adopt

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Feeling Snark-tastic

My bad: I didn’t proofread and lost a whole paragraph.
If you’ve been around here for a minute, you’ll know that volunteering is big with me and that I love handling dogs at Outreach events in the community. The part that I don’t always love are some of the comments I hear (repeatedly). Below is a compilation of some of the doozies.

For Love of a Dog

For Love of a Dog

1. “I couldn’t volunteer; I’d want to take them all home.” Guess what? You don’t need to justify to me why you aren’t volunteering, but I can guarantee that if you give it a try, you won’t even want to take half of them home. Or are you telling me you can’t visit the home of a friend because you are a chronic pet klepto and you find yourself wanting to take their pets home too?
2. “Is that a Pit?” For whatever reason, that drives me bonkers. Well, that is a dog that you are petting, not some hole in the ground that someone dug. It IS a Pit Bull mix, type, etc.
3. “Is it a Full Pit?” See above on digging a hole.
4. “What is it mixed with?” Except for the rare occasion that we know we have a full blooded so and so up for adoption, we label the dogs as mixes and without DNA testing, your guess is as good as ours. If pressed for an answer, I’ll tell you “sugar and spice.”
5. “What’s his or her story?” He or she needs a loving home.
6. “Will it bite me?” Probably not unless you bite it first.
7. “They get such a Bad Rap.” I know this is meant to be supportive and I truly appreciate your empathy, but sometimes continuing to point out the problem continues to keep the problem out there.
8. “Oh, it’s so sweet! Why is it at the shelter?” Very similar to “what’s the story,” but this time you’re just surprised that the shelter isn’t full of broken, misbehaving, unmanageable animals. True, everybody has a story and a lot of them are sad, but these are just dogs who need homes and with the help of the great staff, will find great homes.
9. And my favorite: you’re on the ground petting a dog, cooing over how awesome it is and ask what breed it is. You recoil upon hearing it is a Pit Bull mix.

Many of these comments are things I hear when I’m out and about with Ray or Julius, but fortunately not as much as many other Pit Bull owners have reported.

The bottom line, though, is I do love the support the community shows in coming to our events and supporting our cause. Just know that if you ask me any of the above questions, I will do my best to answer politely (usually) but now you know what I am really thinking.

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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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Which Craft?

As happens every so often, I get the urge to be all crafty and such and so this weekend I decided to make some jewelry and some bandanas. If you don’t really know me, you don’t realize that those two simple things can take on a life of their own and simple projects always become bigger than intended.

I had ordered some charms a while back and felt that with only the four-legged boys and myself at home, I would be able to procrastinate doing my housework get a lot of crafting done. The intent was to pick up just a couple of things I needed from the craft store (ha!) and return home to finish. Naturally, I came away with the things I needed, plus items for another project and an idea for a new type of project I want to learn to do.

Bad Droid pic

The first new project was pretty simple. I grabbed some brightly colored bandanas and for the lettering, there were these great iron-on embroidered letters and nearby were some sparkly paw prints to add. The project was so simple, but here’s where Iget lost in the rabbit hole. After realizing I had enough left over letters to do a “Ray” and a “Julius” bandana, I went back to a different craft store the next day and bought them each one. But of course I couldn’t stop there. Having made a pink and a blue “Adopt Me” bandana the first day, I decided to make some gender neutral ones, so I picked up two more. Plus more letters.

What we ended up with was a pink and a blue with black embroidered letters, a purple with gold puffy letters and an orange with blue puffy letters. The plan is to use these when taking some photographs and also when we go to Pet Expo in May, we usually don’t have enough “Adopt Me” vests available for all the dogs, so this should help supplement.

Julius got one in what is becoming his signature color, lime green, or Juli-bean green as we like to call it. And although Ray’s signature color (in my mind) is turquoise, he got one in yellow, to signify he sometimes needs space when we are out and about.

So naturally, after the projects were done, we had to do a photo shoot. It’s kind of a given, right? With a handful of treats and my camera and we headed to the living room where Julius was bounding and leaping in the air trying to grab the treats until I got them safely tucked away in my pocket. I turn to look for Ray and I see him sitting on the mat in front of the fireplace because naturally, that is where we usually do the pictures! I moved another mat to our shoot location and of course Ray knew the drill. Juli finally settled in and here are the results.

Strike a  pose!



Double profile!

We’re really looking forward to getting some adoptable pics soon, too.

How was your weekend?  Any crafty projects in your house? 

PS. If you follow us on Facebook, you know Asia met some pretty special someones, so stay tuned for the scoop!

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A Mile in Their Shoes

We all know and live by the creed that when we adopt a pet, it is forever.  We call it a Forever Home and we hear/read stories about families that have lost their home and are still struggling to keep the family structure intact.  Including the family pets.  We’re no different.  I would like to believe that if adverse conditions arose, I would go to extreme lenghths to keep the four of us humans and our five fur babies together.  We’ve had challenges with all five most of our fur babies at one time or another, but we’ve stuck with them.  That’s what families do.

I’ve looked with barely disguised distain at people dropping off their dogs at the shelter.  They obviously didn’t try hard enough, really want their dog, were not worthy, etc.  Judge, judge, judge. 

I also know people who have given up their pets because it really and truly was the best thing for their pet.  I would rather lose an arm than lose anyone of the souls living in my home, but if for some reason I was faced with a King Solomon-like situation I would surely, surely, hopefully do the right thing.  But we aren’t usually faced with something that crucial to know when it’s time to do the right thing. 

I have a co-worker who was asked do make an adjustment to their career path.  They declined.  They were asked several times over the course of several months and declined every time.  Finally, the request was made by someone two or three levels up, “Your company needs you to do this,” and the unofficial message was that this person would be remembered for the adjustment and later well thanked.  This was not a request to be taken lightly and it was mulled over sufficiently before being accepted.  A few months down the road we find that the sacrifices were greater than anticipated and this person believes that his/her two Great Danes would be better off in another home.

This person has been home approximately one to two nights or less per week and though there is a roommate who can feed and care for the dogs, this roommate is planning to move out of state, so now I would like to share two dogs who are still with their person, but are looking for new forever homes.  My co-worker would love to see them go together, but says they are not a bonded pair.

Here’s a little info:

The white dog with black spots

Neutered male, weighs 110 pounds.  He is UTD on shots and was adopted May 2012.  He was previously in a home with four other dogs.  He is a people dog and has to be around people all the time.  He is a licker/kisser and drools after drinking water.  He is laid back and a sweetheart.  Jumps some when meeting someone new but has been around kids with no issues. Has had some accidents when left alone for long periods of time.  He was three in September.

The black dog:

This neutered male weighs 135 pounds and was three in January.  He is also UTD on shots.  My co-worker has had this dog since it was 12 weeks old.  I’m told he is lazy around the house and doesn’t need to be near people all the time.  “He can be aggressive around other dogs as he is an alpha male.  he has been around kids with no issues.”  He has jumped the 4′ fence in the past.

Both dogs if adopted together, or one dog will come with a custom made three-bowl raised stand that the owner hand made, also with two plastic totes for food bones, treats, harnesses, leashes, etc.

This person was adament that the dogs would be “free to a good home” as he/she didn’t want to “sell” them.  I convinced this person that an adoption/rehoming fee should be obtained and that if they wanted the Allen County SPCA or any worthy organization would be glad to accept the donation to which this person agreed.

So here is the task at hand, dear Blog readers.  I would love to help find these two good homes, and would be forever appreciative if you’d share, share, share.   I’ve obviously hidden this person’s identity as well as possible so if you have someone interested, please put them in touch with me.  I can be reached through email.  Some of you have it and others can email peaceabull at gmail dot com.  or send us a message through Facebook. 

*These dogs are still with my co-worker who is trying to do right by them, which is why I am helping.  I will always stand by a decision that is made in the best interest of the animal.

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Meet Ruthie

Ruthie is a one year old Am Staff mix with a huuuuge block head and an even bigger heart.  I got a cryptic Facebook message about a new resident at the shelter whom I was sure to love and the bonus was that she loves to kiss.  Powerless to resist, I high-tailed it to the shelter and saw Ruthie.  She was still “red” meaning I couldn’t touch her yet, but as I sat drooling on the window and obeying the rules, the staff took pitty on me and said she had in fact been processed and I could take her out. 

Oh, the kisses she gave and the joie de vivre she exhibited!  This gal loves life and will take you on an adventure with her.  She covered me (and my new coat) with slobber evidence of her happiness and just all out seemed to be happy.  She pulled a bit on the leash but stopped and checked in at the appropriate times, so with a little bit of work she will be a great leash walker in not time at all.  With luck, she will be adopted before I really get to know her, but otherwise, stay tuned for more updates.

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Connections

As we continue nesting, we had a big adjustment to make in regards to heating. Our former home had radiant ceiling heat and therefore, no vents and ductwork. Since we now have a furnace and our new home had been vacant then redone, we decided it would be prudent to have the furnace and all of the ductwork cleaned.

One of the challenges when having work done in the home is making sure workers are not intimidated or fearful of my boys. Maybe I’m naïve, biased, or just a loving dog mommy, but how could anyone be intimidated or fearful of these faces? Ray’s nutmeg eyes are always so open and earnest while Juli’s onyx orbs are open and eager for love.

Anyhow, the worker showed up recently to clean the ducts and as is Kevin’s nature, he began finding out all there is to know about this person, namely not only was he a dog lover, he adopts and his wife wants to foster. As a result, Kevin called me to say his new friend adopted a Pit bull type from the shelter a couple of months ago. I said I would have to have met her, because I knew all of the pit bulls that came through there in the last year. Haley, he said her name was, a brindle girl. The only pit bull that was there around August was Rapunzel, who I was walking when I met Julius. “Are you sure they didn’t adopt from ACC,” I asked Kevin?

No, he said she was transferred from ACC to SPCA and that’s where they adopted her from. This sent me back to my photos in my phone. What Pit bulls would I have been walking around that time? Why couldn’t I remember Haley?

I sent Kevin a picture of Rapunzel and got a message back. “That’s her. She was called Rapunzel in the shelter, they call her Haley now.”

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Wordless Wednesday

How did this get out of sequence?

But you knew that, right?
Actually, he and Ray still have not met or interacted, but they see each other a lot and early indications are positive.  Also,  a conversation between my hubby and I went like this:
Me:  “So are we adopting Julius?” 
Him: “Wasn’t that your plan all along?”
Me: “My sister would have fostered him.”
H:  “Did she know that?”
M:  “Yes, besides, if we found a really good home for him, I would be able to give him up.”
Him, looking at me incredulously:  “He has a good home here with us.  Besides, I couldn’t give Julius up.”
M:  “Well, I guess we have two dogs.  I could never give up Ray.” 
H: “Duh!”


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If You Name the Puppy

I was out for a walk with one of my current favorites from the shelter recently when I encountered a big surprise.  Rapunzel and had stopped briefly for some poochie smoochies when all of a sudden I glanced up to see another dog running toward us.  He looked quite happy and sweet, but like with any off leash dog (without a collar) I felt a flash of apprehension.  He turned out to be just a dog of the neighborhood, about 5-6 months old and looking for some fun.  He was also somewhat dirty, had thin hair and a huge open sore on his ear. 

Had to Check
I had to make sure that whatever was wrong with this little guy’s ear wasn’t contagious and secondly that he wasn’t a stray roaming the streets so with the the help of some neighborhood folks and a loaned belt as a makeshift slip lead, I got them both back to the shelter.  Once in the intake kennel, this little guy started collecting hearts with his sweet demeanor and soulful eyes and I soon found myself sitting on the floor with fellow volunteer, E, making over this sweet pup.

A Dime a Dozen
Unfortunately our kennels were full so I soon discovered that Animal Care and Control was called to come pick up our little stray.  Being that he was clearly under a year old, I knew he had no chance of entering the Pit Bull ambassador program that AC&C offers so unless he was pulled by a rescue, his chances were slim and despite his winning personality, dogs who look like him are a dime a dozen in our area.

My buddy volunteer, E, began brainstorming.  E is at his city limit (5 dogs) but could take him home as a foster if he was in a program but that wasn’t guaranteed either.  I couldn’t let him go but knew I was possibly jumping into something by following my heart rather than my head.  I would take him to the vet to make sure the sore was not contagious and that the thinness of the hair was not mange.  We wondered what his name was or what we would call him.  I told E I had an idea, but “once you name the puppy, the puppy is yours” so we held off.

One of the great staff at the Shelter found a collar and leash we could use so E and I walked Puppy to the vet clinic for a check up where the entire staff of the clinic quickly became smitten.  He didn’t have mange and the sore on his ear is from fly bites.  Ick.  Dr. R said a topical antibiotic like neosporin would clear it up and since it looked like he’d be coming home with me, I had him wormed and vaccinated.  I nearly said his ‘secret’ name out loud, but I held strong.

Walking back to the shelter, we decided that E would take Puppy home until I got off work when a car came screeching up behind us and the driver said “HEY!” then glared at us.  The lady in the passenger seat got out and said, “That’s my dog.”

I asked her where she lived, and the street was the same as where I found him and she said he didn’t have a collar because he was playing with the other dog and it came off.  She said his name was Smokey and that he was the last of a litter that her dog, Onyx, had.  Because it was clearly her dog, with a heavy heart I handed him over with his new collar, a rabies tag, and a heartworm tablet.  We introduced ourselves and G took her dog away, saying he’d already had his vaccinations and this would be his second rabies tag.

About an hour later, I was surprised to get a call from E.  He actually sounded just as surprised as me, when he said G had returned to the shelter and decided that I might be able to provide a better home for “Smokey” and if I wanted him, I could come get him!

Tune in tomorrow for what happend next.