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?