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Brandy needs to be carried outside because she is terrified. She's been a breeder dog all her life at some puppy mill and her owner finally decided to relinquish her when he figured she wasn't any more use to him. Well, at least he didn't shoot her or worse like millers tend to do.

She's like a pose-able doll. I place her down and that is the position she holds. Frozen, uncertain. I pick her up and lay her down on the blanket and she lies there. She is outside. She hasn't been outside her whole life. She is nine years old. Only her head moves from side to side as she looks around. This is some scary stuff, so she shakes. I take some photos, take a video and that's enough for this session.


Back inside, we sit on the couch in reception. Brandy's head is on my lap but it's at least ten minutes before she stops shaking. Every time a dog walks by, she perks up a bit, tail wags a bit.

Brandy's in a foster home with Speaking of Dogs right now, and available for adoption to someone with enough time and a big enough heart to see her through this transition to a better life.

Here's her link for more info: http://speakingofdogs.com/available-dogs/ (click on the Brandy link when you get there).







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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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