White Chyna

Isn't she a beauty?

Chyna is an 8 month old White German Shepherd Dog. She was surrendered to us after her young owner was no longer able to care for her. Chyna is a fantastic pup- housetrained, very well mannered, friendly and smart.

I will have more information to post on Monday. Until then you can enjoy her pictures!

A whole lotta dog!

Kimi is an 18 month old Rottweiler who was surrendered after her owners couldn't spend enough time with her. She has spent the last three months pretty much alone in the backyard or in the garage- which is no life for a young active girl like Kimi!

Despite this, she has a fabulous personality- she is happy, does the famous rottweiler wiggle, and loves people. She has had lots of exposure to kids and enjoys other dogs company. She is not quite sure how to play with them but one on one she does well.

Kimi is housetrained but doesn't have great house manners- she doesn't realise she is a big dog and shouldn't be jumping around all the time. She really needs an outlet for her pent up energy and would make a great jogging partner! She is very athletic and needs a job.

What Kimi really needs is someone that she can learn to trust. Rottweilers are a guarding breed by nature and generally are "one person/family" kind of dogs. Poor Kimi has been bounced around is not sure who to trust! She really doesn't appreciate being grabbed and forced to anything. Trying to make her do something (like sit still in a bathtub- we learned this last night) will result in a warning grab. She doesn't actually bite but will tell you the only way she knows that she is worried about what you are doing.

It is important that before applying for Kimi that people interested do their research! I have included some links at the bottom of this post- with any breed- especially a strong willed one it is very important to understand what the dogs heritage and genetics tell it to do.

Kimi is a great dog- but she is not a lab- she is friendly, but reserved. Happy, but not overly enthusiastic, good with kids- but won't tolerate being poked and prodded. She is a very good Rottweiler!

About the Breed

Rottweiler Club of Canada

Good News

Sampson went to his new on Saturday. He was the perfect match for a great family. The family drove up from Calgary to see both Dory and Sampson but in the end we agreed that Sampson was the better choice for them- his confidence, sense of humour and great personality is well suited to a family with a young baby. Dory did great and will make someone a great companion, but Sampson won this hands....er paws down.

Two Boys

This handsome guy is Bo. He is an almost one year old Lab Cross. He came from a very loving home who unfortunately had to make the very difficult decision to give him up. Bo has always been anxious around small children and when cornered last week by a toddler he snapped and bit her. In this situation the blame should not fall on the dog. Being that they knew he was uncomfortable Bo should not have been put in that situation.

So- Bo is looking for his forever home. Bo is one laid back guy and is not aggressive at all! He LOVES people, but not in an obnoxious way ;o) and is very outgoing and friendly. Bo is also good with other dogs and will happily play fetch all day. He can sit, down and shake a paw and is pretty good on leash. Bo will not be adopted to a home with small children but would make a great addition to a family with older kids.

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I got a call this morning from a concerned dog lover- a friend of hers found this dog; left behind after his owners moved away. I cannot express just how angry I am about this. Poor Guy!

We are calling him Zane, he looks to be a mostly purebred German Shepherd and around 5 years of age. He is a very happy, friendly guy who loves people. Zane is comfortable meeting and greeting everyone and I think will make a great companion.

A little Bud

This is Bud before his hair cut....




This is Bud AFTER his hair cut....

Isn't he a handsome dude? Bud sure thinks so!

Bud is a 2 year old Shih Tzu cross who will be looking for his permanent home very soon. He has some minor behaviour problems that are being dealt with first. Bud has a a history of dominance and sees nothing wrong with growling at you to show his displeasure. He is learning in his foster home that this is not appropriate. Despite his little quirks Bud is a GREAT little dog- he is affectionate (on his own terms), likes the company of other dogs and cats, is great on a leash and loves walks. Bud is content in the house during the day, and is a great foot warmer.

Even though he is cute and little Bud will only be adopted out to a home that understands how to deal with a dog like him. Bud can be pushy- and has learned that he can boss people around, so the family who adopts him will have to be sure to stand up for themselves!!!

Bud will not be adopted to a home with small children. He doesn't appreciate being picked up all the time and having people in his face. He likes his personal space and unfortunately kids, and some adults, have a hard time understanding that! He will make a great little companion for an older couple who like to walk and be active!

Down to 2

Can you believe we only have TWO dogs right now!? Wow. We have been doing great in the adoption department lately. It is down to Dory- the 4 month old Lab cross, and Sampson- the almost 1 year old Golden Cross!



Dory's foster mom has nothing but great things to say about her- she has caught onto housetraining amazingly fast and is learning how to ask to go out already. She is crate trained and never makes a peep. She is a great retriever and really loves sticks and toys. Overall she is just a great little pup!!!

In her own words;


" she is a real sweetie...totally into people..likes to sit on my knee and snuggle or lie on my feet and snuggle into my slippers for a nap...I call her the wiggly worm...a real little softie...and very good at figuring out which of my dogs like her and which say not so much...very respectful...No accidents at all in the house...she cruises the back yard with the other hounds and enjoys herself.."

Proof

If this isn't proof of Sams' charachter I don't know what is!

Sampson Overload

Funny guy Sampson is still looking for that right home-he has been doing great at his foster home and has proven himself to be a great house dog! Sam has a great personality and will be an easy dog to love- he has a super smile, and just that tail-wagging, typical retriever attitude.

He came to daycare a few days last week and was the life of the party- he really does love other dogs- he played with everyone, big and small- and had a great time.

Sam would be a perfect dog for a young family as he is awesome with kids- he is gentle, calm and respectful. It is amazing to see this big dog negotiate around a group of kids so that he doesn't knock anyone down.

Sampson is an all around great family dog- easy going in the house, good on leash, travels well, good in the house, fully housetrained, loves kids- what more could you want???

Going Home

I finally have had time to post some Happy Endings on the new "extension" of the blog- you can check it out Here. We frequently get updates as to how the dogs do when they finally get home and settled- the stories are great, and it is really nice to hear how a dog that you once loved is doing. There is only a few on there at the moment, but I have more to post, and more on the way so be sure to check back!

Some Updates about Current comings and goings;

Willow and Nikita are both going on Friday- we are driving them to Cranbrook to fly to their respective homes on Friday because of the whole Westjet new policy about flying dogs. -A word of advice if you intend on flying a dog- be sure to call to set up an account, and be prepared to wait 14 business days to be able to even book. It was a real hassle but thankfully we have it all figured out through a really great company in BC.

I have a few applications on cute little Brie- I hope to get some more pictures in the next few days. She is REALLY cute! I also have one on Dory as well.

Also, we are making room for some new additions. Five little Beagle cross puppies will be coming on Friday....anyone want to foster one or two????!!! ;o)

How Could They???!!!

Today we got a surprise visit from a lady in Cardston- someone had turned into her a pup that was wandering around on the outskirts of town- the person who found her put ads up and no one has come forth to claim her. The pup appears to be about 9 weeks old and is a rottweiler- and someone has docked her tail themselves. It is a horrible thing to imagine and they did a really bad job. Thankfully it is not infected and will just need to be cleaned on a regular basis to promote healthy healing.

We have named her Brie and she is one fiesty little pup! She is very brave and nothing has phased her. She has been vaccinated and is a happy, healthy little pup. Brie will need to go to an experience dog household as she will be a large dog and will need a consistent up bringing. Brie loves to play and already is packing toys around- she is quite content to play by herself! Typical of all puppies she is learning about bite inhibition, housetraining, crate training and basic manners. Brie is super smart and catches on really quickly. Her tail has been cleaned up and will not be a problem for her later.

She is the newest dog in our system and we need a foster home!

The role of the foster home is to treat the dog like their own- teach them manners, crate train them, get started on the fun job of housetraining. We supply a crate, food and support! We predict with this particular puppy that she will be adopted within a two week time period so you may have her for as little as a week!

Beautiful Willow

Willow is a beauty although my pictures don't do her justice. She is amazingly hard to photograph- she doesn't stand and pose like some dogs will, when she isn't playing with other dogs she is at my feet, and she has a very dark face which makes it hard to get a decent picture. Despite my poor attempts at getting a picture of her these two didn't turn out too horrible so I thought I would share.

Willow has really come out of her shell and is doing awesome. She is learning about being in a crate and is doing great on a leash. She loves to cuddle and is very playful. She has come to daycare a few times and she does well with other the dogs but still gets a little nervous if there are too many. She likes to keep them all in line and it's rather hard to keep 20 dogs organised and in a corner!

Dory's Photo Shoot

I tried very hard to get some new pictures of Dory on Friday- all I managed was these three good ones- all the others were either out of focus or she looked petrified!! She wanted to be right under my feet- which also didn't help the picture taking process. This girl LOVES people that's for sure.

I got a report from her foster home this morning and she is doing awesome- she has really blossomed into an outgoing, busy little puppy. She is still very sweet and sensitive but you can easily see now that she will come out of her shell and be a typical puppy. Dory has been working hard on her housetraining and crate training and now is sleeping in a crate with no problems. She is ready for her new permanent home now and a family of her own to love!

Happy Endings

Today Oreo goes home!!!

We got Oreo on December 12th- as an almost four month old puppy who along with his littermates were going to be dumped.

It has been a long time coming but finally Oreo is going to a home where he will be spoiled and forever loved. Thank you so much to Oreo's foster homes- and a big thank you to Robin for finally deciding that adding a second dog was a good idea!!

Speaking of Happy Endings I have started a "Happy Endings" page- I am almost done so will post a link shortly! Someone suggested that we tell people about the dogs who have been adopted and how their lives (and the people who adopted them) have changed. It was a great idea and it has been really nice to hear from people who adopted dogs from us.

Frozen

Dory was found on one of the coldest nights in Southern Alberta, frozen and starving on the side of the highway. A good samaritan saw something in the ditch and was shocked to see that it was a puppy! After a week of recovering from the cold Dory is now ready to find her own loving forever home. We are guessing that Dory is a lab cross of some sort and around 14 weeks old. She still has very baby puppy teeth.

We have no past history but suspect that she was neglected quite badly- she is very skinny and is quite timid. I am sure that with time and patience she will come around but she isn't your typical bouncy puppy- yet anyway!

Dory is in a foster home with other dogs and cats and is getting the love and attention she deserves. She is learning house training and crate training. We will have more details on her personality and more pictures in the next day or so!

The Lost Sister

This is Willow. Does she look familiar??? That's because we've had her two brothers and sisters in rescue already. This was the pup the owner found a home for herself. She was brought to a local pet store with the threat of a bullet if no one took her.

Willow has very obviously spent her life so far doing what she wanted- chasing livestock to be exact. This is what happens when you take a high energy dog, that has the breed traits to chase livestock and run forever, put it on a farm without a job and presto! You have a dog like Willow. One that is as sweet as they come but who will need some obedience work, and lots of love and patience.

She is petrified of the crate and will bark when left in one. She is fine when she is loose but has a serious fear of being confined. This tells us she was either confined a lot or not at all. Willow is very similar to her brothers in that she is outgoing and bubbly. She loves everyone, plays great with other dogs and is just a nice dog. Willow is a bit longer in the body than Oreo and is a little taller as well. She's a beauty though and with time, training, and love she will become a great dog!

Nothin' New

Well it has been quiet on the rescue front- which is a good thing! It was getting a little crazy there for a while. We have had some adoptions in the past week or so

Wyatt has been adopted to a great home here in Lethbridge. He will be very spoiled and loved.

Sierra has found her perfect home, a family who has adopted from us previously have fallen in love with her.

Otto is settling in well with his big brother Bobbi. The boys are having a great time together!


All of Sofie's pups have been adopted and are gone to their new homes.


Nikita is flying to her new home on the 15th. She is going to Vancouver. We are looking for a gently used hard crate that someone would sell or donate so we can keep expenses down for her new family.



So that leaves Ruthie, Oreo, and Sampson. I have an application on Ruthie but poor Oreo is still in Foster Care. He is a really great little guy and I'm not quite sure why he hasn't been adopted yet. Oreo will be starting an Obedience class soon so hopefully that will increase his chance of being adopted.