says “they just get a bad rap,” I’d be on my way to being wealthy. I almost feel like every time someone says that, they are propagating the “bad rap” itself.

Anyhow, we all have a handicap or a stigma about us. For some of us it is internal, for some it is external but we each have memories or situations which have shaped who we are and make us “different.” For me, growing up I was the only ray of sunshine in the box of pale crayons that was my school. I always knew I looked different and if I somehow forgot, there was always someone there to remind me.

That brings us to Deuce and the Tent Event. Deuce is now and forever will be considered a reactive dog. A reactive Pit bull type dog which makes everyone tread that much more carefully regarding him. When I heard he wouldn’t be able to attend the Tent Event, I made it my mission to not only handle him but let his true colors shine through.

Overseeing the event

Overseeing the event

As you can see from the photos, Deuce and I set up camp a few yards back from the rest of the goings on. I had a camp chair, a couple of weatherproof blankets, a portable water bowl, several cool bottles of water, a can of squeeze cheese, a dental bone, Zuke’s treats, a tug toy, a stuffie, Ray’s elephant collar and bow tie, and poo bags. I figured we could hold court a nice distance away from the fray. While back there, we witnessed several barking dogs, several dogs “correcting” other dogs, at least four volunteers who conveniently forgot poo bags, a few dogs playing nicely with each other and a huge crush of humanity under and around the tent.

chill

At no time did Deuce lunge, jump (except on those whom he already loves), growl, over fixate and the only time he barked was when a truck with two barking dogs drove by.  Deuce was calm, relaxed and feeling secure, so he was able to shine as the loving, sweet, playful, smart puppy that he is.  He was the featured dog on  the radio station that was broadcasting from the event and we even had a gal tell us that she heard about him on the radio and came to meet him.  Those who were savvy enough understood that our distance was in an effort to give Deuce some space and only one woman had to be told three times to give us space.  It was space I had asked for, but Deuce was still showing signs of relaxation and calmness.  At the end of the day, he did get an application, but whether or not his true forever family has found him yet remains to be seen.

Until then, I and the scores of folks in his corner will continue to love and care for him as he deserves.  So if you know of anyone in search of an 8-10 month old LabraPitmation, please send them our way.