New dogs

Two new dogs came home with me on Saturday from the Orange County animal shelter. The first is a 5-6 year old female we are calling Holiday. She's a big boned gal, but she's also just plain fat. She was obviously well fed and cared for at one time, but she was found wandering down the middle of a road as if looking for someone to stop and pick her up. Most likely she was abandoned or dumped, which is a real shame. She appears to have been a house dog, she knows some basic tricks and commands, and she's super mellow. This dog is the perfect choice for so many people who want a young, active male dog instead, and then end up returning that dog a week, month, or year later. She's not a raving beauty, but she's got a beautiful coat, a good soul, great temperament, and manners. Adopters should be beating my door down wanting this dog, but I bet it will take a while to find someone. In the meantime, I'll put her on a diet and get her some much needed exercise with the other fosters. She's been a couch potato and hopefully will be again, but she does need someone watching her weight.

Betty is most likely a Belgian Malinois, or a mix thereof. It's a shepherd-like breed, but not a German Shepherd Dog. She's very young. I doubt that she's a year old yet. She acts and plays very much like a pup, and I'm guessing she's maybe just 10 months old. Pretty girl, sweet, cute, friendly, but no manners. She will sit on command, especially for a treat, but then she's likely to jump up on you. Her ears should stand up, but they may have been injured or malnourished when she was growing, or it could be the result of the genetic mix. It's impossible to say, but she's a striking dog regardless.

I took both dogs to an adoption event in Gainesville today along with Score and Bear. Bear is already spoken for but he went to spend time with his soon-to-be adopters and his future canine siblings. It was his first outing and he was great with all the people and all the dogs he met. Bear has a few more weeks before the heartworm treatment is completed and then he needs to be neutered. I need to get him crate trained soon. The one time I closed him in a crate he got out and I think he will need to be crated for a while in his new home, but he is a spectacular dog.