Really People?!?

Sometimes that old saying “The more people I meet, the more I like my dog” really rings true in my mind. I’ll get to that thought later. Let’s talk about all the sweet dogs I was able to photograph last week.

Zeus (ADOPTED)

Zeus reminded me why I don’t photograph puppies. This is the ONLY decent shot I got of him. He’s as cute as can be and super cuddly when you pick him up. I think I’ll coordinate with Tracy and we’ll tag-team them puppies next time.

Glena (ID: 55398)

Glena is a cutie with a wonderful squished up nose. I have some great close-ups of her but I like the ones that show her nose-wrinkles best. She’s on the super-skinny side, but she had pretty good manners for someone who hadn’t been eating very well.

Precious Holly (ID: 55275)

Are those not the cutest ears on Precious Holly? Hound mixes are just cute in general. Just a little over a year old, so she still has lots of puppy energy.

Bart (ID: 55462)

My introductory statement about people and dogs comes to mind every time I think of Bart. He’s just as sweet as can be and has such a waggy tail. He was well mannered when I stepped in to his kennel, too. Sadly, somebody did a real hack job on his ears. There are parts you don’t see in my photos that haven’t healed properly that make it look even more painful. He went into foster care with Petunia on Saturday. I’m so happy for him. I’ve met his foster mom a couple of times now and I know he’ll get lots of love.

Mini (ID: 54824)

Mini is another of those sweet Pitties whose ears were hacked (not docked) by someone. I just don’t get it. I’ve seen ears that have been docked by a professional and they can give a dog a distinctive look, but this is just a hack job. I know it’s common in dog fighting circles to do this, but I really don’t want to think these sweet babes were being pushed into that, or were living with someone that wanted them to look mean – ‘cause they’re not.

Gracie Lou

Look at those sad little eyes. Gracie Lou has lost her way and is looking for a new home. She’s a chubby little thing, so at 8 years old (more or less) she was someone’s baby.

Drake (ID: 47894)

Drake is currently in foster care and he was nothing like I expected from his photos on the web so I grabbed a couple of shots at the recent adoption event. He has some mighty big ears and a short stubby body.

Chucho (ID: 54678)

Chucho was in need of a new photo and it just so happened he was dressed for it Saturday. He’s one of those happy-go-lucky pre-teens that needs some discipline to be a really good dog.

Spongebob (ID: 52970)

Now the sweetie of the week is Spongebob. Just look at him here with his foster granddad. He’s just a young thing so he still has “puppy breath.” His brother got adopted at the event on Saturday so he’s most likely a little lonely this week. He has a velvety coat and the most adorable wrinkles.

I’ll finish off this week’s blog with three special guests. Several foster cats came in for the adoption event Saturday, so I tried to get updated photos where I could.

Peaches (ID: 48396)

Midnight (ID: 49425)

Waldo (ID: 49424)

Catch-up

I had a banner night Thursday – I was able to get photos of nine dogs. My goal was to get photos of dogs that had been at the center for a while and had somehow never gotten a photo shoot. Most of them were puppies, which is why they never got to go out with Al and Renee.


Because they were all puppies I can make pretty much of a blanket statement here at the beginning – they were full of energy and puppy antics. I wonder if I would ever have the patience to take on the training of a puppy. Maybe I’m just more of a Grey Muzzle type of person.

Charlie (ID: 53235)

Charlie is certainly a cutie. He was full of energy and in need of a pedicure, but I was finally able to get him to sit still for a photo or two. His bio talks about his white chin that looks like it was dipped in milk – actually the cutest part is he dipped all four paws and his tail in that same bit of milk.

Precious (ID: 54301)

Precious was another one of those crazy pups who sit perfectly still for just a moment and then, like a rocket, sprung into all kinds of frenzied running around. I had some very “interesting” blurry shots of her. She has those beautiful ears that look like the wimple of the flying nun’s hat. But the most precious thing about her is when she sits and paws the air in the hope of getting one more treat. She came from a family with little kids and I think she’d be so happy to join a group like that again.

Sasha (ID: 54228)

Sasha really was a blur of puppy energy. This was the only shot I was able to get of her. Her favorite thing upon meeting me was to chew on my shoes – full mouth coverage! I guess I can’t blame her completely as my Crocs probably taste like a Kong. She spent most of her time scurrying around my feet.

Princess (ID: 54305)

Princess is very cute. She has a wonderful spot on her back that I just couldn’t seem to get the right shot of. She really was a very sweet girl with lots of love and puppy kisses for someone special.

Juice (ID: 54281)

Juice was one of those dogs that jumped and scampered around the kennel – barking at passers-by looking for some personal attention. He was very sweet once I got in the kennel with him. He was easy to get a photo of with some well-placed treats … although he was another one who needed a pedicure.

Roger (ID: 54137)

Roger has been around awhile and gone through a name change. I think Roger suits him quite well. He has a wonderful stocky build that needed a solid, classic name like Roger. Don’t you just love the smile on his face?


As I was trying to catch up on photos for those in need – I double-checked my list in the office and there were a couple of puppies and a Pittie who was in the remaining “red room.”

Jenny (ID: 54148)

I usually don’t photograph puppies — they’re so chaotic, and getting photos of each one when you’re working by yourself is just a pain — but Jenny and Maxie were in need of some good photos. And there were only two of them.

Maxie (ID: 54147)

They were just adorable. They bounced around toppling over each other. Jenny was doing the little “pawing the air” cuteness. They even sat for a group shot. BTW: Maxie has something called “cherry eye” in both eyes. They say it’s not very painful and they fix it surgically when they do the spay/neuter surgery.

Once you go in to the “red room” you can’t go back to any of the “green rooms,” so I scheduled Plato for the last shoot of my shift. Please know that the dogs in the red room are okay, they were just exposed to some sick dogs and need to be kept separate for now.

Plato (ID: 50788)

Anyway, Plato is one of those short solid-built Pittie mixes. He’s a classic black-and-white. His nose and face are scarred. What was his story before he came to the Center in April? He was so mellow sitting at the front of his kennel. He just watched me as I came in. He looked over his shoulder as I snapped photos of him. He sniffed the treat I presented him, but he didn’t even take it. Poor guy! No walks for those in the red room – and not the traffic that the other rooms get.


I started petting his head. Slowly he twisted and stretched to get closer to me. And when I stopped, a fat little nose gave my hand a gentle flip looking for more affection. So, so sweet.


I think this weekend I’ll go back and spend some cuddle time in the red room.

Has it really been since May ...

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted about the WCAC.

My paparazzi volunteering has been rather sporadic over the last several weeks. I was finally able to spend time the last two Thursdays … it is always good to get back.


I’ve been working the Dog Stray room these last two Thursdays, which is the first room dogs come into when they get to the center; this means that they’ve only been at the Center for a day or two and to them it can be a scary place.

Lita (53578) - Her First Week at the WCAC

Her Second Week

Lita was a perfect example of that. When I went to take her first photo she was pressed up against the side of her kennel (her “bad side” towards the camera) and I don’t think I was even able to convince her to take a treat. It was only her second day at the Center after being surrendered by her family and the whole experience was too much for her. A week later, I was going through the room to see who needed to be on my list that night and I noticed that her eye looked 100% better, so I decided to get some new photos. She was a different dog. She came right up to me and when I sat on the floor with her she crawled in my lap and used her pointy little nose to flip my hand and ask for a pet.

I also have to say how much I appreciate what I learned from the Start Them Right training folks earlier this year. Not only did Tippi and I get our pet therapy dog certification, but I learned a lot about recognizing what a dog is “feeling.” I was able to identify when a couple of dogs were really – I mean really – stressed out by my being in their kennel with my camera. Before that class I wouldn’t have recognized yawning in a dog as a stress indicator. Thanks guys!

Snoopy (ID: 42841)

There have been some really beautiful Pittie mixes the last couple of weeks – all of them either super sweet or super shy. I think I’ll just leave you with the photos of these beauties and more.

Saga (ID: 54001)

Brent (ID: 54002)

Bingo (ID: 54016)

Rex (ID: 54020)

Emma (ID: 54115)

Oliver (ID: 54226)

Chocolate (ID: 54283)

Biggie (ID: 54433)

Kent (ID: 53784)