Brewster: Just Passing Through!

Hi, I'm Brewster!

This beautiful boy is going by the name of Brewster for the next 36 hours. Brewster's hanging out with us until he goes on transport with Friends of DeKalb Animals on Saturday. He's heading to a rescue group in Pennsylvania. When the shelter is at max capacity like it was today, every single cage matters. So, Brewster gets to be comfy for the next two nights and a lucky dog at the shelter gets to take his open space in adoptions. Hurray!

Who's that handsome fella in the mirror?

Brewster is mega sweet and mellow. While we won't get to see his full personality over such a short time, it's obvious that he's going to make somebody a great dog. I don't know anything about his story, but he's about 70 pounds (a little skinny under all that fur) and I think he might be a Great Pyrenees/Lab mix or something like that. He's gorgeous. He's got some stains that a good brightening shampoo might be able to lift, but overall he looks like he was well cared for at some point.

Check out my awesomely fluffy tail!

If you love the fact that Brewster is now safe and another dog gets to avoid euthanasia, PLEASE donate to Friends of DeKalb Animals. They're the ones who make ALL OF THIS possible! It costs FODA $175 to vet and transport a dog; they rescue anywhere from 50-100 animals EACH MONTH. FODA gives the homeless pets at DeKalb County Animal Services HOPE. Brewster and so many others just like him are alive and happy because of FODA's dedication. Here is the link to their paypal page: http://friendsofdekalbanimals.com/how-to-donate/

Paws up for Brewster and FODA!

Pupdate: Pickles's People Progress

Hey guys! I'm super happy and relieved to be writing this post. Pickles is making positive progress with how he reacts to people! We've had two failed meet & greet scenarios due to his fearful reactions toward strangers. Since then, I've realized that I need to step up my game and put some serious effort into helping him build his confidence and develop proper people skills. It's not "good enough" that Pickles is comfortable and loving around me. We're trying to get him adopted here, and that's just not going to happen without some work that results in him trusting people more. It's my job to set him up for success.

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, Pickles's distrust and fear doesn't necessarily mean he experienced abuse in his past. Maybe he did, but it's more likely he just developed his reactive habits due to lack of proper socialization. It's his way of saying, "HEY YOU! I'M SCARY AND I WILL MESS YOU UP!" because he's scared and doesn't know how else to escape the situation. It's much like a little kid who lacks the skills/maturity to remove himself from a frustrating situation and just hauls off or throws a temper tantrum instead. So, with the help of some incredibly supportive rescue friends, a few brave willing-to-be-guinea-pig friends, and a patient husband, I'm confident that Pickles is on the road to success.

I took Pickles to CHARM School this morning at the shelter. I've mentioned CHARM School in a few previous posts, but it's a bunch of volunteers who get together to help socialize and train shelter dogs so they can be better candidates for successful adoptions. It's led by an awesome trainer who donates her time each week to help these dogs have the best chances of bright futures. We all figured Pickles could use the opportunity to not only work on his basic obedience skills, but to be around different people in a different environment. We kept our distance from the rest of the group and Pickles got a treat every time he saw a person or another dog go by. At the end, a small group of "strangers" practiced tossing treats to Pickles without the added stress of contact so that he could see that people aren't so bad after all. It worked really well. Toward the end, he even "sat" for the strangers when they tossed him treats.

It's just a start, but Pickles had a very positive day today. Nobody lost any fingers! I'm really proud of him and super excited to see him continue to improve over time. I just had to share this encouraging news and take a minute to brag on my little Picky. I'm a proud doggy mommy today! Stay tuned to hear more about his progress and adventures! Also, if you want to see Pickles playing, chasing his tail, and just generally looking super adorable, check out this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxKFbbxyUXo

Happy Tail: Cowboy Cody!

My new Mom!

It's official: Cowboy (now Cody) is adopted and settling into his forever home with his wonderful new mom! Drew and I are so grateful to the folks at DeKalb County Animal Services, Friends of DeKalb Animals, See Spot Rescued, and K9dergarten for helping Cowsy find the forever home he deserves. Most of all, we are so happy for his new mom because she adopted the sweetest, most moo-riffic, cow-tastic buddy ever!

Heading home!

Walking into forever

I've got to admit: Cowboy was the best foster we've had so far and he may very well be the best we ever have. He was better behaved than most of our own dogs. He felt like one of our own dogs. Putting him on the FODA bus was hard, for sure, but I didn't struggle with it too badly. Seeing his adoption photos yesterday made it REAL. He's gone. He's not our Cow anymore. He has a new mom and a new home. I cried my eyes out. I thought to myself, how ridiculous am I? Cowboy has an amazing future ahead of him and here I am feeling all sad. I didn't expect this weird emotional response at all. So, I went to sleep and woke up this morning feeling much better knowing that Cowboy slept in a comfy home with someone who truly loves him. I looked at his pictures again and he looks SO happy. I reminded myself that we let him go so we can keep helping more. He wasn't ever really "ours"; we were just a stepping stone on his way to forever. And yeah, coming to grips with that hurts a little bit, sure. But that's ok! It's what we signed up for and it's all worth it to know he is safe, comfortable, happy, and loved. He will always be in our hearts (and on my Facebook news feed, I'm sure!).

Cowboy being goofy at K9dergarten

I made great friends at K9dergarten!

Happy dance in the background

So please enjoy these pictures of Cowboy with his new mommy (posted with her permission) and his time playing happily at K9dergarten leading up to his adoption. And thanks for letting me share my emotional mini-struggle. It always helps to write it out and face it for what it is: another step forward on this awesome journey! Congratulations, Cowboy Cody! May you and your forever mom build the happiest of friendships together! We'll miss you, Moo Man!

If you're in the Jersey City area and are looking for a fantastic doggy daycare, please check out K9dergarten at http://www.k9dergarten.com or on Facebook. These folks took GREAT care of Cowboy Cody and one of our other fosters, Barkley, while they waited for their forever homes. You can see in the pictures just how much fun Cow had hanging out with his K9 buddies every day! Every afternoon at 4:00 sharp, K9dergarten posts an album on Facebook full of pictures of all their daycare pups hanging out. It's an awesome way to see what your pup is up to while you're at work! A special shout out is due to Warren, a K9 staff member who really made sure Cowboy enjoyed every minute of his days at K9. Thanks and PAWS UP for Cowboy Cody's happy tail!

Pickles: Adopt Me!

Pickles is still available for adoption! I just have to share these photos of him. Also, watch the video below to see a short snippet of Pickles's awesome Chihuahua dance! It'll make you smile, I promise. If you need a refresher on Pickles's story, please see my earlier blog posts about him. He's still working on his people manners, but he's learning to trust more and more every day. He LOVES to play, give kisses, and snuggle.

         Pickles is looking for someone who has experience with Chihuahuas and their temperaments.

He also hopes to find a forever home with at least one other dog because he’d like to have a playmate. Pickles is now healthy, crate-trained, and housebroken. He’s really goofy and will keep you entertained for hours. If you’re looking for a fun-loving, super loyal, feisty little lap-dog, Pickles is your guy!

Please share and email jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov if you'd like to apply for Pickles.

Cowboy's Journey Continues: Adopt Me!

Cowboy made it safely to See Spot Rescued in Jersey City last weekend. He had a grooming

session and then met his pre-approved adopters right after his arrival. Unfortunately, they decided they aren't quite ready for a dog after all. So, Cowboy is stuck in limbo.

Thankfully, all of SSR's dogs wait for their forever homes at an awesome doggy daycare place called K9dergarten. So Cowboy's not in a kennel environment or anything like that. He's getting to run, play, and have a blast all day long. The first week transported rescue dogs are at K9dergarten, they hang out in a separate daycare area just as a small group. This helps them get used to the free roam concept and the new environment before being integrated into the main daycare pack. The folks at K9dergarten upload a giant album of daycare pictures every single afternoon. I can't wait to see how much fun Cowboy is having once he gets to play with everyone!

Cowsy had a professional photo session with SSR's doggy photog, Jenna Teti. She did a fabulous job and her photos show just how handsome our Moo Man really is. I've included her photos in this post along with some shots from Cow's first day at K9dergarten. You can see him running with Baxter, Brody, & Astro. We miss him TONS, but it's wonderful to see he's well taken care of and to know he's happy.

PLEASE share this post as much as possible so we can help Cowboy's forever family find him sooner rather than later! While I know he's having a blast at K9dergarten, I want nothing more than to see him find the people he so deserves. Help us make sure Cowboy doesn't fall through the cracks; share, share, share! If you're in the Jersey City area and interested in filling out an adoption application for Cowboy, please email seespotrescued@gmail.com for more information. He's dreaming of finally finding his forever home!