Elvis, gone for good

I guess he's not coming back!

It took him a couple days to get comfortable, but when Elvis is comfortable, he is comfortable. It's like it's his job or something.

And just to see how far he's come:

 

I miss that guy. I pulled a little girl out of stray today. We'll see if she ends up here =)

Pretty girl

Landfill Dogs

Zeta at 3 weeks

Bundled up on the snow day.

Zeta has been making a lot of progress. She very rarely has accidents and it's been a few days since her last one. As long as we remember to let her out every now and then, she won't use the bathroom in the house. This is a small challenge for us because Honey only has to go out three times a day. Zeta will get there.

She was spayed on Tuesday. She's healing very nicely and hasn't let that slow her down at all. Just as peppy as ever. They cleaned her ears while she was under for spay and they look so good! She gained 5 lbs in two weeks and we'll have her healthy in no time.

She had a photo shoot with Mary Shannon Johnstone on Thursday. She's now a Landfill Dog! Her page hasn't been put up yet, but I'll share her glamour shot soon.

She's been doing much better with new people. The trick is to ignore her completely until she settles down. When she approaches in a friendly way, then she can sit for a treat. She made fast friends with my mother-in-law, with Honey's help. I think that she will need to go to a home with a confident dog to help her feel more secure. She's definitely a work in progress, but the progress is remarkable! She crawled on a dog bed all on her own and laid down, which would have been unheard of even a few days ago. She's learning how to relax and enjoy life a little, which is great to see.

Good luck, Mamba

Mamba got really lonely when Elvis was adopted, so she has gone to live in another foster home with another lonely cat. Hopefully they will keep each other company and be happy together. If I get photos, I will post them here. Maybe she will finally find her forever home and not have to worry ever again.

I cannot stand how cute this is.

I think he's settled in.

Elvis has left the building

Our handsome boy has gone home. Hopefully he has a great life and his new brother will love him soon. I miss him already.

Fabulous cats still looking!

These guys are still looking for a forever home. Such great cats, looking for a lucky family.

Mamba and Elvis

Their new bios:

Elvis 94049
Single, black, neutered male seeking furever family. Felines required, humans and canines welcome. Enjoys relaxing walks on a leash, bird watching and lounging around, but also crazy nights with ping pong balls and laser-pointers. Screened-in porch would be nice. Looking for that special someone to share meal-time with. Tidy housemate would be a plus. Inquirers please email diadrascritters@gmail.com and see diadrascritters.blogspot.com/search/label/Elvis.

Mamba 94326

Single, black, spayed female seeking furever family. Humans preferred, felines welcome, canines negotiable. Enjoys baking, killing stuffed toys and divine belly-rubs. Seeking fellow home-body to spend time and share dreams with. Gently but exciting girl just looking to settle down. Inquirers please email diadrascritters@gmail.com and see diadrascritters.blogspot.com/search/label/Mamba.

Haymitch wins

I knew it would happen, sooner or later.

Sooner, I guess.

 

So happy =)

Haymitch's new sister

She's a beauty. She's not hissing, so that's a good thing! Haymitch will win her over. He always does.

Snow Day

She went out for a potty break and her little tootsies were so cold and bright red, I brought her in too early. She pooped in the house =( Wish we had some dog shoes. Seems like it's got her cold going again. *sigh* I dunno if she'll clear once she's done with meds. Poor old girl.

Haymitch has gone home!

Thank you AniMall and thank you family! Hope his new sister warms up fast!

Zeta's day 9

We brought her home Feb. 1 and she broke with URI Feb. 3. A week later and she's feeling a lot better, and she gained 2.5 lbs!

Yesterday was her first day to not have an accident in the house. We're so proud of her!

Vaccinating a feral, aggressive or undersocialized animal

When people come to the shelter looking for an animal to adopt, most don't realize that they're only seeing half the picture. Half the building houses mostly happy, mostly healthy, adoptable dogs and cats. The other half houses the ones that are too scared, too sick, or too wild for adoption. They all need care and some of them make the transition from one part of the building. Most of the time, though, they need someone to get them out, which is where fosters and rescues come in.

In my previous post, Zeta, I failed to mention the crucial step that even made those dogs available for foster or rescue: vaccination. Without getting their vaccines, animals can't go up for adoption, foster, or rescue. It is also the defining moment for an animal at intake: If they can't be vaccinated, they are labeled either "feral" or "aggressive". Feral means they just aren't used to human handling and are too scared. Aggressive means that fear makes them lash out and seem like they intend to do harm. Both can be worked with because they are fear-based. (These are my definitions, nothing official.)

The issue is that not everyone can work with these animals. They're in restricted rooms which are only to be accessed by staff members. When I was a kennel attendant, it was easy to work with the feral cats because they get used to your voice, day after day, if you talk to them while you clean. Eventually, some of them will let you pet them and even carry them. With the dogs, I could at least get a sense of whether they were truly aggressive or just scared. Most just needed more time and slow introduction than anyone had. Now, at the front desk, I come in a little early and walk around. It's easier to work with the dogs now than the cats because they take days to earn their trust. Most dogs just require a bag of treats.

The puppies Cyrus and Myles were easy; like the cats, they just needed to be handled enough to accept vaccines. Killer was a different situation. He took most of his vaccines, but got uncomfortable and cranky when it came to the last one, pyrantel (an oral dewormer) and his heartworm test (requires blood draw). He was a sweet dog, but the shelter made him very nervous and being restrained downright scared him. I worked with him for days and was finally able to get the dewormer into him, but the blood draw was up to the receiving staff. I was so worried about him that I had said my goodbyes; I was so sure that he was just another sweet, scared dog that wasn't going to make it.

Luckily, though, they kept trying and eventually got the test. They made him foster/rescue only, but it was easy to market him because he passed his behavioral assessment with flying colors. He's now in foster and waiting for a forever home. He loves kids and people in general, gets along with other dogs and is house and crate trained. I'm so happy that he's in a home, but I'm sure he'd be glad to have one of his very own.

Zeta was rescue-only because of her physical condition and also because she needed socialization. She's the first dog I've brought home out of stray. I've brought home four cats/kittens out of stray, and they're all awesome. But this post isn't about her.

Haymitch goes to the mall

Haymitch has gone to AniMall in Cary Towne Center. Please go visit him and see how awesome he is! We'll still be answering questions and speaking with potential adopters. Hopefully he'll find the home he's been looking for.

Zeta's first day

The longer she's here, the more we learn about her.

She's taken to the crate very well.

She's not fussy or loud. She will bark if over excited or alarmed, and it's pretty shrill. I've only heard her bark twice: once at the shelter when she heard another excited dog and was frustrated and once today when our Honey barked at the neighbors (because the other neighbor's dog was barking).

She's not house trained, but she's making progress. She had a couple accidents this morning but seems to do pretty well if she goes out every couple hours. We'll build up to three times a day, like Honey, but in the meantime, she's doing well. She does know to use the bathroom as soon as we get outside.

She answers to her name and has great recall. She doesn't run off and so far has done great off leash. She sticks to her person like velcro. She's not allowed on the couch yet, so she can't cuddle on the couch. But she prefers to be right by me.

She learns quickly, especially by example. She only missed about six treats before Honey taught her how to "sit". We'll work on lay down once she gets sit down solid.

I think she's gonna be alright.

Zeta

After Quinn was adopted, I went snooping through the foster/rescue only dogs. I could have chosen someone from the adoption floor, but there is something about the ones who need socialization that I'm drawn to. It's awesome to see them transform from "almost feral" to pampered house pets.

A few of the notable ones from the past:

Cyrus. I won him over and carried him in to get his vaccinations.

He was pulled by Critters 4 U Rescue and adopted.

String Bean, now known as Myles, was "feral". I also won him over and carried him to get vaccinated. He went into foster, was adopted and is a huge sugarmonster!

Killer, now known as Killian. He was my best friend from the very start just because I took time with him. He's in foster now, looking for a home. He's a sweet snugglebug.

 This is Zeta.

She needs some TLC before she can be adopted. She's skin and bones (only 30lbs); her coat is thin and patchy, probably from poor nutrition. Her nails were really long and showed malnutrition; her ears were filthy and stank like filth. She has sores on her legs, probably from laying on something hard.

When I met her, she shied away. She didn't want to be touched, she didn't respond to my voice, she didn't try to sniff my hand. I won her over with treats, which is easy when a dog is so hungry. After a couple days, she finally wagged for me. Now, she loves attention, comes when called and seems like a pretty normal dog. It's funny how fast they change.

Zeta got a much-needed medicated bath, had her ears cleaned and her nails trimmed. She's on the surgery list for Tuesday and is currently in heat. She looks like she'd been bred more than a couple times. It's hard to believe she's 7 years old because of her size and spirit, but her teeth are horrible and her paws are old.

So far she's been good with the cats, if a bit rude and pushy to play. We've lucked out too many times, so we'll need to house train and crate train her. She's adjusting to the crate pretty well so far, but we haven't had much luck catching her in the act of using the bathroom in the house. Luckily she's wearing diapers because of her heat, so it's easier to clean up but it's hard to catch her. We'll keep working, though, and I'm sure she'll catch on because she's a smart girl.

Fingers crossed for tonight!