I picked up Sweetie, the female puppy, after work today from a couple that were trying her on for size.  They have a baby under a year old and everyone loved everyone.  They raved about what a good, sweet, and calm dog she was, but after a few weeks they decided they really weren’t ready for a puppy and the baby. 

It really makes me sad as they were a good family and treated her so well, but I really appreciate that they were willing to admit they don’t have room for another addition right now.  She crawled into my car on her own, which she never did before and she seems a lot more confident.  I think her being an only dog for a few weeks helped balance her a little more.  Sweetie was so excited to see my dogs again and has been following me from room to room then falling asleep in the corner in each as I cleaned tonight.  I would keep her in a second if I didn’t already have two.

I was aware that the new mom was a little apprehensive about taking on a pup right now and there was a pretty good chance Sweetie would be coming back to us.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the screaming, swearing call I got at 7:30 this morning demanding that I come pick up Spots, the boy with the another family, immediately.  I offered to come visit about a week ago to show them how I worked with him, but the woman insisted that he was doing well and she didn’t need my help with anything.

I was told that he had messed in the house, destroyed everything, and was too skittish to love her or something like that.

I was freaking out.  This puppy was my favorite out of the 14.  He was happy and mellow and perfect.  Angela drove out to pick him up and we were exchanging concerns all day.  He acted completely normal.  The way the lady that had him the last 2 weeks said he was behaving was insane and not at all like the dog I gave her or got back.

After talking to her tonight she admitted that she really just didn’t want a dog anymore and he hadn’t done anything but be a good dog and that he did a few puppy things.  He did have a mess in the house and chewed on some shoes, but this all happened last night and he was fine the previous 10 days.

I guess I have a few more questions to throw at potential adopters now.  Sigh.

We have had some rather interesting characters in and out of our home in the last few years.  The 120 lbs neglected great dane pup that wagged her tail so hard that it left bloodstains on our walls.. Then the lost and bizarre flea infested grumpy old lab-shaped dog whose owners finally answered the flyers and blocked their number not an hour after we paid the shelter to adopt her because we were leaving out of town after keeping her for like 3 weeks.  And of course Sweetness! Our stay-puffed marshmallow of comfort-eating goodness!!

But these guys.  These. These… puppies!?!  They are healthy.  Happy.  Stable.  Calm.  Well behaved.  An absolute delight!!

They get no love.

I browse the San Antonio craigslist pet section and read post after post about someone giving up some dog because it is hyper or crazy or too big or “something generically typical, yet bad”… these dogs that I have in my house are undamaged and perfect as far as puppies go.  Yes, they are boring.  No, they aren’t going to bounce around like puppies do because they’re awesome.  Who doesn’t want a super-chill dog after you’ve been working 10 hours?

Seriously people.  Spread the word.  These dogs need good homes and peeps need to make up their minds.

Do you want a ridiculously laid-back puppy?!

Yes.  Yes you do. =)

our foster pups
craigs list ad

I understand that an adoption contract for a free animal may seem excessive to some people.

Each of these dogs have received hundreds of dollars in initial veterinary treatment and on going wellness care. Add in the food, time, and energy and multiply that by 15 dogs.

Our goal is to end the cycle of unwanted pets, one dog at a time. Each discarded animal that you see in a shelter was once a puppy or kitten that someone promised that they would provide a good home for.

By offering the puppy to you at no cost we reserve the right to require an adoption contract and home inspection should we deem it necessary.

If for any reason your new dog doesn’t fit your family, we insist that you bring it back to us.

There is no such thing as a free dog, but in exchange for some information and a good home we can provide you a great dog with a ridiculously low start up cost! (Puppy chow =)

Fostering, training, and looking for good homes for some great dogs!

see the puppy pages here

see craigslist ad here

Meet momma!!  She was found in early November 2009, injured, pregnant and wandering the streets.  3 days after my friend, Angela, took her in she had 14 happy and very healthy puppies.  Angela has carefully placed each of the other pups, but she has run out of able friends and family and is reaching out to find the homes that these last 4 pups and Momma dog deserve.

These animals have been very well loved and deeply cared for and it pours through in their demeanor.  I have never been around puppies that were not anxious about something.  Perfect and fantastically easy going would be how I would describe these dogs.

They are 5 months old, fully socialized with their litter-mates and other dogs.  Very people oriented and of course they love attention.  They have wonderful personalities, so it really shouldn’t be too hard to match these pups with the right family. They are current on all vaccinations, micro-chipped, neutered, and quickly working their way through obedience training.

These are the 2 boys that JT and I are fostering in our home.  I have never met puppies so calm and easy to train.  Perhaps it is because I am used to working with rescued dogs, but these are some seriously stable animals.  If you are looking for a dog to chase after that is full of work, these pups are probably not for you.

It was so hard to let her go. We will never find another pup like her and I wish so badly that we had enough room to hold on to her and somehow keep the poor girl from always feeling/being number 3.

My work BFF came and picked her up at the park last Wednesday. I of course panicked most of the day before the actual hand off. I was obsessing about everything after stalling for more than a few weeks. She never would have stayed at our house for the 3 or 4 months that we kept her if she was anything but a fluffy chunk of timid love.

I am absolutely thrilled about Sweetness finally getting all of the attention she deserves and it sounds like she really is a perfect fit for my friends’ mom.

Though I have been told of at least two separate incidents of what an escape artist our little marshmallow has become. Apparently she freaks out when she is left alone and has busted out through the AC window unit accordion insulator thing. My friend assures me that they are adjusting fine and I guess she returns to the porch after breaking out?

The one time JT left her home alone, just after we found her, she did scratch up half the mini blinds in our house.  She never did it again, but then she was always left with the other pups so she wasn’t really alone.

I suppose none of us can help dragging just a little baggage with us when we move on.

I’m trying to bribe my friend with free puppy baths for play dates… I’ll let you know if it works. =)

I am trying to remember and find pictures if I can of the foster dogs we have had the last few years.

We kept this little Dane for a just over two months at the beginning of this year. Her owner needed to find her a new family, but she was a little hard to place since she is about three times the size of my Dalmatian here.

She didn’t eat as much as you would have thought, but she gave me a whole new appreciation for Pink and her polite little ways.  Quinnigans would walk right up to you and sit on your lap if you were unfortunate enough to be on the couch.

120 pounds of spunk that one was.

A sweet dog but had a lot more personality than our little house could handle.  And my god!  The walls!!  The poor dog would wag her tail so hard it would start to bleed at the tip.  Our house looked like a crime scene

OH!! I completely forgot how much she annoyed Studz.  I wish just once I could have stopped laughing long enough to turn on the camera when she started messing with him because she wanted to play.  He is one of the most laid back animals I have ever known, but once Quinn started poking he turned into that rabbit with the gnashing teeth from Monty Python.  We would have sold that footage and opened a rescue ranch.  Sad!!

I know she found a good home with pups her own size and hopefully wider hallways. =)

I just wanted to share a couple of videos that I took when we “tied off” just before the second “rapid” on the Comal River yesterday.  Everything is ridiculously dry and the river was so low that we didn’t have to tie to anything and the larger dogs could actually swim and walk most of the way.  Terrible for south Texas, but awesome for making puppies playing in what-tah videos. =)

And yes, Sweetness swam right back to us after she followed JT down the chute.  Have I mentioned that she is an awesome swimmer?  Pink is not and she did the smart thing by chickening out.

You may be wondering why I replaced the audio with random, but fitting tunes and I bet you would have assumed it was because I swear like a sailor.  While you are correct, not this time. My nephew is visiting and just because I love those words, he doesn’t need to know them… actually it was because any time my voice is picked up by any audio recording equipment the only thing that can be heard is the sound of 1000 dying rabbits or amplified nails on a chalk board.  No idea why, that’s just how it works.

This video doesn’t have my voice, so you should be safe. =)

We have heard it from just about everyone that has met Sweetness, but no. We will not be keeping this dog.  She is incredibly affectionate, smart, and calm. By far the easiest animal I have ever walked and she obeys every command — even if I can tell that sometimes she isn’t entire sure what I am asking from her.  That’s okay, baby girl. That makes two of us!

We are a two dog family and we are quite active and always on the go with our dogs. We take them camping, toobing, to our relatives and friends homes, and when it is possible we can dine out or hit up an outside bar with them.  Only on a patio of course and always to the managers discretion.  I never assume that anyone would be okay with us bringing our dogs along everywhere (i keep a tent in my car at all times, just in case), but once they see them fall asleep under the table or generally mind their own business around people because they are by no means starved for attention, people usually change their minds about them being welcome.

On top of the fact that Sweetness most certainly must feel that she is second to third fiddle with my two brats, it’s not fair to her.  She is such a calm girl.  I think she would do really well with an older person.  She is the ultimate companion pet.  Don’t get me wrong; she is always down for anything.  I take all three dogs running with me every evening and a few weeks ago when we went to the country Sweetness showed us what a little water bug she is.  So precious!  I know she would fit perfectly into any situation, but she is a sensitive dog, it doesn’t take more than a calm verbal correction… and we all know how loud and sometimes down right mean kids can be.

She is such an easygoing dog and these types of animals are not the easiest to find, especially after they have been abused, starved, and dumped.  Her demeanor is nothing short of miraculous.  She is definitely a shy one, but as you will see in the video below, aside from her being half asleep, she is just cautious with strangers which is such a good thing!  Unlike my Dalmatian that believes she is invincible and chased 2 vultures feasting on a cat in Brackenridge Park today.  #facepalm

That’s my baby girl!

JT took Sweetness Wednesday morning (about 4 AM) to the SNAP mobile clinic south of town, usually set up in an HEB parking lot.  It is first come, first serve and they start a sign up sheet the night before, though the clinic doesn’t arrive and the doctor isn’t in until around 7 AM.  SNAP offers low cost spay, neuter, wellness and veterinary care for pets, but the mobile clinics are free.  Actually, there was a $10 charge for Sweetness’ painkillers and the animal must have proof of up to date vaccinations.

Also, it really is a huge pain to have to wait in a parking lot all night only to be turned away after too many people signed up before you.  Most of those people got there about midnight, so JT was told to just try another day.

Friday morning, about midnight, he went to the mobile site, at a different location from the Wednesday site.  He signed up and took some pretty good B-roll of the process.  He came home to get Sweetness about 2:30 AM and they camped out with all the other people waiting to see if SNAP would have the time to fix their pet that day.

JT made the list this time (they can only accept 25 animals a day) and returned home about 8:45 AM on Friday.  He understandably slept most of the day and then went to pick Sweetness up at 4 PM.  No fuss at all.  They sent her home with the standard instructions: make sure she takes it easy for a few days, keep her out of water for 5 days, and we were provided an envelope containing 2 pain killers to be used the 2 days following her surgery.

She slept all day yesterday (Friday) and though she seemed a lot more herself today, we are definitely going to have to walk her just enough to let her potty and then bring her back home and let her rest.

I think that SNAP is perhaps now on my list of programs that rock!

Sure, it is a huge pain in the ass to wait all-night and camp in your car, but it is free and they have been around for quite a while and seem to give these animals fantastic care.

It is good to know that there are places out there that are doing good and just as important that these pet owners acknowledge that pet over population is a real problem and are willing to take 8 to 16 hours out of their busy lives to put their pets name on a list that does not guarantee they will be seen that day. From what JT got from all the people that had to be turned away due to capacity limits, they said they would try again at the next mobile clinic.

That right there restores my faith in humanity.  Not all of it, of course.. but just enough for me to find Sweetness a good home and be prepared to find that next dumped/abandoned puppy and try to rehabilitate them. =)

So we take all three of our pups to McAllister Dog Park.  Sweetness has been incredibly timid so I was curious how she would act around the other dogs.  Then — before we even entered the second gate into the park a couple points out a stray/abandoned/dumped lab mix that they tied up because they thought he might be aggressive.

The bomb threat turned out to be false, but I am so sick of finding these sweet, beautiful animals dumped no matter where I go.

The dog seemed pretty healthy and well fed so I left JT with the three dogs that we came with at the park, put Magic in the Kia,  yes, I named him Magic, and ran him over to the Animal Defense League .  Less than a mile away from where the dog was dumped, BTW.  Anyway, at the ADL I was informed that by law they cannot accept animals after their vet leaves at 4 PM.  It was 6 PM.

I took him back to the park and noticed he had a slight limp.  He was safer left inside the fenced in park then out in the woods or where he could dart into traffic.  He played with several dogs, seemed to have a great disposition, but we cannot start a shelter here and I don’t want two males in the house.

HE IS NOT EATING THAT PUPPY!! It was consensual play.
Pink and him had a great time and it was adorable.

By the way, Animal Care Services or dialing 311, has proved once again to be worthless.  I have contacted them what, three or four times in the last month?!  Not only can I not get through to anyone, but their response time is about a week.

JT is going to go back tomorrow morning and running Magic over to ADL.

May I never meet any of you that do this sick and cowardly crap.

POST FLYERS – the most effective way to get your pet back or inform others that you have found theirs.

CHECK SHELTERS—you have to move fast though. If your animal is brought in and in good condition, friendly, cute, and cuddly – you know all those things you spent years working to perfect?  After the waiting period is up for “found/stray” animals, he will be adopted out and they just made another $81.

Animal Care Services
SPCA of Bexar County
Animal Defense League

Getting through on the phone is next to impossible, but you can try calling or even e-mailing a picture and stay on hold while you drive over

Each of these places can possibly provide you with more information, please come back and share!!

ASK NEIGHBORS—you do not have to pretend to be their new BFF, but even if you have lived next to someone for 10 years and have never said a word, I swear, it will be cool.  People more often then not want to help and do the right thing and will either keep an eye out or point you in the right direction.

PLACE AN AD—try it. I mean, it is possible that your pup ended up 10 miles away, but there is also a possibility that it was stolen and thieves will watch the paper to see just how much your best friend is really worth. And chances are if you took out an ad, you are pretty serious.

OFFER A REWARD—pull together what you can and be prepared to pay, but don’t be surprised if you meet one of those decent people you may have only heard rumored about before that wont accept your cash.

MICROCHIP YOUR PET—this goes without saying, but do it!!  Collars and tags fall off.  Unless you are of course planning on dumping the animal in the nearest park, I can see why you wouldn’t want to be identified.

Seriously though, if you cannot take care of your dog and you think this is the most humane thing to do because it can run free and chase squirrels – how the hell do you manage to take care of yourself? And I can only keep telling myself that you don’t procreate… but i know that’s a lie.

Do you really want me to pull out the dumped park puppy pics or Ms emaciated mom over here again?

I didn’t think so.

There are so many options.

If you have exhausted all of your time and resources trying to place the pet with someone else or the animal is ill and you cannot give him what he needs, please just give it up.  Yes, you may be charged anywhere from $10 to $25.

I guarantee you that it’s a lot less than I am going to spend at the vet checking his health with no history and possibly re-vaccinating him not to mention food and possible medication.

VOLUNTARY SURRENDER IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

If your pet contracts a disease or illness that you cannot afford to cure or manage and it is infectious, you have now just potentially infected an entire community.

If a situation has changed and for whatever reason you cant care for or don’t want the pet anymore.

A dog jumped the fence and now Lady Bird just birthed 9 little pups.  Do not panic.  Puppies are always the first thing to go at any shelter, but you will need to fix LB, as soon as possible so this does not happed again.

There are a lot of people that object without reason to euthanasia.  Killing perfectly healthy animals to make room for younger, cuter, and more desirable pets is absolutely wrong.  But sometimes an animal cannot be helped.  They are in pain.  The last thing you should want to do is abandon it in an unfamiliar location where it can suffer more pain and possible injury all alone.

If this doesn’t get to you, maybe this one will…

Someone will stop and check and care and more times than not they have dogs of their own.  You have now burdened a complete stranger with your responsibility that you were too much of a coward to face yourself.  Hoping of course it isn’t so sick that it takes the good Samaritans dogs out along with what was yours.

There are several online sites and twitter is not out of the question.

Please feel free to add anything, criticize, or jump over to the forum and list a lost or found pup yourself.

These above suggestions are not a promise, but considering Pink “ran away” at 8 weeks and the posters actually worked.  It’s worth a shot.

I got my baby back (the family that found her said that they were tempted to keep her), they named her “Sunshine”, and we are now all great friends.  We all BBQ at least once a month (pets always welcome) and since they have seen her turn into this fantastic diva brat, I am certain they thank their lucky stars they gave her back. =)

If I got this pup back, it’s more than worth a shot for you. =)