Shelter Journal 5/30/13

It's becoming habit to post the day after, I get so busy in the afternoons and evenings after the shelter!

I heard wooo-wooo-raa-raaaaa-ing, the unmistakable sound of a husky. He has no name yet. I saw he'd already been out today but his card said he bites at the leash when it's tight. I wanted to see if he really did so got him out. Nope, no biting at all! He "talks" a lot and is very vocal when excited. He didn't have much interest in chasing toys. I did manage to brush him a lot and he fur is really dry and dull and he has a look like he's been fed corn kibble his entire life. Sweet boy though!

Photo from SDDAC

I didn't have him out long when a volunteer asked me to come see the dog she had out as he was very shy. He was a young rottweiler puppy, just come in the day before so no name. I had the volunteer take the husky back and I spent some time with the puppy. He's listed at being 4 months old, but I think he's closer to 5 months. Stray. He had perked up considerably and I think he seemed "shy" because of the stress and loud noises and chaos of the shelter. I taught him to sit, and also worked on down which he learned pretty quickly. Since he was doing fine I put him back; he didn't want to go through the big door so I gave him some time. Forcing puppies to do things is a great way to teach them to react aggressively, so I took my time and went at his pace. Once in his kennel I spent a moment there petting him before stepping out.

Next was Barney [Petfinder link] and his card said he was easily distracted by other dogs and pulled hard. Both those things were very true! In the interact yard I wasn't able to keep his attention very well so I took him for a walk to work on the pulling. He did pretty well for it being the first time in his life anyone has ever not allowed him to get what he wants by pulling! By the end of our walk he was checking in with me and would immediately turn back toward me if the leash went tight. He was a really sweet dog!

 

Photo from SDDAC

Next I got out Latifa [Petfinder link], who I believe is an American Bulldog but is listed as a pitbull. She pulled extremely hard on leash and lunged forward but was really sweet and liked chasing toys. She enjoyed putting her big drooly head in my lap after getting a drink!

Photo from SDDAC

I put Latifa back and got Sugar [Petfinder link]. Sugar was much better in the kennel but was still jumpy. Once out she walked fantastic on leash, as is usual for her now! I had her sit before I opened the gate, then I took her leash off and went and sat on the bench. While watching her sniff around I saw a scrap of toy I hadn't noticed before. I thought "What is that, like a giraffe pattern?" It was so puzzling to me that I hadn't seen it before. It was right next to the fence and almost perfectly alined with the shadow of a fence post. As I stood up I thought "Is that a snake ski- OH that is a SNAKE!" I immediately grabbed Sugar and said "Snake!" not that anybody heard me. I got her leash on. The volunteer I had switched dogs with earier was 2 yards down. "Hey Maggie, is that you down there?" I hollered. "Sure is!" she responded. "There is a snake in here!" I replied. "Is it a rattlesnake?!" so hollered back. "I'm trying to see.." since it was behind the kiddie pool I had a good barrier, and Sugar was on leash. I peered cautiously and sure enough it had that triangle head and a little rattle that was straight up and shaking. I couldn't hear the rattle. "YEAH IT IS!" and Maggie rushed to the office, encouraging me to leave the yard. I told her I didn't want to lose sight of it. I did move to the gate, and once I saw staff coming I stepped out. 4 people were coming, one with tongs and another with a bucket. I pointed out the snake, as it was little and blending in with the shadow. They saw it, the woman with the tongs gently picked it up and it didn't fight, and she placed it in the bucket. We all cheered and clapped, prompting her to take a couple bows. I was complimented profusely on my observation skills. I was glad I saw it before Sugar did and went nose-to-nose with it! I then spent a while playing with Sugar, who was into chasing toys today as equally as she wanted cuddles.

Sugar did so good at not getting bit by a rattlesnake!

I then got out Remy [Petfinder link], who hadn't been out in 2 weeks. She is listed as being on "observation" which can be for a number of reasons and not necessarily a bad thing but can be due to behavior concerns. I saw nothing inappropriate from her, in fact she was just a cuddlebug! All she wanted was belly rubs and affection. Her shelter photo does not do her justice, she has such a sweet face but I wasn't able to capture it because she was like this most of the time:

 

Photo from SDDAC

Last dog of the day was Britney [still no link] the screaming pitbull. She hadn't been out in about a week. Pulled hard and lunged forward on leash, and once in the yard exploded with energy. I gave her plenty of time to run circles and do her own thing. She was curious about a toy on the pool so I encouraged her in. Turns out she loves the water! She had a great time spinning and splashing and doing play bows and biting at the water.

The fence post shadow behind her back legs is where the snake was earlier.

 

 

 

Photo from SDDAC

Oh, and I got Davy out today too! [Petfinder link] I think after Sugar and before Britney? I normal make note but I didn't by his name. He was great! Playful, sweet, fun as always!