Too Cute Tuesday

No, we're not Pit Bulls. Yes, we're adorable!

From YesBiscuit!: Thirteen MS Dogs Now Available for Adoption

YesBiscuit! has an update on 13 of the over 400 pets rescued from a Mississippi shelter in January.

This shelter was designed to hold 60 animals, but when authorities arrived, they found OVER 400 pets living in filthy conditions. You can imagine the horrible neglect of these poor animals. According to the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia (HSNEGA), the 13 dogs they took in were suffering primarily from "mange, malnourishment, ear and other infections, and heartworm."

Well, the kind folks at HSNEGA have provided care to these 10 dogs and 3 puppies, and as of April 3rd, they are available for adoption.

If you know of anyone in the Georgia area (HSNEGA is located in Gainesville, GA) who is looking for a dog who deserves a great home, tell them about these guys. They've fought long and hard and can use a break from a kind soul. Contact the HSNEGA at 770-532-6617. They are closed on April 4 for the Easter holiday. 

From One Bark at a Time: Neopolitan Mastiffs Belle, Bronx, & Puppies – Can You Help?

Can you help?

Belle and Bronx are Neapolitan Mastiffs, and beauties, too. They have been breed, over and over, by an owner who saw them as an opportunity. Now, the owner has to move, pronto. Enter Kelly, rescue queen and angel. Did I mention that Belle was pregnant, and birth was imminent?

When she arrived at the owner's house, she found two lovable animals who needed a second chance at life, beyond the one that they currently knew. She saw the opportunity to have these gorgeous animals altered, and to give them new lives as companion animals rather than breeding machines. Read the story here at One Bark at a Time.

Of course, most people jump for the puppies and my understanding is that Kelly has received many inquiries on them.

But what about mom and dad? Please consider one of these gentle giants. Wouldn't it be nice if Belle and Bronx could be placed together? :)

General notes about Neapolitan Mastiffs: Neos can be great pets for the experienced owner; they're not for everyone. They're best in an adult-only home, and aren't good around smaller animals (cats or dogs). They're generally peaceful and steady-tempered. I HAVE NOT MET BELLE OR BRONX, so I cannot speak for their temperaments. Please contact Kelly for more information.

If you know people in the Toronto or Ontario area who might be looking for a dog and might be a good fit for either Belle, Bronx, or one of their puppies, please contact Kelly directly.

Sophie Finds A Home

Remember Sophie and Athena?

These little ladies started their lives in a local animal control facility. Luckily our shelter was able to pull them, and one of the staff members has been more than willing to foster them the past several weeks.

Let's face it, Pit Bull puppies are the cutest in the world. Paws down. They have the wrinkliest faces, the biggest paws, and the beefiest legs. They're just plain cute.

But Sophie was getting short shrift. It seemed that everyone was drawn to Athena. I don't know if it's her gorgeous cashmere coloring, but people were generally ignoring Sophie. I was starting to think this poor puppy had two strikes against her: She's a Pit Bull and a black dog (although she has the cutest white chin and bib). Could people really not see her beauty - that wrinkled forehead, those beefy legs, those beautiful eyes? And, although they're both great puppies, and Sophie is the bigger of the two, she's happens to be the more gentle of the two.

Yesterday, actually after adoption hours were over, a family came in looking for a dog.

For a change, this family was not averse to Pit Bulls. But they did want a puppy. Well, I just happened to have TWO Pit Bull puppies to show them! We went over to Sophie and Athena, and I figured this would be another application for Athena. Was I ever wrong. Both mom and dad said "I like the black one," and the kid, bless his kid brain, said "I'll take both of them"!

This was the most perfect family I've ever met. By Perfect, I mean, I would like to adopt all of our dogs to them, NOW. I love them. I love their son. He's five years old, a gentleman, and a gentle person. He was so gentle with Sophie, I wanted to hug him until he cried "uncle!". (I know this might sound strange, but I meet a lot of families with children, and most of the children are hellions.)

For her part, Sophie absolutely loved this kid. She would not stop licking him. They cuddled and played for at least an hour, until Sophie fell asleep in his arms.

When they were ready to leave, dad said "what do we do" and son said "we pick up our toys," and he proceeded to pick up all the dogs toys strewn around the room, even the ones he didn't take out. (I asked if he could vacuum and cook, but apparently he's still in learning mode. I told them I'm willing to wait.)

Sophie went home today to The Most Perfect Family. I'm so happy for her. I wish every dog could be this lucky. The best part is that she will be living around the corner from one of the shelter staff (who also helped foster Sophie and Athena) AND she's been invited to visit whenever she'd like. Have I mentioned that I love this family?!

Sophie & Athena

Gorgeous Pit Bull puppies; about eight weeks old. Sophie is the dark one, Athena is the creamy colored one. They're the sweetest little piglets in town.

Bandit Steals My Heart

Don't you just want to kiss those lips?

 But I think five dogs would be just too much.

Right?

Princess Zoe

It is said that Zoe is 17-years-old.

She was found by animal control wandering the streets; they called our shelter and of course we took the regal lady in. Who could resist such beauty and resilience?

Lovely Zoe shuffles at a pace comparable to Tim Conway's Old Man character from Carol Burnett (if you're not familiar with this character, think molasses). 

She can't see that well, so she thinks your hand ALWAYS has a cookie in it (yes, her teeth are quite good, thank you!), and her hearing isn't what it used to be, but she can definitely hear. She has a great appetite, and she does love her treats. Or your fingers. :)

Zoe enjoys a room at the shelter rather than being in the general kennel area, where you can cuddle her for hours; she doesn't mind. We're very proud of our 17-year-old Pit Bull, Zoe!

(Sorta) Wordless Wednesday: Mindy

Mindy was at the shelter where I volunteer and has 

been adopted, but not before I took this silly picture.

I know I'm not supposed to have favorites...

But one of my favorite dogs at our shelter has found a home!

One of our volunteers lost her beloved Pit Bull a few months back and felt that she needed a big red dog lumbering around her house. Who could blame her? Slinky is the best, most loving dog in the world.

He was pulled from a local AC facility about 1 1/2 years ago. He was a mess when he first arrived at our shelter. Skinny. Dull coat. Scabs. Scars. Scared - extremely afraid. He would slink into a corner and stay there. But he would never hurt a fly. Not a nip, not a curled lip. Nothing. You could see the fear in his eyes, but you could also see that he really, truly wanted to believe that you meant no harm. He wanted to trust someone.

Needless to say, it took months for Slinky to come out of his shell and learn that we weren't going to hurt him. That we were going to love him, give him food, medical care, shelter, and help him build his confidence - that was the important element. And, once we gained his trust, we discovered a playful, silly fellow under that sad outer shell. Now, Slinky stands tall and proud. He plays and walks with confidence and greets people as if they were old friends.

Slinky, I'm soooooo happy for you! 

When is a Pit Bull not a Pit Bull?

When he's legitimately NOT a Pit Bull.

PAWS' policy is to call a Pit Bull a Pit Bull. They don't pretend a Pit Bull is anything else; it's not a terrier mix, or a Lab mix (my personal fave); it's a Pit Bull or Pit Bull mix, period. There's no benefit in trying to call a Rottie a Chi, is there? The objective is to be honest with people so a dog finds their forever home and a family or individual finds the love of their lives.

A few years ago, PAWS adopted out a dog named... Anyway, his name isn't important to this story.

He was a mix, but certainly didn't have Pit Bull in him. Rottie/Shepherd yes, Pit Bull no. He looked a lot like Eddie Munster, right down to the Widow's Peak. He was a perfect medium-sized dog who loved to play. And he was a perfect dog for the first-time dog owner. And that's who he was adopted to - a young, married couple who were first-time dog owners.

About a week later, the man came back with little Eddie Munster, the sweetest dog in town. It broke my heart, because this happy little dog just thought he was going for a ride in the car. Well, this guy took his dog to the vet and the vet said Eddie "definitely" had Pit in him. HUH? No one saw the Pit in this dog, and we wouldn't have hidden the fact if we did. We were shocked! This guy LOVED the dog before he "found out" he had Pit in him. Now, the dog was poison. He wouldn't listen to us because his vet was some sort of deity.

It was criminal what this man did. Absolutely criminal.

Well, it was his loss, and Little Eddie Munster's gain.

Little Eddie Munster didn't last long back at PAWS. Shortly thereafter, he went to his forever home with people who appreciated a perfectm,medium-sized dog who just loved to play ball.

A REALLY Happy Thanksgiving!

A while ago, I told you about a friend of mine, Brandy. She had been at PAWS for FOUR YEARS. Well, her luck had finally changed when a really, really nice couple came in specifically to meet her!

They spent some time with the lovely Brandy (who was wearing a rather clumsy e-collar due to recent surgery), and it was love at first sight. This previously aloof dog pranced right up to this couple and sat on the fellow's lap as if to say "you're not going anywhere without me!"

The rest is history. They came back a few days later (the day before Thanksgiving) to pick up Brandy and bring her to her forever home.

This had to be the best Thanksgiving any of us has had in a very, very long time!

News Flash: Trixie finds a forever home!

I'm so psyched! My friend Trixie has found her forever home!!

Trixie is an older dog, blind, and a little hard of hearing. She'd been at PAWS for a while, and we were beginning to worry. But a really nice family came along and took this sweetie home yesterday.

She's a truly amazing dog. You'd think a nine-year-old, blind dog would want to put up her paws and sleep all day. Not this girl! She loves long walks, and is great at maneuvering her way around. She learned the layout of PAWS and I'm sure she'll quickly learn the pattern of her new home.

All the best to Trixie and her new family! Kisses and hugs to you sweetie!!

One Fine Brandy...

It never ceases to amaze me when my pretty friends are overlooked at PAWS. So I thought I'd tell you about a few now and then.

This is Brandy. And she's a beauty. She's been at PAWS for a couple of years now, and who knows why. Probably because she's not a puppy, or a small cuddly designer dog, or a Golden Retriever, or a who-knows-whatadoodle. She's just a dog's dog.

And she loves people! She just wants a home with a fenced-in yard, a dog bed to call her own, and a couple of toys. Just add water, and you have a family pet! More about Brandy.

Apply to adopt Brandy! (PAWS only adopts locally, within the Connecticut area. That way they can make sure you take good care of us and help you out if you need it!!)