Our Star Wars adoption event was a huge success. 93 animals were adopted! Everyone seemed to enjoy having pictures taken with the members of the 501st legion and their hummer was really cool. What lovely pictures were taken by WinstonFoto.com. I saw lots of pictures being taken with Jack posing with his storm trooper mask in front of the storm trooper vehicle. We thank the community for coming out to support adopting a shelter pet. We had many first time visitors. There was a lively atmosphere with the festivities to help pass the unusual wait time and everyone was quite patient. I was very pleased to learn several of Terrie Q’s Adorable Adoptable Pet Segment listeners came to the shelter to adopt. Both of the featured pets were adopted.
Our first featured pet is a very handsome loving young dog. We frequently have those cute tiny puppies that everyone wants and are adopted quickly from the shelter. Puppies are not for everyone as they require a lot of time and energy and as with any adoption it is a lifetime commitment. There are a lot of benefits of adopting a dog older than a puppy like our first featured pet Oso. Our shelter always has a lot of wonderful dogs just over a year. In addition presently we have two lovely 14 year old house trained larger shepherd mixes. We have a few with one eye. We usually have one or two 3 legged dogs. We have the ever popular pit bull mixes and Chihuahua mixes yet a large number of them needing forever homes. There are many dogs ages 6 and over that for one reason or another were left at our shelter but are hopeful loving companions. This last week a friend posted a flyer on my Facebook page that I just loved. It made me tear up a bit but was very sweet. I “shared it” and got so many positive responses and stories posted. It said “adopt a less adoptable pet”. “I’m different, I’m a pit bull, I’m old, I’m blind”. “Don’t hate me because I’m a little less adoptable; adopt me because I need you. The flyer made me think about the dogs I’ve adopted from the shelter as two were considered less adoptable. Dogs similar to those mentioned actually are those that people are drawn to when they come to visit the shelter but sadly they are not the first to be adopted. We have a few animals at the shelter that may be a bit different and some might say less adoptable but anyone that has adopted one of these animals will attest they make the very best of companions. I was originally going to talk about a less than perfect dog named David. He has a deformed cleft nose. What I saw was a very cute heart shaped nose. Happily David was adopted Thursday so hooray for less adoptable David and his new family. Peter the second dog we are featuring today might also be considered “less than perfect” but he is a very popular dog when it comes to being picked by our volunteers to be taken out for a walk and appreciated by our staff for his kennel manners.
Oso (ID# A 1731382) is a 1 year & 1 month old, male sable Chow Chow & Labrador Retriever mix. He weighs 51 pounds. As everyone should know by now one of Albuquerque’s biggest problems is that people do not spay & neuter their animals. Oso’s owner surrender reason speaks to the lack of knowledge and the varying reasons that animals benefit from being spayed or neutered. Oso came to us at 1 year of age back in December just before Christmas, 1 year old. He and his littermate were not socialized by their people, most likely were kept in close quarters and more importantly both were adult males that had not been neutered. The two boys had a disagreement and so they were surrendered. Like most of the dogs that find themselves in a shelter or rescue it was a people problem not a dog problem. Oso was quite shy when he arrived. A new unfamiliar place, he had just been hurt by his brother and all he saw were unfamiliar people. Very quickly Oso warmed up to everyone and is eager to come out with any volunteer or staff member that comes to his kennel door. We quickly learned that this boy is a real sweet heart. First he has the most beautiful colored and very soft coat. He loves to be petted. He kind of wants to be a lap dog to make it easier to get affection and kisses. He is pretty good on leash for a young dog and especially if he has frequent walks or gets to play with one of his favorite toys, a soccer ball. Staff found him to be fairly gentle. Due to his age and breed he likely will become more active once in a safe secure loving home. He should do well with children over 8. We don’t want any little ones to be scared if he tries to be their lap dog. Oso would love to attend our free training classes that come with every adoption. This will boost his socialization being around other dogs and people. Learning simple things like sits, downs and such also boost confidence and are a great way for him to bond with his person or family. Oso is very respectful when he greets dogs in adjacent yards, gates or while walking alongside another dog. As always we are happy to conduct a meet and greet between your present companion and the prospective adoptee. Oso would be happy being your only fur-kid but if you have a present companion bring him/her with you to meet Oso. We want everyone to be happy with their new friend. Our volunteer favorite Oso is residing at our Eastside shelter in the second building B. He is a happy boy now and well loved but we want him to start a new life in his very own forever home where he will continue to be well loved.
Peter (ID# A 1731443) is a 5 year old, male brown & white Labrador Retriever mix. He weighs 66 pounds. Peter came to us a stray the day after Christmas. He was a bit shy initially and had a few small injuries on his sweet face. It was quite cold outside during that time in December. Because we care we often wonder what kind of situations the dog faced. Perhaps after he became lost from his home he was hurt trying to scrounge for food and drinkable water or just trying to find his way back home. We can only imagine what those few scary days were like for him. He is such a sweet gentle dog it is hard to understand why no one came in looking for him but this happens all the time. Like my Facebook flyer says, please do not judge him by his slight imperfections. We all (humans, canines and felines etc.) have times in our life that may have been a bit rougher due to circumstances out of our control. We may even have scraps and scars. We still deserve to be happy, safe, secure and loved. Calm quiet well behaved Peter is a huge cuddle bug. He will gently put his paws and head on your lap for affection. He enjoys daily walks, is good on leash and will be a great walking partner. He will be a devoted easy companion. He would do well in a mature home or one with teenage children. It appears his scrapes are superficial so with time they may not be noticeable at all. Yet at present many may pass by Peter because he is not perfect. Are you that person that Peter needs? Come meet Peter at our Eastside shelter in the first building A. I bet when you meet him in one of our quiet areas he will sidle up leaning into you batting his beautiful brown eyes and melt your heart.
