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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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What's his address? I'm suddenly feeling the need to send him some peanut butter cheese cake.
I just checked the website (animal services) and Ethan is not listed. I was going to go to the shelter this week to see him to see if he was a matcb with me...
Hi Anon, Ethan is getting neutered either today or tomorrow and if all goes well and he recovers in time, he should be in general adoption within the next few days. Please check with TAS South just to make sure about when he's available.
Sounds good - I will check with the shelter.
Thanks!
Janice
I don't mean to start a controversy, but that dog doesn't look "too skinny" to me. Juvenile dogs are much lankier than adults, and to be honest, the great majority of dogs are disgustingly obese. That dog has a good visible waist (which it ought), and the ribs are not jutting. A healthy body condition looks very much like that, with a good tuck behind the ribs. If the ribs cannot be easily felt, the dog is overweight. As a trainer, I see a lot of owners who do not know what a healthy dog looks like, and this has become a very serious issue to me.
Yeah I have to agree with Anon at 12:15 PM, this dog doesn't look too skinny. You should be able to feel, but not see, any ribs, and the dog should definitely have a visible waist. That all applies to this dog, and I do see a good bit of muscle meat on his legs (a starving body will eat away muscle as well as fat). His body is pretty long which does exaggerate his waist. In more conditioned and muscular dogs it's actually normal to see a couple of ribs, but the dog is still in great health. It wouldn't kill this dog to gain a pound or so maybe, but he's definitely not starving. So many people these days think that a dog is underweight unless it looks like a tube. It's sad.
Alright, the next person who uses words like "stupid" or "idiot" gets their comments deleted. This is my blog. Only I get to use words like that.
Anon,12:15, thanks for your comment. Even though the photos may not show it clearly enough, Ethan is too skinny and, no, this is not coming from someone who thinks all dogs should be shaped like stuffed toys. His ribs are showing and his appetite is much lower than normal. This may be due to shelter stress mixed with separation anxiety or maybe he's just a picky eater. Either way, for a dog his age and size, he is underweight. However, his energy is high and his spirits are good so hopefully, with a change of diet or environment, he'll put on some weight.
@Fred: Yeah it's hard to tell in these pictures since the angles don't show the ribs well.
Ok, I can't get there till Saturday, but if he's still there Saturday I will be at TAS to meet him and see if our home is the right home for him (which I hope it is) and where I promise not to feed him peanut butter cheesecake.