Fixing My Mistakes

Yes, I make them. Actually, I make lots of them and over the years I’ve learned to see them coming and have a safety net in place. But sometimes I don’t catch them and then there’s nothing to do but fix them. So it was last Thursday night.


Earlier in the week Tracy and I had been looking at the Adoption Gallery at the different dogs she had been walking. As we were looking at Pal I realized that the indoor & outdoor photos were of two different dogs. Tracy said the outdoor ones were correct – all black with just a white blaze on his chest. So Wednesday when I went to the center to work on some bios, I deleted the non-Pal photos.

Thursday as I was going through the rooms saying hello and looking for who needed a photo I came around the corner in Dog Room E and saw this handsome black and white Pittie with white boots and a bit of white on the tip of his tail. Hey, he’s the pup from the indoor-Pal photos – who are you? P – A – L. Dang, I had deleted all the wrong photos!

Pal (ID: 45192)

Well, that moved Pal to the top of my list for the night. He really is a very nice dog and Tracy says he walks very nicely on the leash as well. I even got a kiss – right on the lips! I saw a Lucy and Snoopy scene flash through my head – blech, dog germs!

Sunshine (ID: 43576)

Sunshine and Casey were two sweet little pups that didn’t want to sit still to have their photos taken. Both are wonderful, fuzzy, and full of love – and who could resist a platinum or strawberry blonde?

Casey (ID: 49566)

Hershey was a timid little thing, but I did convince him, with a few treats, to let me pet him and even give him a little doggy massage to calm him down.

Hershey (ID: 50046)

Well, the new week is here and I see that some pups are back and there is a whole new lot that needs photos.

Think Before You Give

Do you read The Onion? It is a wonderfully satirical human observation "news" e-zine. Charlie forwarded me one of their articles the other day that really rings true when you're someone like me who sees these beautiful little babes each week.

"Last of the 2008 Christmas Puppies Euthanized, Marking Start of Spring"

Read it and hear the truth that is only seen at the darkest hour.

Meet Zoey. She's a beautiful little Border Collie who was returned to the shelter this week because she was jumping on people and running around all crazy-like. Her former owners suggested that she needs a home with a fenced in back yard … Ya Think!?!

She's a Border Collie; she's made of pure energy. She needs more than a back yard. She needs someone who's going to take her on lots of walks, take her to Agility class, and find a Herding class. She needs lots of work to do for you to please you.

Suzie (ID: 49576)

Here's my bully of the week, Suzie. She got me with those adorable polka dot ears! She is a very sweet girl who doesn't seem to be one of those "crazy" bullies. She was a very good girl during her whole photo shoot. She was quite the little cuddler.

Sadie (ID: 2678)

Sadie here has a mouth on her. She couldn't stop barking to get my attention. She was very sweet and by her number she's from the "way back" days of the shelter. She is a lucky girl as she is going home. I didn't see the note 'til after our photo shoot – "hold for owner."

Shaude (ID: 49693)

Shaude's (pronounced "shadow" – she told me) story isn't as happy. Her owners had to take a second job and couldn't care for her. How horrible is it to have to hand your 12-year-old dog over to the shelter? We can be angry that such an awful thing has been done, but with a little faith in humankind we can thank God that we have never been in a situation where our only, ONLY, option we could see was to turn our companion of a lifetime over to the county animal shelter.

If you know of someone who's looking for a nice, mellow, older dog to spend some quality couch time with, please pass Shaude's information along.

Stella (ID: 49484)

Isn't Stella a beauty? For being in the kennel next to Sadie she had a wonderful calm energy about her. I think she would make a good snuggler.

Fifi (ID: 44854)

Fifi was in need of a photo shoot. I mean, why else wasn't this small cute puppy being adopted? I found out that she is a HOOT! Pure spastic energy – most of my shots were just a blur of nose and ears. She couldn't sit still for more than a second. She so wanted my love and especially my attention. I spent a little time with her after I got a few good shots. I wanted to see if I could get her to calm down some. She needs Fido Fitness to get rid of some of that excess energy, but she's too young. I used the "I'm not going to pay attention to you if you're acting like a spaz and jumping on me" technique. I had to stand up and turn my back on her quite a few times, but she's a smart little girl and it only took a minute or two for her to learn that to get my touch she needed to remain on all four paws.

Well, that's it for this session. Remember, pets are not good impulse buys or presents. Get a shelter gift certificate instead. It can be used to adopt a pet or to sponsor a pet that needs additional vet care, such as heartworm treatment.

We're Back!

Funny how those two words can cause two very different emotions. I'm happy to be back from vacation using my camera to help make some dog's life just a little better. But I'm saddened that in the last couple of weeks the Center has had a lot of returns.

Three that are part of my paparazzi posse are Sable, Marko, and Cameron. I didn't get a chance to see Sable as she went in to foster care before I got back from vacation. I vaguely recognized Marko Tuesday night; he has really grown – I guess that shows that the family was feeding him well. And then there is Cameron. He was a volunteer and staff favorite and everyone worked so hard to get him adopted. There isn't any return info in the database but one of the volunteers I talked to said she heard that his owner's wife never gave Cameron a chance because of his breed.



Sable (ID: 37300)



Marko (ID: 34677)



Cameron (ID: 31506)

Yes, the bully breeds require more special handling, but all of the ones I've met at the Center have been very sweet. In fact, there were four last night alone. Blondie and Bobbi are just little bitty things still full of puppy energy but looking for love and giving out kisses.

Blondie (ID: 48938)

Bobbi (ID: 48932)

Phillip is beautiful. The chocolate brown of his coat is just so luscious. He was a good boy but will need to learn some manners about accepting treats and not taking off fingertips.

Phillip (ID: 49197)

It was Chloe's first day at the Center. She wasn't too sure about me coming in to her kennel to start with, but once she realized I just wanted to give her a little love and treats her tail started wagging. Still, it took me a while to get a good "ears up" photo of her. I must say that I am partial to the close-up shots I am able to get now and again.
 

Chloe (ID: 49454)

Chloe's Close-up

It was tough to get a good photo of the two fluffy dogs I photographed last Tuesday night. There wasn't a lot of contrast in the coat and eye colors, and they were moving too fast.

With Trey, it was his first night there. – He was an owner surrender. – He wasn't frightened like Chloe; he was just more interested in watching the door for someone to come get him. He was somewhat strange for a dog as he had no interest in the Pup-Peroni® I had. He shouldn't have to wait too long to find a new home – he's cute, calm, fluffy, small, and a cuddler.

Trey (ADOPTED 3/16/11)

Little Bear is a puppy … ALL puppy. He is small. He is just 3 months old. And he is fuzzy. All these things put him first on my list and the intention to sit and cuddle with him for a little while. We didn't get much cuddling done. He was full of energy and play. He was pretty adorable in the way that he jumped up to give me kisses and tugged at my gown.

Little Bear (ID: 49036)

Don't forget to sit down and have a cuddle with your own little pup (no matter what age) this week.

My Trio of Heroes

You've heard of Batman.
You've heard of Robin.
And how could we forget Bat Girl?

I certainly can't, because tonight I was able to capture Bat Girl on film!

Bat Girl (ID: 48629)

 Okay, okay, my camera is digital, but it just doesn't sound as cool in print.

Rule #1: Never mess with Bat Girl – she don't play dat! 

She is really a very nice dog. She was barking at me when I got that crazy shot of her. She is full of energy but a sweetie all the same. She really wanted to play – a bouncy happy girl. Lots of walks, a yard to run in, and Canine Good Citizen classes would be a perfect home life for her.

Jillian (ID: 48566)

Jillian is one of those sweet bullies that is so very gentle when she takes the treats. I love the photos I got of her. She's still a puppy and has lots of energy. She cuddled with me for a little bit, but she had too much energy to sit still for very long.

Bruer (ID: 47038)

Bruer is back. I knew his name was familiar and I thought we had some good photos of him. Still his kennel card said otherwise so I got in the kennel. He had lots of energy and was camera shy. I got one good shot out of the gate and that was it.

After processing Tuesday night's photos I went looking through my archives and found the first photos I had taken of Bruer in January. He was camera shy that time as well – I think I got three mediocre shots – but his personality was much more skittish and frightened of things back then.

Cookie (ID: 47295)

Cookie was visiting with a potential new family member – how cute is this look! It's in the running for cutest puppy photo EVER.

Chloe (ID: 48524)

Chloe is a sweet lady who has lots of love left to give. She hadn't been at the WCAC long enough to go for a walk and no one had marked her card that she'd been cuddled so I took a little extra time with her. I took my photos and then sat down to love on her some. She has one of those beautifully soft heads. She really liked it when I scratched/massaged under her chin.

Don't forget to visit my Flickr WCAC Paparazzi set to see if there is someone there you just can't live without. They're looking for the family THEY can't live without.

Suze's WCAC Paparazzi Set 
WCAC Adoption Gallery

Puppy Time

The shelter is low on dogs (and cats) and that is a good thing! Tuesday night there were hardly any dogs to take photos of – kind of a bummer. When all the long timers have had their photo shoots there is only one thing to do – cuddle puppies!

We ignored the fuzzy little whiner – yup, me, ignoring the fuzzy one. Could it be that the WCAC has turned me in to a lover of smooth-coated bully breeds? Maybe.


Cher (ID: 47282)


Cher was one of those sweethearts. Young and feeling a little shy 'cause she's only been here a couple of days. She was also a little camera shy as I could never get her to put her ears up. I had to be quick to actually get her looking at the camera. It's one of the "reasons" why I could use a new camera. It seems like if a pup has a real aversion to having its photo taken it's when I bring my camera up to my eye to compose the shot that they really shy away. So maybe if I got an upgrade to my Canon Rebel – one with a view screen …

Princess was more puppy-like, bubbly and full of energy. She had the cutest terrier face and a deep rich reddish brown color – and puppy breath. I have several friends who talk about the phenomenon of puppy breath and Princess had it. My friends were right; puppy breath is a marvelous scent.

Princess (ID: 48314)

Kiwi is another one of those sweet, shy bully-mix puppies. She has a face that makes you want to find her the very best home with all the love and proper training that a dog deserves.

Kiwi (ID: 48345)

Aaron is one of the smallest pups I've gotten in a kennel with – usually there are several to a kennel which makes them hard to photograph and they don't keep a clean kennel, if you know what I mean. But, Aaron's house was clean and he is quite the fuzzball! I was not having much luck getting his photo as he is so monochromatic that the lens couldn't get a good focus. I settled in to just enjoying hanging out with him. I love the little puppy "sproing" through the air as he ran all around and over me. I did luck out and get a couple of usable shots for the web.

Aaron (ID: 48246)

I've been slow in blogging this past week and as fate would have it my Canine Biographer's shift on Sunday fits right in with the theme of this post. I spent three hours at the WCAC with very few bios to show for it. BUT IT WASN"T MY FAULT – it was "Piggy's" fault.

Nom, nom, nom.

One of the kennel techs is fostering this little girl and leaves her in the office while she's working in the back. "Piggy" likes to be held and I was the only one in the office, so I just had to do it. What absolute fun! I wonder if Charlie would ever consider us fostering new born pups?

Overseeing my work

Sound Asleep

And a Home for Everyone

Dog Room D was dark and all the kennels were empty but one, a little tiny Australian Shepherd puppy by the name of Aruba. No tears! The little guy had a deposit and will be going home soon. Besides, it was bedtime at the WCAC.


The Valentine's adoption special was good. Lots of dogs have been adopted and I'm sure quite a few cats as well. But have no fear, there is still someone waiting for their forever home where they can find all the love and good food they deserve.

Brandy (ID: 48012)

I'd say that Tuesday was a bully breed night, but I just had to step in the kennel with Julie and Brandy. Brandy is one of those sweet fluffy dogs who like to give lots of kisses and love a good massage. The picture may look like Julie is holding her, but really Brandy is reveling in the massage that Julie is giving her.

My favorite of the night – yes, I know I always have a favorite – had to be Bitty. She was such a cuddler. Her nose is a hot mess including some healed-over puncture wounds, and she pushed hard to get out of the open kennel door, but once I got inside and gave her a little head rub the snuggler in her came out. She immediately laid her head on my chest and pressed closer with each moment. Next one paw came up on my knee, then another – if I'd been sitting right I think she would have crawled up in my lap and snuggled down for the night.

Bitty (ID: 47692)

Both she and Toffee settled on their blankets once I'd been in their kennels for a few minutes. I love it when they are so trusting and calm like that.

Toffee is a beautiful dog. I don't think I could ever crop a dog's ears, but it gives her a very beautiful look. I'm sure someone did it to give her a more menacing look, but she was so sweet and whined like a puppy when she saw I was going to visit her in her kennel.

Toffee (ID: 44207)

Davis is another one of those dogs with a misleading look – that big, brindle bully breed look. Really he's just a timid sweet guy who was looking for a little love and was so very gentle when he took a treat.

Davis (ID: 45862)

I was just remembering how some of these powerful breeds will flick the treat with their tongue rather than take it directly from your finger tips and chance biting you. I'm trying to remember who did that Tuesday … I think they were all of similar mindset.

CHEWY UPDATE: Chewy was adopted last week Wednesday and went home Thursday. He came back to the shelter on Friday when he tested positive for heartworms. On Saturday someone sponsored the entire cost of his treatment (which the NCSU vet school offers at cost) and Sunday he went home. It's just got to stick this time.

Watching dogs come back to the shelter after only being gone for a couple of days is heartbreaking and I think it is so important to know what you're getting yourself into. I had two dogs before Tippi, but this is the first time that I really thought about what I was getting into (and no, I was not prepared for the incontinence). I was so lucky with Sugar and Snips. Cesar Millan's book "Be the Pack Leader" has a good section of questions to ask yourself before adopting a dog. This article on Cesar's site is a good start if you're thinking about getting a dog (or cat) http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/yournewdog/before-you-adopt.

Chow Lova!

Yep, that's me – a lover of all things Chow Chow. I've met some great dogs at the WCAC, but if there is a Chow in the house I am going to search them out whether they need a photo shoot or not. This week it was Chewy and Curly Sue.


I'd been watching Chewy for a week or so. He had been put in quarantine for being snippy. They were trying to figure out if he was a cranky Chow or just a little freaked out about being there … which all of us can relate to, as our first few visits to the Center were an attack on the senses. Chewy turned out to be a good guy, and they even gave him a bath and a brush out before they put him on the floor. He has the most amazing look, don't you think? His photos made me think they should change his name to "The Cowardly Lion." Everyone who saw his photos thought he looked more like some mythical creature than a family dog. Someone is very lucky. The WCAC has a Valentine's Day special going on so the adoption of this fine specimen of the Chow Chow breed was only $25.00.

Chewy may be one cool looking Chow, but I'm in love with Curly Sue. Thank goodness she too has been adopted immediately or I'd be hard pressed to stick to our budget – money be damned, I want her! Her looks are a perfect mix of my Sugar and Snips after a romp in the coal bin. She was badly matted when she came in so they had to give her that "Summer Puppy Cut" shave that I've loved since that first summer Sugar and I spent here in North Carolina. Curly Sue's undercoat looked like dirty dish water, just like my Snips. They did one thing I never have done, though. They gave her a lion's tail. OMG! It was so cute to watch her wag that thing. She felt so wonderful when I petted her. That wonderful soft head, the fuzzy body, and the look on her face when she put her ears down really did me in. There are definitely Chow- specific mannerisms 'cause everything she did stirred memories and emotions in me. She was even sweet enough to let me hug her neck.

Still, there is the part of me that knows that I was meant for Tippi. Nobody wanted her anymore and very few would do for her what I do or would have such a supportive spouse to put up with it all.

My camera started acting up when I was taking photos of Ray Don (ID: 46247). He's a good boy and didn't jump on me too terribly much for being a puppy and all.

So that's all I got done for the night. It was the camera, I'm sure. Why of course it had nothing to do with how much time I spent with Curly Sue and Chewy.

Remember you have through Monday to adopt for just $25.00 – but pets do not make good surprise gifts – it is a long term commitment, after all.

Also, check out these videos of Curly Sue. Curly Sue - v1. Curly Sue - v2.

My Snips w/a Summer Puppy Cut
We do miss that fuzzy-wuzzy!