Kudos to the woman who walked up to us while I was taking photos of Hercules and asked if she could meet him even though she thought he was a Pit Bull, which he obviously is not. He's a Mastiff mix of some sort but it does go to show how many people, even well intentioned ones, will call any big headed, short haired dog a Pit Bull and how that can easily lead to misidentification in cases of dog bites.
Hercules, though kinda giant-ish, is a big wussy and would more likely hide behind you than get out in front of you. The most dangerous thing about him is his extra large bowling ball head which he knocks into you when he wants pets.
He's got some serious looking scars on his face but I think that may be from a cat who beat him up when he was younger. Everyone's always pickin' on the big guys.
Hercules was spending a few days over Christmas at TAS South but will be available soon from Speaking of Dogs Rescue.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
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A request
The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.
The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.
Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.
So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.
Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.
So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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2011
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December
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- City dog, country dog
- Update on Barley
- Husky puppy mix
- Skipper - Terrier mix
- Hercules - Mastiff
- Three attempts at a Christmas photo
- Merry Christmas everyone!
- O'Malley
- All 600+ seized Paws R Us dogs have been saved
- Rescue videos from Eldad Hagar
- Tucker - Brittany Spaniel mix
- Jazz - Black German Shepherd
- Chad - Chihuahua
- Eclipse - Cane Corso mix
- Unnamed Jack Russell Terrier
- Momo - Poodle
- Anishnabe puppies
- Update on Rusty
- Doll - Lab mix
- Fern - Beagle
- George - Black and Tan Coonhound
- Lewis - German Shepherd mix puppy
- Foster failure
- "Man up"
- Can't get no satisfaction
- Myths, misconceptions and plain old stupid
- Road trip 9
- Road trip 8
- Road trip 7
- Road trip 6
- Road trip 5
- Road trip 4
- Road trip 3
- Road trip 2
- Road trip 1
- Plug
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December
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My other blogs
Animal rescue blogs
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What's That?5 years ago
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Late Night Musings: Clearing the Shelters5 years ago
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Simon Loves the Snow!7 years ago
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What a majestic dog! That second shot is a classic.
What a sweet baby!