The Apple of My Eye

We all know what a Cadbury egg looks like inside, right?  Creamy white and yellow, just makes my mouth water to think about it.  Well, my friend Cadbury, named so because he arrived at the shelter on Easter morning, brings a smile to face every time I see him.

The first couple of days, he was very reserved and not sure he wanted to make friends.  Once we gained his trust, you would have thought he knew us all along.  When I’m speaking with a potential adopter in front of his kennel, he always glances to me for reassurance that the stranger before him means no harm.  Because of his “checking in,” I’m sure he will bond quickly with his new family and easily be trained by using positive reinforcement to help him build his confidence; after all, what he truly wants is to be someone’s best friend.

He had the unlucky experience, while out on an enjoyable walk with a volunteer, of another shelter dog climbing a 6’ fence and attacking him.  He was painful and depressed for a couple days, but now he’s feeling better and hopefully has forgotten about that terrible episode.

I really hope this special soul finds his companion shortly, so he can enjoy his summer going on many wonderful adventures instead of hanging out in the kennels day after day.

Two for One Fun

When Gritty & McDuff arrived at the shelter, they seemed anxious, barky, and somewhat of a handful.  After all, it’s not easy to have your whole life turned upside down and find yourself in a strange place being poked and prodded by strange people.

Gritty, the larger of the two and missing one eye, is confident and likes to take the lead in their relationship.  This boy loves tennis balls!  He is amazingly fast and is an expert at the game of fetch.

McDuff can be anxious and can no longer hear, so he barks quite a bit when he’s kenneled, as is often the case with deaf dogs.  But, it’s important to note that outside of his kennel, he’s a dream.  An interesting highlight of McDuff’s past is that he was trained as a therapy dog when he was younger.  Pretty impressive!

They have been residents at the shelter for some time now and have definitely become more comfortable and are beginning to relax.  Initially we felt they would be better with older children, due to their age and the fact that they had never lived with children.  But, to the delight of everyone, they proved that they think young children are pretty cool, as seen in this photo of a recent fundraiser. 

We still would feel better if this handsome pair went to a quieter home and where the folks are thoughtful of Gritty’s “disability,” as he is easily startled when approached from his right side.

These two guys are sweet, fun, and full of energy.  Nobody told them that they should be slowing down at 13.  They love long walks and keep a pretty quick pace at that.

It’s wonderful to see these two come out of their shell, but it would be even more wonderful to have them find a family that would love them through their golden years.