Holiday Dogs Part 2

It was the last day of 2009 and what a better way than to help needy dogs at the county shelter. There were quite a few dogs today, definitely more than last week. Not sure if these dogs were new or brought back from their foster homes. Either way, they needed some love and care with the short staff at the shelter.

Magnolia

German Shepherd Magnolia has been at the shelter since November 17th. She is such a sweet dog, the only reason why I think she's been there so long is because of her age. Magnolia is 11 years old. That's considered a senior citizen in dog years. :(


Nonetheless, Magnolia desperately needs a second chance home. When I took her out of her kennel, I was surprised how energetic she was. We interacted out in the courtyard. She really doesn't play with toys or fetches a ball, but she absolutely loves affection and being brushed.

ID # A1320116
Tag # C581
Kennel # C044


Bear

One year-old Bear, a Chow-Chow Siberian Husky mix is a beautiful dog. He's rather calm for a Chow but his red thick coat represents his breed. Bear and I went for a walk around the gardens - he was easy to handle. Bear would make a great family pet.

ID # A1326163
Tag # C614
Kennel # C055

Isis

Isis is a black and tan Shepherd Mix who is 4 years old. She is a large dog who likes to be outside. Isis needs a lot of love and kindness. As I interacted with her, I noticed that she has had a rough life at her young age. She is extremely thin (perhaps once emaciated) and has remnants of wounds that are now healed. It appeared to me that Isis looked as if she was used for breeding. I gave her a massage which she loved. I could sense that her achy muscles felt better.

Isis needs a quite, calm home to make her feel love and at peace.

ID # A1324903
Tag # C356
Kennel # CP008


Jane

Jane doesn't have a picture but she is a cute 2 year-old black and white Boxer blend. As we walked she was pulling on the leash but as soon as I told her to heal, she did slow down. We decided to stop and sit on the steps for a while. For a good part of our time together, Jane laied on her back and I rubbed her belly - she LOVED that!

ID # A1324203
Tag # C608
Kennel # C067

Holiday Dogs

Today (12/19) I interacted with four dogs - all of which have been adopted or fostered since writing this post (12/27). With the holidays upon us, kind people have been adopting or fostering shelter dogs so to have a "home" during this time and enjoy in the festivities. It was the County's 1st Annual Holiday Claws and Paws Adoption Drive which became a hit: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/21/animals-find-home-holidays/

I'm so happy for these pets. I just hope that they have found their forever home. I will be volunteering again this week - stay tuned for an update!

Cass & Diego

Cass

Today, I met Cass, an energetic and friendly 2 year-old Chow-Chow mix who loves to play fetch. I spent about 20 minutes with Cass in the courtyard. She's affectionate and is learning how to sit on command using treats. Cass would make a wonderful pet for any loving home.
ID #A1314870
Tag #C494
Kennel #C025


Diego

Diego is a sweet 1 year old little Pomeranian/Pug mix. He loves to go on walks and is very well behaved - easy on the leash and walks right beside his dog-walker. Diego would make a great pet.
ID #A1318809
Tag #C386
Kennel #C010

Pattycake and Duke

Yesterday I (Simon and Cool's mom) volunteered at the local San Diego county animal shelter. I've been volunteering since January, about twice a month, walking, interacting and caring for dogs.

There are so many animals that need homes. With the economy the way it is, and number of foreclosures, pet owners have unfortunately been left to give up their beloved pets. This is a tell-tale sign by the number of animals in the shelters.

As a way to help promote these animals find their second chance/forever homes, I've decided to Blog about my experiences with the dogs I meet.

Pattycake

Pattycake is a sweet black and tan Miniature Pinscher/Chihuahua mix. She is very affection and well mannered 6 year old pup. When we went for a walk, she was very easy on the leash, was very energetic and liked to sit in my lap when we took breaks. Pattycake would make a wonderful pet for any family.
ID #A1314498
Tag #C998
Kennel #C30

Duke

Duke is an energetic Labrador Retriever/Sharpei mix. He is 4 years old and loves to play fetch. We played tug in the courtyard which he also loves. He is a strong dog who does not tire easily (unlike me). Luckily, I kept up with Duke and when he finally took a break, I tried teaching him how to sit using treats. He got the hang of it after a few tries.
ID # is A1303441
Tag# C492
Kennel #C033,

Cool's Surgery

I can't believe it's been almost a year since our last post. It's also been a year since Simon's surgery. Simon is doing very well. He's been very healthy and has not had any other episodes.

Cool, on the other hand, had a scare over the summer. We found a lump under his belly by his rib cage. Our vet had examined Cool and determined that a biopsy was needed to examine the foreign object. Unfortunately, the results came back that the object was a tumor (cancerous) - called spindle cell tumor. Cool had the tumor removed and our vet recommended that we give him radiation to make sure that the tumor did not grow back. We opted against radiation, after all, the vet was confident that she took enough of the margins around the tumor. Cool is also an older dog (going on 13) so we didn't want to put him through the misery of radiation.

It's been about five months now and luckily, the tumor has not returned. Cool is doing very well and is very healthy. Much thanks to our vet. We're very luck all around!