Dogs getting high

Perches.

That’s what the black dogs in our house prefer.

Scooby spends whole days parked on the back of our couch — a pretty high place for a dude who’s, like, six inches tall. But from that vantage point, the elderpin has a view of our entire main floor. He’s just a few feet from the front door, with an unobstructed view of the kitchen and back door and a good sightline into the bedroom.

Foster pup Charlie Machete never loved being kenneled, and so shortly after he began staying with us last summer, the laundry room became his room.

True to his inner panther, he opted against snoozing on the floor and instead took to leaping four feet onto a counter that offered access to one corner of a window with a glimpse into our side yard. If a basket of clean or dirty clothes happened to be on the counter, he’d just squish himself into it, shovelhead hanging over the front.

He still does this, but due to his insistence on hopping off of the counter the moment I open the laundry room door, I have no photographic proof.

However, I have caught him in another high place.

The design of our new deck includes a bench that attaches to our fence. One step up, and a panther dog has a full street view.

Of course, we never leave him out there unattended, but he sure likes to play sentry anytime he gets the chance.

What do you think Charlie Machete is saying in this picture? Leave your answer in the comments.

Nellie the beagle has a new name and needs a new owner

Remember Nellie the beagle who went wayward for five months before the Lost Dog Registry helped reunite her with her family?

Nellie — at the KCMO Animal Shelter, 1/19/12

Well, the happy ending didn’t last long. Four days later, Nellie escaped again. Fortunately, she found her way into kind hands at North Oak Animal Hospital, where Susan Johnson is the practice manager.

Nellie showed up in our parking lot in January and ran up to one of our staff as they were taking the trash out.  She was immediately brought inside and put in our isolation ward and given a good dinner.  She was thin and looked older than we thought at the time. We let her rest a few days, then vaccinated her and ran all the other tests.

Because her original owners have not claimed her, Nellie, now known as Abigail, is available for adoption to a new family.

Can you help Abigail find a new family?

The North Oak staff has grown attached to sweet Abigail, who is estimated to be 6 or 7 years old and is friendly with all people and dogs and doesn’t bark much.

Mrs. Johnson says although the clinic is not equipped to handle strays consistently, Abigail will remain there until someone agrees to foster her in their home or adopt her forever.

She seems content to lay on her quilt in her run pen but quick to get up when we walk back to the kennel area.  She is current with all vaccinations which is: Rabies, DHPP, ITT.  She had a fecal done twice plus a negative HW check and is on Heartgard monthly.  She is bathed as needed and loves her baths.

Abigail’s adoption fee will be the cost of her vaccinations. The clinic will provide six months of free heartworm preventative.

If you or someone you know is interested in meeting Abigail, contact North Oak Animal Hospital at 816-436-4400.

Also check out Abigail’s profile on this blog’s Adoptable page.

Bomb Diggity: A dog-splosion of fun

Rebecca starts her e-mails with “aloha.” This made me like her right away.

We met through work about a year ago, but it was more recently that we learned we have something in common besides an obsession with Hawaii. (I’ll give you one guess.)

In her circle, Rebecca is the person with the “dog house.” Everyone’s dogs are welcome, even if they have a reputation for being unsociable. But as much as she loves dogs, Rebecca and her fiance resisted fostering. They had their hands full with their own two canines, a cat and a turtle.

But then Rebecca started volunteering as a dog walker for Stray Rescue of St. Louis, an organization that’s all about saving wayward animals.

Just check out the mission statement:

Stray Rescue’s sole purpose is to rescue stray animals in need of medical attention, restore them to health, and place them in loving adoptive homes. Virtually all of the pets we save have been abused and neglected. They’ve been dumped on highways, or remote country roads. Abandoned in public parks, empty houses and dark alleys. We’ve even saved dogs left chained behind buildings after their owners had moved away.

At Stray Rescue’s shelter, dogs live in “apartments,” not kennels. And when a pup goes out for walk, he comes back to fresh bedding and a treat on his pillow. So posh!

On her second shift as a walker for Stray Rescue, Rebecca met this firecracker:

Bomb Diggity has a fuse for fun.

Bomb Diggity burst excitedly out of his glass apartment and greeted Rebecca with two paws on her shoulders and licks to the face. He walked her They walked for 25 minutes, a while longer than the typical exercise session. Rebecca recalls the day:

I walked a few more dogs then went home after a few hours of walking. I decided that night that Bomb Diggity was so sweet, but he was never going to be able to find a home being cooped up in his glass apartment all day.  He just had too much energy and was too big to look attractive to a potential adopter.  So I told my fiance about him, and that I thought we should foster him because we could help him calm down and make it easier to find a forever home. It didn’t take much convincing.

Before bringing home the Bomb, Rebecca and her fiance first had to bring their dogs and Pinky the cat to the shelter to meet the former street dog whose behavior around felines had not yet been tested.

As it turned out, there was cause for concern that Bomb Diggity’s curiosity might hurt the cat. Rebecca says:

Needless to say, Bomb Diggity was VERY excited to meet Pinky. Too excited really. Pinky doesn’t have her claws, and the trainers felt Bomb Diggity should experience his first cat au-natural – with a full set of claws.

And so, Bomb Diggity didn’t get to go home with Rebecca.

But Stray Rescue’s trainers had a feeling Pinky might like another foster brother better…

Come back tomorrow to meet Rebecca’s new foster dog. His name is every bit as cool as Bomb Diggity.

Think you can keep up with handsome, high-energy Bomb Diggity? Check out his Stray Rescue profile and apply to adopt him!

Bolivar: An adoptable dog with an adorable underbite

Yesterday introduced readers to Amanda Denning Holt, an animal advocate in Kansas City with a soft spot for harder-to-adopt dogs. Today’s post continues with Amanda’s own words about Bolivar, a boxer mix for whom she’s determined to help find a forever home.

I met Bolivar in late December, shortly after he arrived at the KCMO shelter (now KC Pet Project).

Some people may think he not a very “pretty” dog — he has a rather cute underbite — but my husband and I both find him to be handsome and beyond loving.

During his time at the shelter, he was housed in a dark cage on the bottom row, which means he was more or less invisible to potential adopters. Plus, he did not present himself in a very positive light in the shelter environment. The stress of living 24/7 in a tiny cage with no attention really took a toll on him. He developed barrier aggression, which became another strike against him and made him less appealing to adopters.

His leash manners were so poor, many other volunteers refused to even try to take him outside on a leash. Still, this sweet boy found my soft spot. There is something very special about him.

My heart could not stand seeing him digress in the shelter environment. And it hurt to know that not one person seemed to show any interest in him. I took him outside every time I went to the shelter in December and January. I really fell in love with this guy.

He is the loving canine companion that anybody would want. And he undoubtedly will shower his future family with bounds of love and loyalty.

He has improved tremendously since he’s been out of the shelter and living at the much more peaceful Unleashed Rescue  pet adoption center, where another woman comes to walk him every day. She has been working on his manners. He now walks on a leash much better and knows how to sit.

His barrier aggression has disappeared, his leash manners have improved immensely, and he’s calmed down. It’s as if he knows he’s in a better place now.

His walking buddy ordered a DNA test for him, so in about three weeks we’ll know for sure what breed he is. (Boxer mix?)

Whatever Bolivar’s breed, he is a great dog — a high energy guy who would be great for a runner. He gives good snaggletooth kisses. But he still needs and deserves a loving forever home.

Wondering if Bolivar could be the dog for you? Go meet him at Unleashed’s adoption center, located at 5918 Broadmoor in Mission, Kansas. You can also check out Bolivar’s Petfinder profile. He is also now featured on the Wayward Dogs Adoptable page.

Wordless Wednesday: Pictures of a black dog

Charlie Machete would look great in your living room, too. To learn more about this adoptable dog, see http://www.waywarddogs.com/adoptable.