Shelter Pup – Phoebe
Humans made a deal with canines, in prehistoric times. They promised to care for them, in exchange for unconditional love and loyalty. Dogs all stuck to the bargain. Not every human did. Phoebe, an Old English Sheepdog – Poodle, was engineered by humans to have one purpose, one ability: loving. They eliminated Phoebe’s canine survival skills. Then they abandoned her.
The poor, one-year-old, roaming Doodle was sighted for over a week. Something had happened that made Phoebe terrified. Finally, the shelter staff used a dog trap to capture her.
Once Phoebe was inside, with people who petted her and talked to her, she remembered a happier time. Phoebe is now back to being a big lovable pup. She needs someone who’ll let her be that forever.
Like every mother, Lydia’s mama wanted her babies to survive. Sadly, Mama believed that she was the only one. She was feral. She’d learned that people were dangerous. Maybe she’d met one of those people who visit the shelter and announce, “I hate cats!” When asked why, they answer, “I just do.”
Repeatedly, how many times only Cream knows, he had to win a new home. When Cream met his most recent person, the ten-year-old, neutered, Maine Coon mix was living unsuccessfully outdoors. Cream was so sick the person contacted the Grant County Friends of the Shelter to help him.
Hazel is a mystery, in some ways. It’s a mystery that this cute, responsive pup-of-a-certain-age, who’s obviously loved people for her six years of life, was wandering. It’s mysterious that no one has come for the beautifully behaved little lady, especially since Hazel seems to be expecting her person.
The Tango “is a partner dance”. That name fits the pup Tango, because he’s a partner pup. The golden boy, with golden eyes, a golden Labrador coat and a golden heart, longs to be someone’s partner, sidekick, best friend, lifelong companion. Having a friend makes Tango absolutely radiant.
All shelter pets are more appealing in person than in their photo. It’s the sparkle in their eyes, the way their ears perk, the hopeful expression when they see a potential friend that shows that they’re special. That is especially true of eight-month-old, spayed Silk. A newsprint photo can’t capture a sweet star-white kitten, with a pink nose and pink-lined ears.
Spock, who’s a nearly grown, ten-month-old, 28-pound, neutered, Husky-small hound mix, knew nothing about the world, about people, about dogs of all shapes and sizes, about leashes. He knew his humans, Mama and 11 littermates. Spock thought that was surely the world. So, Spock believed that he understood life.
Ten-week-old Kitty Gaga is irresistible face to tiny fuzzy face. She and every other shelter kitten could purr and cuddle their way into a kind human heart, if they could get near that heart. However, in the shelter, there are lots of walls between Kitty Gaga and potential human owners. Charm can’t penetrate walls.
Animal advocate Jeffrey Masson wrote a book asserting, “Dogs Never Lie about Love”. And dogs can never believe that their human would lie about it or lie about how long love lasts. Hershey’s people asked the sweet Basset, again and again, to produce cute puppies. For six years, Hershey did. She produced them and loved them.
The shelter staff desperately wants resident cats to find homes. The most horrible thing that can happen is that a sweet, healthy cat dies, just because there’s no more space. So, they never insist that cats go home together, no matter how bonded the cats are. Still, sometimes they can hope.
When a law enforcement officer asks for help from the shelter staff, it can be very serious. Situations don’t get much more serious than Marley’s was. Read Marley’s story and learn more about how you can help this sweet dog’s recovery efforts.
Dramatic cases of animal injury and recovery are common at the Grant County Friends of the Animal Shelter and Castle is no exception. We encourage you to read Castle’s story and learn more about how you can help this resilient cat’s recovery efforts.
