Just give me one thing that I can hold on to* …

I had a little scare this weekend where Lucy is concerned.

She was adopted by a very nice couple early Saturday afternoon. Volunteers and staff told them about Lucy’s “top dog” issues and even though they had a 13-year-old German Shepherd at home they decided Lucy was the dog for them. Miss S stressed to the couple that they needed to properly introduce Lucy to their German Shepherd.

Just a few hours later Lucy was back at the shelter. The adopting couple said she had done really well in PetsMart and on the ride home. They conducted introductions outside the house and everything seemed to be going well. Then Lucy snapped at the Shepherd’s ear and a short while later she went after his hind legs with no provocation. So they were returning her. They used the phrase “she attacked,” which meant that Lucy went immediately into quarantine until a behavior assessment could be administered. You might even say she was on “death row.”

Miss J let me know what all had happened and made arrangements for me to visit with Lucy and give her a little pep talk about getting it right during her test, which was probably going to be Monday.

Yea! She passed with (mostly) flying colors. She got top scores in everything but interacting with other dogs – no surprises for me there. To sum up the behaviorist: Lucy is rude and inappropriate in her interaction with other dogs. Her actions will most likely be misunderstood by humans and other dogs. However, she should NOT be labeled as dog aggressive.

Woo Hoo! Lucy-Licks-a-Lot has been pardoned. Charlie agreed to let me start fostering her immediately. So, as of Monday afternoon we are a full-time foster family with a foster blog, afureverfamily.wordpress.com. Stop by soon and see what Miss Lucy is up to.

Lucy (ID: 46491)

And yes, Lucy is available for adoption. She's looking for lots of love and affection, but needs to be the only dog. If interested, contact me or the Wake County Animal Center for more information.

*taken from the lyrics of “Angel from Montgomery” by JustinePrine and sung by many including The Muses out of Asheville, NC.

12 Days of Christmas

Or should I say, 12 Days of Lucy

Can you believe it? Can you? Today began the 12 days of Christmas. I have nothing done – no tree, no lights on the house, no presents, no cards. But that’s not nearly as important as trying to find forever homes for the cats, dogs, and critters of the Wake County Animal Center.

Wake County Animal Center
820 Beacon Lake Drive in Raleigh
Open Daily from Noon to 6:00 PM  

Near and dear to my heart this season is getting Lucy her very own home by Christmas. She deserves a soft place to lay her head and to wake up on Christmas morning to all the excitement that it brings. But quite frankly – I can tell you in all confidence that Lucy has no real religious affiliations. She’s just looking for lots of love, some good food and a soft bed to take long snoozes on.

Lucy is around 50 lbs. and somewhere between six and seven years old. She looks like all the other Pittie-mixes that fill the shelter except that she’s a wonderful fawn brindle color. She can seem a little crazy when you visit her in her kennel, but I didn’t see that side of her when she spent the weekend. Yeah, she would bounce and play tug or go for a long walk at the drop of a hat, but it also took her only a moment to settle down with me on the couch and spend as much time there as possible, too. A couple of times she wouldn’t even budge to go outside for a potty break. Even so, she had no accidents in the house (it’s a wonderful thing to bring home a dog that is already housetrained). She also did well in her crate while I was out of the house. She needed a little coaxing to get in, but was fine once inside.

I was also impressed with how well she did in the car. After that first weekend I never bothered with the crate; I just had her hop up in the back of my little SUV and we took off. She’d stand and look out the windows some before she sat down for the rest of the ride. And if she was worn out, she’d just curl up and go to sleep. You know, for such an enthusiastic licker she didn’t bother me at all while I was driving.

So, if you’ve been thinking of growing your family now is the time to head over to the WCAC and see all the great possibilities – and be sure to spend a little extra time with Lucy. I just know you’ll fall in love and take her home with you today.

Lucy *Featured*

ID #: 46491 Type: Female Dog Breed: American Staffy Color: Brindle- Fawn / White In Shelter: 49 days Age: 6yrs 10mths 2wks Weight: 52 pound(s)

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Lucy	*Featured*

Lucy

*Featured*

ID #:	46491
Type:	Female Dog
Breed:	American Staffy
Color:	Brindle- Fawn / White
In Shelter:	49 days
Age:	6yrs 10mths 2wks
Weight:	52 pound(s)

ID #:

46491

Type:

Female Dog

Breed:

American Staffy

Color:

Brindle- Fawn / White

In Shelter:

49 days

Age:

6yrs 10mths 2wks

Weight:

52 pound(s)

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Pittie Ambassador

When I started volunteering at the WCAC in the spring of 2010, Pittie-type dogs scared me. Well, “scared” may be too harsh of a word, but I had heard all the news stories and they definitely made me nervous. It was a couple of weeks before I actually did my first Pittie photo shoot. Domingo was a big boy, but he seemed calm, quiet and gentle. And he was. I stood at the back of the kennel. He stood – no, just sat – between me and the door. So gentle, so sweet. Each Pittie I met showed me what kind of dog they could really be.

I began following blogs like “Two Pitties in the City” and “Love and a Six FootLeash.” When Thanksgiving rolled around, it was easy for me to choose a Pittie named Lucy to spend the weekend with me, despite her bouncy nature in the kennel at the Center. Charlie wasn’t so sure, though.

Lucy went with me Saturday evening to pick Charlie up from the airport. She did very well in holding her “licker” – a key issue with any dog as far as Charlie is concerned. Her quiet demeanor and well mannered behavior impressed Charlie. He could really appreciate how cuddly she was and even gave up his spot next to me on the couch.

She won him over to the point that when I went to take her back to the WCAC on Sunday he was fine with me having them make a note in the database that if she gets sick or the shelter runs out of room they should call us before they do anything drastic. Lucy, despite her licker and cat issues had softened his views about what a Pittie was.

Along with his experience with Lucy, he read the article “Licked to Death by a Pitbull,” and has decided to do some of his own research about dog bite statistics and Pittie personality as a breed issue. Maybe he’ll do a guest blog on his thoughts once he does that research.

Lucy showed me that she has the personality to be a good Pittie ambassador and with proper training maybe even a therapy dog.

Lucy *Featured*

ID #: 46491 Type: Female Dog Breed: American Staffy Color: Brindle- Fawn / White In Shelter: 45 days Age: 6yrs 10mths 2wks Weight: 52 pound(s)

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Lucy	*Featured*

Lucy

*Featured*

ID #:	46491
Type:	Female Dog
Breed:	American Staffy
Color:	Brindle- Fawn / White
In Shelter:	45 days
Age:	6yrs 10mths 2wks
Weight:	52 pound(s)

ID #:

46491

Type:

Female Dog

Breed:

American Staffy

Color:

Brindle- Fawn / White

In Shelter:

45 days

Age:

6yrs 10mths 2wks

Weight:

52 pound(s)

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Don't forget to stop by the Center and visit with Lucy today. I just know you'll fall in love with her. Her adoption fee is only $45.00. She's already spayed and can go home with you today. http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/

Thanksgiving with Lucy

It’s silly that I’m just getting around to this – you and Lucy could already be snuggling up on the couch living the rest of your lives together.

Charlie and I have agreed to wait until the first of the year before bringing another dog into our home. It’s hard for me; it’s been 20 years since there hasn’t been at least one dog living with me. When Charlie decided to visit his dad for Thanksgiving, I decided that it would be nice to foster a dog for that weekend.

Miss J had asked me to take Lucy to a couple of adoption events in early November. She seemed like such a nice dog and rode so well in the car that I thought she’d be good to come home with me, and we could work on her “licker problem.”

I picked her up Wednesday after work and I will admit we worked very little on her “licker problem” ‘cause although she’s always ready to go for a walk or a car ride, she is a total couch potato. I’ve put in several photos and a video, but they just don’t show what a true and wonderful snuggler she is. I confess to actually sleeping on the couch a couple of nights just so I could cuddle with her and feel that most wonderful thing - the human-to-canine bond.

Lucy *Featured*

ID #: 46491 Type: Female Dog Breed: American Staffy Color: Brindle- Fawn / White In Shelter: 43 days Age: 6yrs 10mths 1wks Weight: 52 pound(s)

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Lucy	*Featured*

Lucy

*Featured*

ID #:	46491
Type:	Female Dog
Breed:	American Staffy
Color:	Brindle- Fawn / White
In Shelter:	43 days
Age:	6yrs 10mths 1wks
Weight:	52 pound(s)

ID #:

46491

Type:

Female Dog

Breed:

American Staffy

Color:

Brindle- Fawn / White

In Shelter:

43 days

Age:

6yrs 10mths 1wks

Weight:

52 pound(s)

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Other Information: No Cats; House Trained;

Shhhh ...

Foster Mamma says that we don't post anything without letting Foster Pappa looking it over, but I just had to tell you all how wonderful things have been ... and they're sleeping in this morning.

Thanksgiving was great fun and not nearly as much work as Mamma said it was going to be. She came to the Center with her best friend B and his friend T. They were fun, but didn't stay long once we got to the house. Mamma and I then hung out in her "Woman Cave" - I don't know why she calls it a cave it's really just a nice screened in porch. It was nice, but I found that I prefer the blue couch. Mamma and I spent much of the weekend there. It was so soft and I was able to snuggle up against Mamma and lay my head on her lap.

Mamma took me to the airport to pick up Pappa. She said it was important that he like me 'cause he's not a dog person ... she said he likes cats! Can you believe it? Cats! Well, I held my licker as best as I could and he said I was very nice. He even let me spend last night since Mamma was going to take me to adoption events on Saturday and Sunday.

We met a lot of nice people yesterday and Mamma told them all the wonderful things about me. A few people took my flier ... hopefully one of them will be back to bring me home.

Sweet Kisses,
Lucy

Slumber Party

I have a secret. Can I tell you?

Foster momma Suze is taking me home for Thanksgiving!

Her hubby is going out of town and she was gonna be all alone. She was very sad so I told her that I would come spend the weekend with her.

I’m very excited – if you stop by my kennel you’ll see me do a little happy dance!

Momma says there’s gonna be lots of hard work – we’re gonna go on walks, work on my licker problem (why does she keep calling it a “problem”?), and learn some cool manners like “sit” and “stay.” She says if I’m really good she’ll take me on a special walk with her friend R. Personally I think that all sounds more like fun than work.

We’ll go back to the shelter the day after Thanksgiving for the big Black Friday Adoption Event. Everyone at the shelter has an adoption fee of only $25.00 – even me. Momma thinks we should stand out front as the welcome ambassadors – I’m just hoping it’s my lucky day and I find my forever family. How cool to think that Friday night I could be sleeping in my own bed, hanging out with my people!!

But, if not, Momma says we’re gonna spend Saturday and Sunday snoozing and studying my manners. Either way, I’m thankful for what Thanksgiving is bringing me.

Now don’t forget –

Friday, November 25, noon until 6:00 PM

CHECK OUT WHO NEEDS A HOME

Wake County Animal Center
820 Beacon Lake Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
CLICK FOR DIRECTIONS

919-212-PETS (7387)

All adoptions are just $25.00. Stop by, I’ll do my little dance for you and you can take me home with you.

Lucy *Featured*

ID #: 46491 Type: Female Dog Breed: American Staffy Color: Brindle- Fawn / White In Shelter: 28 days Age: 6yrs 9mths 4wks Weight: 52 pound(s)

Lucy	*Featured*

Lucy

*Featured*

ID #:	46491
Type:	Female Dog
Breed:	American Staffy
Color:	Brindle- Fawn / White
In Shelter:	28 days
Age:	6yrs 9mths 4wks
Weight:	52 pound(s)

ID #:

46491

Type:

Female Dog

Breed:

American Staffy

Color:

Brindle- Fawn / White

In Shelter:

28 days

Age:

6yrs 9mths 4wks

Weight:

52 pound(s)

Lucy: An Introduction

Go ahead – introduce yourself, princess.

Hi, my name is Lucy but my foster momma calls me Princess Licks-a-Lot.

Oh honey, my house isn’t ready for a foster just yet. I’m more like your adoption advocate.

An ad … adv … momma says she calls me that because I can’t hold my licker. Why does everyone snicker when she says that?

I’m just a big lover, and when your current residence is the local county shelter with a hundred other dogs … well, I just can’t contain myself when someone comes up to pet me. I mean, really - a wagging tail just isn’t sufficient to show you how much love I have to give.

Momma says that I get a bit too enthusiastic about wanting to lick your face, so a family with small children might not be a good fit for me. I’m not one of those BIG Pitties, but I’m no frail flower either.

We went to two different adoption events last weekend. Momma said she was very impressed with how well I rode in the car.

Even when you had to give the crate up so we could give Burley a ride home.

It was a nice end to the day – curling up in the back seat on the ride home.

And you gave me a nice little kiss on the back of my neck.

[Giggle] … It was jealous ‘cause of all the kisses I gave you under your chin earlier in the day.

Momma says we have to go now, but she’ll let me come back soon and tell you more about myself. Or better yet, stop by the WCAC between noon and six any day of the week – my licker is always ready for some kisses.

Lucy *Featured*

ID #: 46491 Type: Female Dog Breed: American Staffy Color: Brindle- Fawn / White In Shelter: 23 days Age: 6yrs 9mths 3wks Weight: 52 pound(s)

Lucy	*Featured*

Lucy

*Featured*

ID #:	46491
Type:	Female Dog
Breed:	American Staffy
Color:	Brindle- Fawn / White
In Shelter:	23 days
Age:	6yrs 9mths 3wks
Weight:	52 pound(s)

ID #:

46491

Type:

Female Dog

Breed:

American Staffy

Color:

Brindle- Fawn / White

In Shelter:

23 days

Age:

6yrs 9mths 3wks

Weight:

52 pound(s)

There Are No Favorites

And sometimes that’s very true. Sunday night my friend P asked me who my favorite was after spending the whole day taking pictures. I tried to think of one, but I really couldn’t, but then again, after my experience with Bruegger last week it’s going to take a lot to be remembered as a favorite.

I did have a special assignment – J asked me to make three puppies look extra special cute as they had a rough start in life and deserve to find fabulous forever homes.

Pupsicle (56408) is a sweet Pittie-type boy. We didn’t spend a whole bunch of time together and we were crowded into one of the small kennels while the staff cleaned out his kennel for the day. Doesn’t he look dapper in his little “Adopt-Me” scarf?

Pupsicle

His brother Pupney (56409) is a character – he has lots and lots of energy. I liked him despite his crazy puppy antics. He was especially happy when he got his rope bone back. It was the key to being able to get some great photos of him and he played with that thing for the next half hour. Now here’s a dog who can entertain himself with the right set of toys.

Pupney

Their sister, Pupsie (56407) was my last shoot of the day. I had hoped that the nice couple I let in to play with her would adopt her, but we did a photo shoot in case they didn’t come back. She’s just a little mellower than the boys. She gave me the least trouble about wearing a scarf. Look at those eyes so full of hope and love for the future and her very own family.

Pupsey

I love the Rotties – almost as much as I love the Chow Chows. Babygirl (56509) was camera-shy so I didn’t get any great photos but that’s okay ‘cause sometime late Sunday afternoon someone fell in love with this mug and she’s got a deposit.

Babygirl

Early in the day I did a photo shoot with Red Velvet (63301). He’s a beautiful two-year-old red headed blue eyed boy. I don’t think Huskies are for me. They’re too high strung and jumpy. He was a good boy and sat for me to get some really wonderful photos of him. I like this one best as it shows his fun loving playful personality.

Red Velvet

Tonka’s (63608) a stray who still has a couple of days before he’s available for adoption, but his intake photo was so bad and you know how I like the big fluffy dogs.

Tonka

Dolly (63586) was another one who was still on stray hold, but I got in the kennel with her to see if she was suitable for my friend’s mom. Turns out they’re looking for an older dog and Dolly’s still a puppy. She is a beautiful as you can see here. And although she doesn’t appear to know any commands she was a pretty good dog in her kennel. She can also stand and walk around on her hind legs – hmmmm, I should have put her in a tutu.

Dolly

Apparently I missed one pup of the “Smurf” litter last week so I found Jokey Smurf (62110) huddled up in the front corner of his kennel. It was still all wet from being cleaned and the staff had a radio playing loud. He was pretty shy – maybe I can cuddle him a little this week. He did perk up for one photo and I saw him perk up a little more when he realized I wasn’t going to hurt him.

Jokey Smurf

Fiona (63310) and Roxanne (63217) were my two little masked bandits of the day. And although their kennel cards say they’re calm dogs of two years they have plenty of energy and puppy play left in them. Roxanne has a very intense look in her eyes in all the photos I took. I think she was just trying too hard to get her forever family’s attention. Once Fiona got over the excitement of me visiting her in her kennel she showed me her “sit” skills and we got some nice photos taken.

Roxanne

Fiona

Byrd (63483) was in the middle of a cuddle session when I tried to sneak in and get his photo. I only got three shots ‘cause he is an escape artist and was quick to “wake up” and want to get out of the volunteer cuddler’s lap – and I wasn’t about to let him ruin my perfect “no-escape” record.

Byrd

Bebe (63164) and Starlight (63160) were probably my most difficult photo session of the day. At two months old they were all over the place and have no manners. Of course the one I really needed a photo of, Starlight, was the one who would not sit still AND look up at me. She was more interested in chewing on my shoe strings. I was able to catch a blurry shot of her looking shy as she nibbled my fingertips and this cute pic of her “climbing” up my leg. Bebe on the other hand got to a point where he just gave you the puppy dog eyes.

Starlight

Bebe

I guess if there was a favorite of Sunday it would be Shakka (63303). I think it’s the look on her face and that she’s a redhead – you know how I am about the Redheads – and her sad little face asking to be loved. Just looking at this photo makes me want to go cuddle her and bring her to her very own forever home. BTW: the other mood she showed me had a happy waggy tail and a wiggle butt that she swung around asking for a Snips-style butt scratch.

Shakka

Some are still looking for their forever home … so check out my Flickr set for all the photos and pull up their stats on the WCAC gallery … ‘cause ya know ya want to bring one home with you today!