Ella, Waiting for You

I think I'm going crazy. Crazy, as in if I don't get outta here soon, I'm gonna have a breakdown and become some insane mutt that chews through cages just to get some attention.

I've been here too long.

Every day, I spend my time cooped up in a kennel, watching as people walk past me and look past me and choose not to stop. I watch as they glance at me and disregard me as just another black dog in a shelter full of black dogs. For a long time after I got to the shelter, I would sit in my kennel as people walked by and I would stare at them and try to convince them to stop and look at me. To stop and give me a chance. I was quiet and I was polite.

But no one ever stopped.

So I tried something different. I tried to be loud, to be the loudest one in the room, the one who would be sure to get attention because I was different. I was loud. I stood on my hind legs and pressed myself up against the cage bars. I barked and barked, louder and louder, begging those families to stop and give me a chance. With each bark, I pleaded with the kids and the women and the men to please stop walking, to please notice me and want me.

They just walked faster.

And so when there's no one in the room, when it's just me and a bunch of other dogs, all waiting for our families to walk in and discover the pup that will make their life complete, I have a lot of time to think. I have time to wonder why it is no one wants me.

My owners didn't want me.

The shelter people asked my owners for a reason, for an explanation on why they were dropping me off. They said I was destructive outside. I wanted to shout that I didn't destroy things and bark and run for no reason! I was bored! I wanted to be loved, I wanted to be a part of the family, to be wanted! All I ever wanted was for someone to love me. For someone to care about me as more than the cute dog in the backyard.

Wasn't I worth that?

Now my new potential families walk past my kennel and they don't stop to see how great I am. There's a girl who volunteers her time at the shelter and she's taken a liking to me. She takes me out for walks and we went for a car ride to downtown the other day. She tries to get people to notice the good things about me.

I'm not all bad.

Why can't people see that I'm not just another black dog, but that my fur ranges in colors from charcoal gray to dark black and white on my chest? Why can't they see that, if they give me a chance outside of my kennel, I never bark or make any noise? Why can't they see that I'm super fun to walk on a leash because I don't pull and I don't charge off into the unknown, dragging my walker behind me? Why can't they see that I don't have tons of energy and love to snuggle with my person? Why can't they see that I love kids and want to be their best friend? Why can't they see that I like to play with other doggies, as long as they respect that I'm the boss? Why can't they see that I'm a great size to be an indoor doggie in a house that's kitty and small animal free because clearly small mammals were made to be chased? Why can't they see that I'm special and I'm unique and I'm one-of-a-kind?

Why won't they give me a chance?

It's not my fault I'm going crazy. I've been here since forever and, for the first time in forever, I can't see a future that leads outta here. I need someone to cut me some slack and give me a chance. I need someone to see that I, Ella, am ready to be their forever dog.

I am Ella.

Penny Girl

My name is Penny. The people in blue tell me that I'm awesome and that I'm sweet. They tell me that I'm the best dog ever. But still I sit in this cage, waiting and watching and wondering:

Why am I unwanted?

It can't be that I'm a bad dog. I'm not. I'm actually quite a sweet dog. When I'm around kids, I take it super easy. I go really slow so that they don't get scared because sudden movements and loud noises can be scary, take it from me. I love kids so I don't want them to be nervous around me. I want them to love me and so I can love them back.

It's been a while since I've been loved.

It can't be that I'm not a calm dog, I like nothing better than the couch or the bed or the tiny little doggie bed that doesn't actually fit. People look at me and think I'm going to be this crazy dog with huge spurts of energy. But I'm not. I'm chill and laid-back and easy-going. I think people would like that. I think they would love me.

But clearly I'm wrong.

I can't explain it and I can't make it go away. I can't tell you why no one wants me and no one loves me. I can't tell you why my owners didn't care when I got lost and why they didn't come for me. I can't tell you why I'm still here, in this cage, after 64 days.

I wish I could explain it all.

I wish I could say that my owners moved or got sick or honestly couldn't care for me anymore. I wish I could say that there's something wrong with me or something that keeps me from getting adopted. I wish I could say anything to keep the truth hidden.

The truth that no one wants me.

No one wants a plain, brown wrapper dog. No one wants a dog who isn't unique, no matter how kid-friendly and dog-friendly and cat-friendly I am. I am just another pup in another kennel in another shelter. I do not stand out. I am not super hyper or fluffy or attention-grabbing. I am just another brown face in a sea of brown and black faces.

But let me tell you what I am.

I am loving. I am friendly. I am loyal and I am sweet. I am incredibly special to the people here and to the volunteers who love me. I could care less about cats and I am friends with every dog who comes my way. Kids make my world go round. I am grown and I am calm. Surely, there is someone out there who wants a pup like me. There must be a family out there for me somewhere.

I am Penny.

Dalmie, Swell, and Layla All Stare Death in the Face

I figured a last-minute trip to the shelter was pointless. These dogs had it stated all over their threads, last day! Will be pts! Will be euthanized! But I had to try. So I went. I went, armed with a list of those who had only been given today. 

I started with Swell. His FB picture showed him with leg wounds from another dog attack. He was a jet-black beauty but his picture didn't do him justice. His kennel mate was outside so it was easy to get Swell. He took the leash easily and walked sweetly to the big yard.

When we got there, I expected Swell to take off! To fly across the field. Instead, he chose to stay with me. He pressed up against my legs and I crouched down to pet him. Instantly, he collapsed into my lap, wiggling his way up against my hand for petting. 

Now, Swell is a big pup. He's a Dane mix with big feet. But he is a sweetheart and thinks he's a lap dog. I hope someone sees him for the jet-black, magnificent dog he is,

I knew there were other dogs who needed last-minute evaluations so I reluctantly put Swell up and moved to get out Layla. Another black dog, who usually get skipped over because of their color. Discrimination might be dead amongst humans but it is alive and kicking in canines.

Layla had your typical puppy energy but she was so sweet. She bounded along with the grace of a deer and enjoyed hanging out with me in the field, even though she also liked to play. Layla is small and beautiful. She's been looked over but hopefully won't face her last night tonight.

When I put Layla back, I went and found Dalmie, a beautiful Dalmatian mix. He had been returned from a foster who had no bad things to say about him. When I found him in D1 - where else - he moseyed right along with me on the leash.

Once in the field, Dalmie went straight for the ball, we played a few games of fetch, had a few treats, and I fell in love. This was a mellow dog with a playful streak. He was great. I loved on him, hoping it wouldn't be the last love he would get.

These three dogs need out TOMORROW. they needed out today. Please email petrescue@greenvillecounty.org with their name in the subject line if interested. Or you can email me. Don't wait, they don't have time for that.

They don't have much time left at all.

Tomato Soup - the small dog with an intriguing name!

I had sighed over her name. Tomato Soup. Really? Was the intake person hungry that day? Did all the good names get taken before this dog got there? 

It didn't matter. This pup deserved a chance just like any other, no matter what her name. I resolved to look for her the next time I was at the shelter and walk her. So I did. She sat patiently for me to get her out of her kennel in D1, the kennel block not often frequented by adopters. I looped the leash around her neck and we headed out to a little taste of freedom.

When we got to the field, Soup went to the bathroom almost immediately. I always like that as it signals to me that the dog might be house trained or at least somewhat trained. She sniffed around and jogged a few laps but nothing too exuberant. She was a calm, plain brown dog. Nothing special on the outside, other than she was a good size and medium to low energy. But she didn't have the unique coloring that attracts so many people. 

Her uniqueness was on the inside.

I have met a lot of dogs but Soup tops the list as one of the sweetest. She wants to be with people. She loves to rest her front paws on your legs and get a good head-scratching. She devours any treats you give her, of course, but it's more than that. Soup doesn't crave treats. She craves attention and love. 

Nobody knows her background, at least not completely. How could they? She's in a shelter with hundreds of other dogs coming and going, coming and going. And Soup languishes. People have stepped up and pledged help for her heartworm treatment - see, that's another negative. She tested HW+. There are people willing to help, she just needs a family. 

No one knows her past.

You can be her future.

Meet Hyper, the not-so-hyper dog!

I knew Hyper was on the urgent list, and I had seen a totally adorable video of him. His name made me hesitate, did I really want to walk a hyper-active dog? Then, on Saturday, I got to the shelter and there he was, in a kennel all alone, standing at the door and waiting for someone to set him free.

I opened the gate and looped the leash around his neck. He pulled me a little towards the courtyard but I was really surprised at how calm he was! Sure, he was a bit energetic but who wouldn't be after being confined for so long? 

He went to the bathroom right away, which I always take as a good sign that the dog might be at least partially house trained, and we headed to the big field. Once inside, I let him off the leash and he moseyed off to sniff around. No crazy hyper energy here. He came back for treats and "learned" to sit in just the few minutes I had him out. 

I wondered if he wanted to play. Some dogs are fetch dogs and some aren't. It just depends. So I grabbed a ball and chucked it across the field. Off he went, on a mad rush to get it back! He overshot and had to come back around to get it, then carried it right back towards me...and past me...and dropped it. Hype then stood over it, waiting for me to come get it and throw it again. 

When the time came to go back in, he waited patiently for me to put the leash on and we went back inside. I left him looking longingly back at me, wondering why I had locked him back up. He hadn't done anything wrong. 

Hyper is slated to die today. He needs someone to step up for him. 

Will it be you?

Rescued by a series of happy coincidences!

Last week was bad at the shelter. Lots of dogs in urgent need of adoption or rescue. Lots of dogs needing to immediately leave the premises. It was a terrible time for me, watching these threads and networking the dogs and posting ALL I knew about them and knowing that I was going to be leaving for Texas in a week and couldn't take a single one.

But then a series of happy coincidences happened which set in motion events that would save the lives of two very precious dogs. It's important to focus on the good. It's a dream to believe I can save every dog. I hope one day to make it a reality. But for now, I will focus on the rescued.

Flash was a 1 year old retriever mix. The picture that the shelter took for his urgent thread on Facebook was not flattering. In fact, it showed him mid-pee. Poor guy. And then he was given his death day. No one was showing any interest. And then my friend went and visited him in his kennel and realized his potential. Flash was smallish and beautiful and sweet. He was good with other dogs and loved people. He needed a chance.

Working against the clock, my friend found Flash a rescue and agreed to foster him short-term, not an easy decision. But she knew Flash needed a chance. She would be the one who gave him that chance. Flash was picked up at the shelter on the day he was scheduled to die. He took his freedom walk with a lady associated with the rescue. She took him home that night (she boards and grooms dogs) and brought him over to my friend's house on Wednesday, where I was waiting to help her get Flash and her dog acquainted.

Wednesday was also the day when 20 dogs had to be out or killed. I was torn up about it because I couldn't DO ANYTHING. I couldn't foster. No rescues were stepping up and needed money help. I had to do something. So as we talked with the woman who had brought Flash over, it came up that she now had an empty space at her house for a boarder. I looked at my friend who looked back at me. 

"If we pay, will you pull a dog and board until we find a rescue?" Her answer was a resounding yes and she headed back to the shelter to get Thelma, a 7 month old retriever mix, slated to die at noon the next day.

We couldn't save them all. We aren't superheroes. But, because we all happened to connect at the same time, we saved two. And Flash and Thelma are now living the life - the one that happens outside of a shelter kennel.

Meet Yappi, the senior Sharpei mix!!

They say that a black dog in a shelter is a death sentence. Apparently, no one wants a black dog. I, personally, love the black dogs. I love the ones that look like Dobermans or Rotties. My first save, Fleak, was a Rottweiler/Spaniel mix. Talk about crazy! It's even tougher, though, when you're a black, HW pos, senior dog in a shelter.

That's why I knew I had to walk Yappi again. I'd walked him a few weeks ago, before he was on the urgent list, and now that he was on the list, I wanted to walk this gentle giant again to get some more information on him and hopefully find him a rescue.

Yappi is a big boy, there's no denying that. Unlike most dogs that come into the shelter super thin, Yappi could stand to lose a few pounds. He's short but chunky. And there ain't nothing wrong with that! Yappi is an 8 year old, Shepherd/Sharpei mix. This time, when I got him out, he was ready to go!

We headed out and took a leisurely stroll down to the field. Yappi is GREAT on a leash. He just moseys right along beside you like he doesn't have a care in the world. Like he's not in a shelter and stares death in the face every single day. But once we got to the field...boy, was Yappi ready to play! He ran around for a bit, nosed the bushes, smelled the smells, and went to the potty super quickly - usually a sign he might be house trained.

Yappi is super friendly and LOVES treats! He'll sit for treats and beg you for more. With drool falling out of his mouth and a big, ole, goofy grin on his face, Yappi is a wonderful dog. Why is he still here?

I bet he's asking himself the same question.