Friday, February 18, 2011

A cute little dog

A cute little two-year old female shih-tzu went up for adoption at the humane society and for once we were the first people who went to see her. She's super-cute and very curious about everything. She was able to relax with us, even letting me rub her tummy! I know we'd be a good match for her and that we could provide a good home for her.

Unfortunately, someone else had been second-in-line for a male lhasa apso and they switched their application to this shih tzu before we got there. They hadn't even seen her when they switched the application so they'll probably go in tonight or tomorrow to meet. If they're a good match for her they'll get to take her home. Sigh. If for some reason they decide they don't want her or the staff feel they wouldn't be good for her - if they're not going to be home most of the time as this is a dog that likes to be around people - then we would get her. It doesn't look good for us this time, though.

The cute small dogs go quickly while the bigger dogs stay up for adoption a long time. We'd take a bigger dog but Ian's allergic to dog fur so we need a dog with hair - the shih tzus, lhasa apsos, and cute little dogs like that. Seeing the bigger dogs up for adoption for a long time tugs at my heartstrings, especially when they put in a description like this one:

Hi! My name is Deena and I am a 4 year old Spayed female Cattledog cross.

I came into the centre as an orphaned dog. I had no parents that could tell anyone here about why I was running around instead of being in a loving home, no one here knew anything about my past – not even my name! The nice people here gave me a warm bed and lots of yummy food! They also did a lot of socialization work with me because I was a bit afraid of men. The staff at the centre think that maybe sometimes tall men and how deep their voices can be, remind me of other experiences that weren’t so nice.

The veterinarian determined on my physical exam that I have possible hip dysplasia. The staff decided to have me spayed anyway in hopes that it would help me to get adopted more easily! Sometimes it can be hard to find forever homes for dogs with special needs. Unfortunately I have already been up for adoption for over a month and no one has really shown a lot of interest in me. I’m not sure what it is, maybe I’m the wrong colour or the wrong breed? I think I’m beautiful and the people who work and volunteer with me sure seem to agree! I’m not the biggest fan of other fuzzy friends, I much prefer humans – they have treats and love and lots of walks to give! With some socialization though, I might change my mind about other animals.

They say I’m ready for my new home. I’m hoping it will be someone who is able to take care of my hips and make sure that I’m getting the best care!

How could you not want that lovely dog after reading that heartfelt description? I wish we could take her home. If anyone in the Kitchener-Waterloo area is looking for a pet, the KW Humane Society has lots, including the mixed-breed dog with the above description. If you're not in my area but looking for a pet I hope you'll consider getting one from your own local animal shelter. Those animals need a home, too!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You might find http://www.petfinder.com/index.html useful if this adoption doesn't work out - it lists animals available for adoption at rescues as well as shelters.

I adopted my dog at the humane society and am very glad I did.

Chantelle said...

Thanks for the link! It's a great resource; I din't know there were so many rescue organizations in the area.

If I could adopt every one of those of the dogs on that list, I would. There are a lot of dogs on that list and lots that must be from puppy mills. Seeing some of them made me sad because I don't know who would adopt them.

I've always worried about animals that are up for adoption because I wonder what would happen to them if they weren't adopted. And since I'm super-sensitive these days, the potential plight of these dogs made me cry. Overreact much? Oh, yeah, that's me.

At some point we'll find our furbaby... and all of those other dogs will find new forever homes, too.

Chantelle

Kimberly said...

You can also try kijiji. Lots of animals get put up there for free when they can no longer be cared for. They aren't at the shelter yet, but you can bet they will be if nobody takes them. I've seen many small dogs available whose elderly companions passed away.
Good luck!