For the Love of Shelter Dogs*

Our foster kittens went back to the shelter on Monday, so now they’re awaiting their new homes. I doubt it’ll be long before they’re snuggled on someone’s bed, clawing someone else’s furniture. But really, they were adorable, and I miss them. Now that they’re back at the shelter, though, I’m able to volunteer again!

It was so hot out today I wasn’t able to keep the dogs outside for too long. Even with a bowl of water, a lot of them were really hot and ready to go back inside after a few minutes.

I took out Scooby first today. He’s a big, tan, muscular boxer (maybe American bulldog) mix. He was pretty strong when I walked him, but he responded very well when I tugged the leash. I took him out to a back pen and let him off the leash. I expected him to jump on me the first chance he got, but he didn’t. I sat down in a little folding chair and waited for the impending lap-jump, but it never came. He ran over and leaned against my legs while I scratched behind his ears. He was surprisingly calm for such a big young boy.

After I put Scooby back I took out Rudy. Rudy is a big mutt. He resembles a Dobie a bit in the face, but his body is too stocky with muscle to be a Dobie. I let him off the leash in a back pen and watched as he jogged around the pen, stopping intermittently to mark various plants, rocks, parts of the fence, and finally the chair I wanted to sit in. He’s not neutered yet. A couple was walking a dog by our fence and Rudy started getting worked up. I put a hand on his head and said “Easy, boy,” and looked up at me like “But Mom…!” It was pretty cute.

I took out Baby, a beautiful Great Pyrenese, next. She’s just about a year old and she’s absolutely beautiful. She was curled up in her cage when I passed, and I just couldn’t resist that pathetic, shy, frightened look in her eyes. I took her out to one of the small back cages and just sat there with her. I brushed her a little and petted her. She laid her head on my lap for a good part of the time I was sitting with her. The poor girl was surrendered because her owners couldn’t afford her anymore. She can’t understand why she’s there, and this kills me. I wish I could explain to her that her family loved her but just couldn’t take the best care of her and needed to give her up. I wish I could explain to all the dogs (and cats, for that matter) why they’re there, tell them that people still love them.

I took Buddy out before I left. He’s a 6 year old Golden Retriever (maybe a mix) who is horribly obese and has a mole under his left eye. I mean, I’ve seen fat dogs before, but this poor guy is actually obese. He has rolls of fat on his neck. Dogs shouldn’t have rolls of fat! This poor boy was surrendered because his family’s other animals wouldn’t accept him. I brushed him for about a half hour this afternoon. I probably got a pile of hair about the size of a small cat out of this guy. He’s shedding like crazy! I took him for a short walk before I put him back. We have to start somewhere with the exercise, and he doesn’t have enough stamina to do a long walk or even a run yet. Hopefully whoever adopts him will get him back into shape, because he’s just too fat!

Buddy!

Buddy, from the top. Poor boy, he's so wide!