Halle - Opt to Adopt

Halle, tri-color smiling Walker hound with Walter, black and tan

Halle is a lovely, middle aged Walker Coonhound. A family is missing her - she's too fat to be a hunter unless she gained all her weight at Sullivan Animal Pound. Halo for Animals, a volunteer group working very hard to save the animals in their small pound, contacted me about Halle.

Halle is mellow, responds delightfully light on a leash, is heart-worm NEGATIVE. She was on the table for her spay when the vet found a spay scar. Wahoo!!

She is great with the other dogs, no matter what size. Mami took offense when Halle sniffed her too close; Halle backed up and respected the growl. Good girl!

What a perfect dog! Halle's good in the house (keeps the couch from levitating), but not house trained, though, to be fair, I had the door shut so she didn't have a chance to get outside; she uses the dog door.

Halle's only flaw...fence climbing :(. Watched her go up and over my 4 Ft. chain link within 30 minutes of being here; couldn't run fast enough. Enlisted neighbors, drove around, came home - and there she was, with a neighbor on a leash. She had reached the flood water, waded a bit, then walked back up the road to her new home. Very good girl! Hence, she is always on a leash or a long line when "loose" outside; she's doing well in the outside pen with multiple daily walks.

Halle is not yet on Petfinder nor Adopt-A-Pet but will be soon. I'm just back from vacation needing to catch up on lots of things, including putting dogs online!

Ricky at Risk

Sometimes, I, and anyone in rescue or who owns a dog, need to make tough decisions, weighing the good of the many against a threat to one (yes, I'm a Trekkie and proud of it!).

Ethel M., Beagle puppy extraordinaire, is now spayed - but only just and Ricky, intact senior Beagle boy, has his "eyes" on her, so to speak. I have two other females, Peanut and Lucy, both with mammary tumors precluding them from being spayed.

Thus my dilemma - take a chance and neuter Ricky, though he has extensive heart-worms and is symptomatic OR try to monitor all of them, hoping no one gets pregnant, which truly will kill Peanut and Lucy, also with heavy heart-infestation. Ethel M. I can monitor for a bit; the other girls are not yet in heat. This is an opportune time.

After consulting with my friend and director of Safe Harbor, Alice, Ricky's neuter is on Monday. Neutering is swifter and less invasive than spaying; I cannot spay the mammary tumor girls. Yes, it is very risky for Ricky but having an intact male, used for breeding so he knows what he's about, on balance, is more risky for the girls I cannot alter.

Sigh. I know all will be well...however things go. Ricky weighs more now than when he came to Silverwalk, plays with the other dogs, and tries to mount with gusto. He will do fine.....

Ricky, whose chosen nom d'plume is Lothario, were he an author

Opt to Adopt this Weekend

This coming Saturday, May 11, a volunteer from Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary is hosting an adoption event in the parking lot of Busch Pet Products, Missouri Running Company, and Eye Candy on Kingsway. ALERT - you can't get there from Lexington but going around is worth your time.

Silverwalk dogs will be there, too:

• Bailey - is doing wonderful in her foster home. I visited yesterday, seeing for myself how, when she finished her business in the yard and sniffed around a bit, she came right back to her foster mom instead of scaling the fence or getting in-between. She looks GREAT and is ready for a wonderful home. 
• Gidget aka Gertie is ready for her new home, too. Gidget is loving and enjoying her dog/person family in her foster home. She visited Silverwalk for a few days over a weekend ago - wow, she looks great - no longer the thin waif on arrival who almost starved to death in her back yard before being rescued by animal control. She smiles, runs, plays, and yes, helps garden....
• Wyatt, a Dachshund blend cutie pie, has completed his heart-worm treatment and is NEGATIVE. He is a charmer, a lap dog, and knows his family is out there with stuffies for him. 

Come out with your dogs to walk at 1000 with Cape Canine Cruisers, then at 1100, stop by and find your new best friend!

top Left: Gidget aka Gertie, top Right: Wyatt with a stuffie and lower Left: Quiet Beagle Bailey

The Cuddle Factor

When you study or read about the history of dogs, how they came to be "man's best friend," and changed from the wolf to a domesticated laboror and now pet, you'll notice the changes in how they look. 

Dogs in the last 200+ years have undergone extreme changes in looks, function, and form to fit a huge number of jobs desired by humans. Irish wolfhounds truly hunt wolves, poodles are excellent water dogs for hunters (yes, those pom-poms on their hips keep them warm in chllly water), the stamina of Dalmations came from running beneath carriages and between horses for miles, Dachshunds are tough hounds bred to go below ground after badgers. 

Part of the attraction of dogs today is the Cuddle Factor. It's existed a long time and is one reason we put up with the messes of puppies and kittens: they are so cute. It is also a reason (perhaps not the entire reason) we adopt the dogs we do. 

Silverwalk has a lovely, adoptable Beagle named Ava. She is shy, hunkers to the floor when approached but runs and plays with the pack (in the yard or, as we saw yesterday, outside the yard!). Ava got out of the fence (I left the gate open - mea culpa!), but stayed with the Centenary/SEMO volunteer walkers, then, to my delight, she came running when I stooped down with open arms, smiling and asking her to come to me - she raced and walked well on a leash back home. Good girl! Always be positive when a dog comes back to you - even when you're scared out of your mind. 

Ava in the Yard

Ava had a couple come look at her. She looked like their beloved Beagle who passed but Ava is not a cuddly dog. This couple decided Ava was not for them; they knew themselves and who they needed well enough to keep looking for their right dog. I've tried to put Ava on my lap and she'll stay till I let her go; then she's gone, looking for a toy or finding her own spot on top of the couch to nap. I think she will always be shy. Her family, who I know is out there, will be people able to handle the fact Ava won't be cuddly - but she will be fun, especially with another dog. 

I recently adopted out a Border Collie, Denali. She is not a cuddler but her new family wanted a friend for their other senior dog, not necessarily for themselves. Win-win for all.

Denali in her new home

Just now, my 6 month old Beagle puppy, Ethel M., crawled up into my lap to get some cuddling herself. She is getting a good start, though I wonder what her early start was like.

Ethel M. (part of the "I Love Lucy" gang) making herself at home

Some dogs become cuddlers; others never will, like Ava (please prove me wrong). Most people, myself included, enjoy a dog who will cuddle on the floor, a chair, or in bed with their owners. A friend is valiantly working with a former puppy mill dog who is very fearful, won't cuddle - but she is dedicated to him and his well-being from his perspective, not just from hers.

When you are looking for a dog to adopt, consider the Cuddle Factor. Do you want a dog who will cuddle, or are you fine with one at your feet and side throughout the day? You may want a dog to train for obedience, rally, or any number of sports who won't need or want to cuddle. An adoptable dog is waiting to fulfill the need in your heart/life. Those "shelter" dogs? They are as good if not better than any other dog; they lost a home through no fault of their own and know when they have a second chance. 

Wordless Wednesday - Ethel, aka The Streak!

Young Ethel allegedly complements Lucy, Ricky, and Fred Mertz aka Squishy. After she joined us Saturday, all I could think of was the song, "The Streak," by Ray Stevens. Ethel is the small, tri-color blur in this video. I finally have still photos of her - LOL.