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.

Meet Dayna!

Dayna has been on the urgent list for a while now. She came in with her buddy, Dina, who has since gotten a foster and left Dayna all alone in the shelter. :( I know. It's very sad. So, when I saw Dayna had a "has to be out by" date, I knew that I needed to spend some time with her.

It just so happened that she was the first dog I took out on Saturday. She waited patiently in her kennel for me to get her out and then pranced right beside me all the way to the big field! No pulling, no dashing off and dragging me along behind her. Dayna knew that I was the one in charge here.

When we got to the field, Dayna took off running and sped around that field so quickly, she wasn't much more than a blur! She quickly calmed down, though, and wanted to spend the majority of her time chilling with me - especially once she saw that I had treats! Dayna has medium to low energy and loves a good roll in the grass much more than anything else! It was so funny to watch her jogging around and then, BAM! Just drop to the ground and roll over and over. I guess it's hard to get a good scratch going when you're in a small kennel all day long.

I hated to take this sweetheart back inside but eventually I had to. She went back in easily enough and stared at me through the kennel gate. "Wait a minute," she seemed to say, "I thought you were going to take me with you? I thought I was going to be your best friend for ever and ever? Why are you putting me back in here?"

Can you answer Dayna's questions in a positive manner? Will you be her person? She's out of time at the shelter. She's got 1 day left. Her adoption fee is $49 and she's waiting for you. She promises to love you.

How can you resist that?

Meet Courage!

Courage. Not the absence of fear, but the ability and the drive to overcome any obstacle, any fear that is thrown in front of you. Courage. 

A shelter is a scary place. Lots of noise, lots of people, lots of other dogs. It takes a lot of courage to survive in this place, put on your best face, and win over a potential family.

So let's meet Courage. Courage is a 1-year old Retriever mix who is the spitting image of Shadow from Homeward Bound (love that movie). Courage is AMAZING. He's a goofball. He's great with other dogs and great with people. He likes to play. He likes to hang out with people and enjoys treats. He doesn't have super high energy.

Inside the shelter, Courage looks like he's scared to death. Outside, he's a gem. He is a one of a kind dog who does not deserve to be in this place. He is waiting for you. Won't you help Courage pull a Shadow and find his way home?

He's not ready to let go of you just yet...

Meet Country!!!

Country is as "country" as you can get. He is the most beautiful brindle color, a deep, deep chocolate brown with darker brown stripes all throughout his body. He is gorgeous. And his eyes...they literally stare deep into your soul.

When Country stared at me through his kennel door a few weeks ago, I knew I had to take him out. Of, more accurately, he had to take me out. This guy needs some work on the leash - he likes to get where he is going FAST- but he isn't actually that high-energy. Great news!!

When we got out in the field, Country went to the bathroom immediately! This is a good sign that he may be somewhat house trained. A plus! Then, we started to play. Country is big into balls. Especially the chewing-on kind. He even passes up treats to chew on balls! 

Unfortunately, it was soon time to go back inside. I called, wolf-whistled, and Country came right over. The guy practically put his head into the leash loop! What a keeper! And, once away from the balls, Country was all over the Milk Bones. 

Country is on the urgent list at Greenville County Animal Care. His adoption fee is just $49 and includes neuter, microchip, rabies, and basic shelter exam. You just buy a leash, collar, and heartworm preventative. Sadly, Country is out of time. His last day at the shelter is Wednesday, April 11. Can you help him? 

If interested in Country, you can email me (michellehigdon6@gmail.com) or go straight to the source and email petrescue@greenvillecounty.org with Country's name in the subject line, and remember to check out Greenville County Pet Rescue on Facebook to see all our dogs!

Meet Sammy!

Sammy is a 1-year old male Retriever mix. He's tall, showing off his long brown legs and beautiful white chest. When I first met Sammy, he was wagging his tail and practically begging me to get him out of his kennel! 

I was happy to oblige. Sammy and I headed out on a long walk down to the shelter's field and, boy, was he anxious to get there! Sammy needs some work on the leash but he's not too bad...just a big boy with plenty of energy. 

Once Sammy got in the field, his energy level actually went down. He was quite content to just nose around and smell all the smells. Sammy is a medium energy dog, not a crazy spastic maniac! Whew! 

Then came Sammy's favorite part - TREATS!!! I, of course, had some tasty Milk Bones in my pocket and Sammy sat for a treat! He took the treat super nicely and enjoyed giving me a hug afterwards! On his back legs, Sammy stands as high as me! But who doesn't want a sweet hug from this sweet boy?

Putting Sammy back in his kennel was super hard. Sweet Sammy is waiting on someone to save him. His adoption fee is $49 and includes everything you could want! Including a great friend for life. Special Sammy is heartworm positive but he can overcome that. Won't you take a chance on Sammy today? He is waiting on you!

Welcome to Greenville County Animal Care!

Greenville County Animal Care is a one-of-a-kind animal shelter. Located in Greenville, SC, GCACS is a shelter that is NOT no-kill. Dogs here do get put to sleep. But, they have awesome rescue/foster/adoptions staff working their butts off to save them! The rescue staff maintains a Facebook page with pictures of the urgent dogs. They work with rescues both local and out of state to get the dogs out.

However, it's not always enough. Some perfectly wonderful dogs don't make it out alive. And here's where you and I come in. I spend my Saturdays at the shelter. If you follow my other blogs, you know I'm a first-year teacher without a whole lot of extra time. But my passion is dog rescue. I spend Saturdays taking notes on urgent dogs and snapping pictures to update their Facebook threads. And now I'm going to blog about them.

So, follow this blog. Meet the dogs. Hear the updates when one gets rescued or adopted. And, if you fall in love, email me. I'll be happy to help you out. Let's rescue dogs.

Email: michellehigdon6@gmail.com

Facebook: Greenville County Pet Rescue (check out our shelter!!)