Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    I would like to tell you about Tank. Tank is a year old, just about 47 pounds. He is already neutered and very good with kids and other dogs. We’re not sure if he’s good with cats as we have never seen him around a cat, so we can’t vouch for that. He’s housebroken and at a year old he’s that perfect age where he still has the personality and energy of a puppy, but he’s gotten past a lot of the chewing phase. 
    Tank needs a new home. He is a private adoption from a family who hasn’t enough time to give him and being a young dog he really could use a family where he gets some outdoor exercise and a fenced in backyard would be the best we could hope for.
    Tank is a mixed breed. His color is Brindle, which is a kind of mix of black and brown and white, mostly brown. His mix does include, we believe, some pit-bull and possibly some chow. We’re not sure what else. He’s a beautiful happy dog and he is free to a good home. You can call Patty at 757-8003 and leave a message if you’re interested. I’m sure if you are from out of town she can make arrangements to meet you somewhere. This is a perfect opportunity to adopt a nice dog that needs a good home and have zero expense to you other than his license.
    It happens sometimes, we adopt a dog or bring home a new puppy and our intentions are good and we love our pets but over time we begin to see that maybe our schedule doesn’t allow for enough time for bonding or maybe the puppy turned into a 150 pound klutz that is just a tad too big for your 400 square foot apartment and is knocking over your knick knacks with his tail.
    I am not suggesting that animals are disposable and you just decide one day that Rover needs to go, but I am suggesting that sometimes we have to make decisions based on what is best for the pet, not what is best for us, and if Rover isn’t getting enough exercise and he’s frustrated and having issues related to that frustration, then you are not a bad person if you make a decision to help transition Rover into a home where he is happier.
    My Scruffy is a great example – although he didn’t come to me directly from an owner, I have to believe he is happier with me than he was at his former home. First hint is that he either ran away from his former home or was abandoned for some reason. Second hint is that he appeared to be very afraid when we first got him and I think he might have been yelled at or even chased with a broom. Third hint is that he has separation anxiety really bad. If I go away just on an over-night, he paces all night long, watching all the doors in the house, waiting for me to come home.
    Since he’s been with us he has totally relaxed. He follows me everywhere, sleeps in my bed, has his spa days with the groomer, and his walks around the block. He is the king of the house. How can I believe that he would be happier somewhere else? I think he’s happier with me. So if he had been a private adoption I would have to say to the former owner, thank you, thank you for caring enough about Scruffy to let him go and let me love him.
    For the most part, you know the first week you have a dog or cat if they are going to fit or not. While I do not advocate giving up pets one after another – I know people who do that, they get a dog, keep it a year, give it up, I think that’s just wrong – but I do have to say that if the match is so bad that you have to “suffer through it,” if there is no bond between you, if your pet is tied outside to a dog house all day because you don’t have time, please consider letting someone else give it a good home.
    If you are looking  for a new pet, please stop by the shelter or visit us on Facebook. We have some of the most beautiful cats available for adoption, and several dogs. My advice is to keep watching us on Facebook and then if you see a pet that catches your eye, come to the shelter and spend some time with it. If it’s a dog you want, take him for a walk, introduce him to your family, maybe take him home overnight. Don’t just make a decision based on breed, or looks, or color. I have to tell you, I was never a fan of black and white cats until I adopted one, and trust me, I was wrong, all wrong, all along.